A lot of the fishing shows and a lot of the info in magazines is about fishing large southern impoundments which I would argue is a different deal than our weedy, relatively shallow, northern lakes.  Now I'm talking about largemouth fishing not smallies.  

I tend to think the lakes in N. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, NYS, and New England tend to be very similar in terms of largemouth habitat.  The rest of the states listed here for the Northeast are different in terms of LMB habitat.  

We don't have the long tapering points in our dishpan lakes that they have in the southern resevoirs, and we don't have nearly as much wood.  Our lakes don't heat up in the summer the way southern lakes heat up.

Fishing in the north for LMB is about fishing the weeds.  It sems to me as the season wears on the bass bury deeper into the heavy weeds, maybe moving to the edges in low light periods or overcast days.  

It seems like there is about a month in the post spawn where you can clean up on the weed edges, or fishing over the weeds, or in wholes in the weeds, but after that you have to get down in them to get consistent results.  

Very interested in other people's opinions.  

FINALLY ! OK so this is what I found, on our Lakes in NY<NJ AND PA, natural lakes ( With the exception of the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes:different ball game)

While we do have mostly fishbowols, there are ledges, break lines and coves. I agree the # 1 thing we fish is weeds, but I am learning to target big rocks, humps and lines on the bottom where the lakes go from like sand/gravel to weed beds and muck!

Our lakes heat up in various spots differently. The clearer deeper water stays cool til late summer days, but little coves, Rocky and or sandy bottom  areas of our lakes, usally in the spring are warmer than the main part of the lake, so that area itself and the next few deepest areas will be holding spawners, pre spanwers and post spawers through most of the late spreing to the mid summer period

Run off areas and docks along the shores are also big time bass magnets.

The weeds rock! Especially Hydrilla, coon tail, pickerel grass and lilly pds/hyacinths(Spelling?)

Yeah you both definitely hit this one head on. Most of the small lakes are this way with very few having any real wood. About the only time I see wood is when I head down to Southern Illinois.

It's all about the weeds and docks. Unless I target some of the bigger lakes when I'm in Michigan rock are basically nonexistant. Mostly sand, muck, or mud bottoms. However, this year I do plan on spending a decent amount of time looking for something liek a lone rock that someone might have put in the lake.

Jaymc, if you go around the weed edges you should be able to find a few lone wolves even when they are back in the weed beds. Sometimes you do get lucky and find some humps like Muddy said, but the majority of the lakes I target are either big bowls or some are generally a bowl but with a few deep holes.

It would be cool to see some article in Bassmaster that relate more to our lakes.

bassdocktor

Hey Bassdocktor: I think that same guy put a

load of old cinder blocks on the ice at a certain stripping pit here, when the ice melts, I know someone who knows just where they will sink.

Hey Muddy I can't imagine someone putting cinder blocks out on the ice. ;D

Thats something I had thought about. There's a really nice flat on this one lake that always has a few 12" fish one it. Just pass through with a crank and they're there. I figrue some since they are there maybe add something to get the big guys to come in. And I have access to a rather large pile of block and bricks.

Hey: I got permission from the land owner, for the guy that put them there mind you. I had written to the PA  DNR, they ask you contact them if its going in any public wters, b/c of permits, poullution and navigation issues. We don't want our benevolent friend sinking any PWC's do we

Yeah you both definitely hit this one head on. Most of the small lakes are this way with very few having any real wood. About the only time I see wood is when I head down to Southern Illinois.

It's all about the weeds and docks. Unless I target some of the bigger lakes when I'm in Michigan rock are basically nonexistant. Mostly sand, muck, or mud bottoms. However, this year I do plan on spending a decent amount of time looking for something liek a lone rock that someone might have put in the lake.

Jaymc, if you go around the weed edges you should be able to find a few lone wolves even when they are back in the weed beds. Sometimes you do get lucky and find some humps like Muddy said, but the majority of the lakes I target are either big bowls or some are generally a bowl but with a few deep holes.

It would be cool to see some article in Bassmaster that relate more to our lakes.

bassdocktor

Hey bassdoctor thanks for the response.  

The way most guys approach weeds is to fish the edges or run a weedless topwater over the mats.  

FINALLY ! OK so this is what I found, on our Lakes in NY<NJ AND PA, natural lakes ( With the exception of the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes:different ball game)

While we do have mostly fishbowols, there are ledges, break lines and coves. I agree the # 1 thing we fish is weeds, but I am learning to target big rocks, humps and lines on the bottom where the lakes go from like sand/gravel to weed beds and muck!

Our lakes heat up in various spots differently. The clearer deeper water stays cool til late summer days, but little coves, Rocky and or sandy bottom areas of our lakes, usally in the spring are warmer than the main part of the lake, so that area itself and the next few deepest areas will be holding spawners, pre spanwers and post spawers through most of the late spreing to the mid summer period

Run off areas and docks along the shores are also big time bass magnets.

The weeds rock! Especially Hydrilla, coon tail, pickerel grass and lilly pds/hyacinths(Spelling?)

Even on the Finger Lakes and Ontario you have micro habitats that hold LMB. The north end of Cayuga is all shallow and weedy and there a numerous bays on Ontario that are the same way.

Well Muddy I'd have to disagree I think handlebars on a PWC would be an a great flipping target.

And Jaymc just hitting the edges is how the guys that won almost every week in the tournaments I did this summer pulled it off. But on that same line they do tend to move further into the weeds as the summer progresses.

Also, I plan on looking away from the weeds this summer. They can't all be there. Most guys I fish with/against only go to the weeds. If I can find them on some little break or hole I'd have an unpressured popolation. The trick there would be pulling off alot.

I'd like to know from northern guys here who have traveled down South to the "Mother of all Bass lakes" in FL,TX,AK etc. if they found them easier to fish, about the same, or totally different.

We in the Northeast have a short season, so you have to learn to adapt and be "Fluent" in many different styles. I hope to find out myself next winter!!

ajr

Some lakes are like fishing lakes on other planets. It is just crazy. The water clarity/color can be like chocolate milk, green, or almost like a gold or tan. They have structure we do not have much of so it is hard to fish, such as roadbeds, sunken bridges, standing timber in the middle of the lake, and ledges. The lakes are a lot different imo.