I know I’m showing my ignorance or lack of fishing prowess, but that’s why I’m asking the question of locating fish. Obviously I know that when my display lights up like a Christmas tree or bait is jumping out of the water like confetti, that’s a good sign. In our attempt to find fish, we typically go to several locations that I feel should be good for fish, and very often they are there and we’ve done good. The problem is what to do when they’re not. Not taking seasonal patterns into consideration, is there a best practice to follow to try and track them down, such as doing a grid search over a selected area of water or are there other better techniques? It appears that wind seems to be a factor as an East wind sure seems to push them away from the LHM side of the lake.
As much as I hate fighting the wind, they fish always seem to be on the wind blown side. You just have to keep searching and learning new spots. Sometimes I’ve searched over 2 hours before wetting a line.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
This is why I have started doing some trolling. I troll and troll and troll that way I am “fishing”. Granted you don’t cover as much ground as fast but you get a better idea of the lay of the land under the water.
When ever you come across a BIG concentration (not just a random mark here or there)of fish mark it. Look around and see why those fish are holding there. Is it a point, hump, valley, creek/road bed, structure? I would say 60% of the time those fish will be there when the elements are the same, Water temp, air temp, etc…
sorry this is turning into a how to pattern fish post…lol…but i think that is the only thing you can do, besides just being lucky.
If you can figure out why those fish are there, alot of times those same “patterns” will hold somewhat true in the same area.
Being able to retain mark after mark after mark and checking them eventually they will be at one. Keeping a log of those marks, will tell you when to fish them. I think all this comes to being on the water more and more. Which is why trolling comes into play, just riding around looking for fish.
The best eguiptment on your boat might be a pencil! Keep a log book and list every trip, Good or bad! Keep up with the weather,water temp wind even where you put in and bought bait , every detail.Look at ir regerly, and adjust what need to be added the more details the better, also keep an extra coppie saved out of the weather
I agree with everything that has been said so far. Trolling can be a very effective method for learning the “lay of the land,” locating fish, and getting bites in the process. With regard to the wind, I almost always tend to do better fishing the windward side of a lake unless it’s intolerable. “The wind is your friend.”
Also, we need to know our electronics. With my graph, it’s not enough to just mark arches. I need to see thick color. Stringy spaghetti usually indicates small fish while thick red, yellow, and black arches are large fish. A colored double bottom usually indicates perch, small stripers and hybrids, or bait fish tightly schooled. Ping and sensitivity settings should be as high as they can be without generating inteference.
A good chart is also a must. l log a waypoint every time I hook a good fish. This gives me a running living history of where and when I caught fish. Returning to the vacinity at the right time usually produces.
I’ve come to enjoy reading this forum. Thought I’d contribute and hope this helps!
James “Fogman” Lindler
MSC
Thanks Fogman. Thats some good info.
Adding a pic I just took Monday evening showing some “spaghetti” we trolled through…We had 2 on when I took this, but they were small fish.
Pattianne, something else I’ve found helpfull is marking some potential spots to look before you even head out, especially if you are going to fish an area you are not very familiar with. Once you hear what has been working recently, just bring up your lake map on the gps and scroll around looking for similar type areas and mark them by using the curser to move the cross hairs over a likely spot and marking that waypoint.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Thanks Striperskiff. Looks like there were 5 good ones right under your downrigger ball with a host of mediums and smalls above and below them.
Welcome to the striper section James. This forum was dead about a year ago and has become very active. Look forward to some of your reports.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
Appreciate the info all have shared. In retrospect, a lot seems so obvious, but putting it all together is the trick leading to best opportunities for success. At the risk of oversimplifying, it appears that we need to expand on identifying promising locations based on conditions, especially the wind (now I know why I like the SW wind). Wish I had started a log a couple years ago, and I definitely need to improve my skills on display interpretation. Hopefully I can urge a little more patience on the Capt before we put our lines in the water.
That’s some good info there! Thanks to all. I’m just getting started at it, mainly on Wateree - I enjoy your post.
J Ford
quote:
Originally posted by steelytomWelcome to the striper section James. This forum was dead about a year ago and has become very active. Look forward to some of your reports.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
10-4 Tom. Hopefully, we’ll have a good Clarks Hill report for yall. I’ve fished over there 6 times this summer. 4 of them have been good on both ends of the lake. Rick, Gary, and I hope the percentages play in Team Harcore’s favor for the MSC TX.
All of the info here is good. I might suggest that sometimes I do not have enough patience at proven spots. Just because I limited out there in the past doesn’t mean I will again but that said, sometimes I give up on a proven spot to early. Stripers by nature move about over a given range. I have plotted them over 4 or 5 acres in a given area where they move in and out of a spot in that area. Sometimes waiting in a proven spot will pay off with several fish that you didn’t mark when scouting the area. Good spots are usually good spots within a season pattern.