Strange Water

[Scott Rudy]

Lake conditions 

Water murky green 1’+/- clarity.

No bottom structure 

No humps, No points 

Lay downs out of casting distance 

No points No flats No creek channels lake was formed from groundwater.

No docks No vegetation 

Maximum depth 7-12’

No boats allowed in lake 
I’m in a wheelchair and limited to fishing from the sidewalk. All of the cover is outside my casting distance. What and where do I throw? 
I know top water season is upon us and I love top water.

[ol'crickety]

I'd fish with live bait. I'm thinking that the bass will be restless as the water cools. The latest article on the front page said that some will be shallow and some deep, but I fished the last two mornings and my sense was that the bass were moving...all over the lake. They were in one spot the first morning and gone the second morning. They were deep in one area the first morning and in a different deep area the second morning. With a wriggling worm in the water, sooner or later, they'll see it as they move from location to location. I see your PB is 1-2 pounds. I think you'll soon have a new PB with a nightcrawler. 

 

Will you have a net and can you get your chair close enough to the edge to net your bass?

[Koz]

Senko casting parallel to the shore. Try different retrieves both Texas rigged and wacky rigged.

[Pumpkinseed Lizard]

Try probing the bottom with a jig or a texas rig. Maybe there is brushpile or some rocks with some fish on it.

 

Fish along the dropoff if there is one.

[ol'crickety]

I fish a LOT of topwater, so I opine from decades of experience and thousands of topwater bass: Fish early. Fish fog. Fish rain. Fish late. Fish even later.

[Catt]

On 8/31/2024 at 4:07 AM, Scott Rudy said:

What and where do I throw?

 

Different body of water

 

[scaleface]

Tubes. They just catch  fish , thats all they do.

[garroyo130]

I'd drag a heavy 3/4oz + carolina rig through everything i can reach before anything. Fan cast and determine if there is anything you can target. 

 

If you prefer not to do that, then casting parallel to the bank is your best bet

[OmegaDPW]

Any new body of water I fish (which is rare now) always starts with a Beetle Spin. Yeah, I know it's kinda "hokey" and old school, but it's what I've done for 40 years of fishing. If I start hammering bluegill and crappie right off the bat, I can at least figure out where fish are and then go from there. For me, my next step would be to throw a weightless worm (stickbait/Zoom Trick or Finesse) in close proximity to where the bluegill were. 

[papajoe222]

First, I'd figure out the bottom composition. Is there any change from, say, hard to soft bottom, or areas of rock or bottom hugging weeds?  The best way to do that is with a tungsten weighted T-Rig. Go with a 3/8oz. so you can maintain bottom contact and just drag it along the bottom.  Be sure to count it down as you fan cast the area. You may discover a spot where the water gets deeper, or shallower. That change in depth, or changes in bottom composition may be your best options for finding fish.

Then go back over those areas with your favorite bait. I'd suggest a Senko, or tube.

[Pat Brown]

This time of year:

 

When I have no idea what's going on and I got shallow cover - 1/8 oz buzzbait and a rage menace with no skirt and go.

 

If I don't have a ton of shallow cover or targets to fish I bust out the drop shot with a finesse worm of some sort and work structure.  

 

If I don't have a ton of structure or cover - a bass has a hard time resisting a weightless fluke Jr on 8 lb mono fished slow.

 

But if I'm being honest - I'm becoming a live by the frog - die by the frog guy 50% of the time so.... I'd probably just fish a frog. 😂

[GRiver]

Have you seen any fish, you know, minnows along shore, any thing breaking the surface? Might try a small hook and bobber and see what kind of fish are in there, if any.

How old is that particular part of the water? Sidewalk looks fairly new, new construction can really mess with the fish.   Does the water go on by, or is it dead end cove kinda thing? 
You could get bring another rod and reel and bottom fish with some stinky bait. Circle hook on a Carolina rig set up and secure the rod, this will let you if know if there is any catfish at least in there. While the catfish bait is soaking you get another rig, and fish a spinner bait doing search patterns.

[Bankc]

Is this a pond you have frequent access to?  If so, the best thing you can do is spend the time to learn the pond.  Or at least, learn the areas you can access.  That's what I do with small ponds, especially if they're mostly featureless.  There are usually a few areas that produce better than others because they're just slightly different enough.  And it could be something as simple as a single rock, all by itself that no one else knows about.  Just slowly and methodically work your way around the areas you can access, and you'll eventually figure out the good spots.  Then, once you do, you can concentrate a lot more of your time on the good spots using the baits that work. 

 

Lots of times on small ponds, the best spots aren't distinguishable from above the water.  And even a map of the bottom won't tell you much, as they're often just a featureless bowl.  But over time you'll find that hidden rock or stump or car tire or whatever, and that's the difference that makes this the hot spot where all of the fish congregate. 

 

For example, on a small lake near my work (really more of a big pond), there's a submerged piece of concrete with rebar sticking out that I know the exact location of, and it's almost a guaranteed spot to catch a bass, so long as you don't get hung up on it.  I've never seen it before, but I've hung up on it enough to know it's exact location.  I've even hung up on it enough to know it's most likely a broken parking block, or something similarly sized and shaped.  Cast about one foot to the right of it (I have a spot I stand on and a tree across the pond I cast toward to make sure I line it up just right), reel back right next to it.  You'll usually get a bite once you're about 4 feet past it, so it's often a good idea to pause at that spot for a second if you haven't gotten bit yet.  If you still don't get bit, cast and try again.  If that doesn't work, then leave it alone and come back in 20 minutes.  If you still don't at that point, then pack up, because the fish just aren't biting that day.  I can even tell you what size that bass will probably be based on the season and weather.  Usually, the warmer the water, the smaller that bass will be, unless it's about to rain.