Bass Won't Cross Shallow

 Bass Will Not Go Shallow To Go Deep

This Buck Perry diagram (top) from 1973 is one of my favorites. It represents a "guideline" that a bass will not go shallow to go deep.' 

In other words, it won't swim over a shallow ridge just to go back down deeper on the other side and keep swimming toward the shallows. Why so fascinating?

(Not to mention that Mr. Bass has no clue that something might BE over there).

To build upon that, here is an excerpt from John Hope's highly regarded book, "Trackin' Trophies," originally published in 1994 and again in 2001. 

In case you aren't familiar with John, he placed radio transmitters in a bunch of giant bass and tracked their movements over the course of several years.

Excerpt from his book:

"On the Big Caney arm of Lake Fork, there is a submerged roadbed that crosses the north end of Big Caney cove. This roadbed is within five feet of the surface and will have moss growing all the way to the surface most of the year.

Radio tagged, mid-depth living bass were found to not swim over the top of this roadbed to the other side. When the mid-layer bass hits the side of the roadbed in eight feet of water or less it turns and feeds parallel to the roadbed."

Pretty amazing everything the early pioneers of the sport figured out well over 50 years ago, without any of the modern technology available today.

Wanna Catch More Fish?

 ... Fish The Bottom

(This is something I've adopted since I first spotted it in a very old magazine. It was then reaffirmed in the booklet that came with the early Flatfish lures. Yeah, it has been common knowledge for a long time. 

Then, I got into fly fishing, and I tended to forget it - since fly fishing is primarily a shallow water game. 

But it always stuck in my mind, and these days, Im going back that way again. Yet, to this day, many anglers simply ignore it. They flail a9way in the shallows and refuse to make it their main play)

One of the simplest, yet most powerful, statements of summary to come from the early Spoonplugging movement. If my memory serves, and paraphrasing just a bit, Ron Lindner once stated in response to the question of why the Lindy Rig was so successful, was that it forced anglers to fish their bait on or near the bottom where the fish were located. To this day, nearly every crankbait article since, some 60 years worth of print and advice, has at some point mentioned ”hitting the bottom,” or “deflecting off cover.”

💯 “Fish the bottom, not close but on the bottom. Disturb the bottom with your lure or bait. It's hard to get anglers to believe or do this. But this is where fish feed. How about weeds and snags? They won't bother you as much as you think. Get used to them. If you don't have this trouble, you won't be troubled by many fish either.”

Fishing News, 1967

Trolling: 3 Way Rigs

 

The other trolling method recommended by Bob Hollingsworth in the previous In’Fisherman excerpt is a slow trolled, or drifted, 3-way rig for trolling. 

Spoonpluggers, or those familiar with Don Dickson, will recognize this setup from his Minaki tapes and school. The only difference was Don used wire to get deep in the current. Don also called it, "a Wolf River Rig" at times, when used with mono lines.

👉 “[The other method used] is bouncing bottom with a red or blue No. 18 Rapala. The rig [3-way rig] is alternately lifted and dropped to advance it along the bottom. The lures are right behind or in the transducer cone.... Speed is very slow.”

👉 “This rig can also be used to run parallel to the drop-offs and weed lines. On sharp, broken structure, or shad-infested water, this rig really shines.”

👉 “Its only drawback is that it is of limited value in heavy current or high winds. The boat operator has one hell of a time managing the motor, depth sounder, his line, etc.”

👉 “We use five- to six-foot worm action-type rods and free-spool Penn reels for both of these methods. Bouncing bottom requires a short, stiff rod that won't wear your arm out lifting that sinker off the bottom.”

👉 “Trolling speed varies with the seasons and the fishes preference for the night. Twitching the rod as it is trolled will sometimes produce more strikes.”

🐟

Of course, the first thing you'll probably note is that the dipsy weights shown above are likely to be snag attractors. In that case you might want to try a banana type, "walking sinker," or one of the snagless slinky weights used by catisfishermen.
And, there's still another solution if you're snagging bottom...

In the post above, about Bob Hollingsworth’s 3-way rig, that rigs bottom weight could be a real "snag magnet" in certain conditions.
The simplest alteration to make to that rig, is to switch the dipsy-style weight to a bottom bouncer.
The bottom bouncer was created back in 1964 by N. Dakota angler, Bob Meter.
The bottom bouncer is slimmer and rides slightly higher above the bottom, compared to the dipsy/bass weight used in a 3-way rig - this makes it much less prone to snagging. You can still use the same lures or live bait as you would with a 3-way just as diagrammed in the post…and they are readily available in most good tackle shops, especially in the northern half of the Midwest.

Photo credits: various In'Fisherman, Fishing Facts

Trolling: Weight and Bait

 

Bob Hollingsworth of New York shared some specifics on local techniques used on Lake Erie as well as some Canadian lakes in a 1975 issue of In’Fisherman (their 3rd issue) that eventually ended up in a conversation about pressure, boat noise and conditioning (see last two highlights). Did this then eventually lead to a rise in the use of planer boards?

Here are some details on that method, which is probably adaptable to a variety of situations. Note the enhanced illustrations were from Edwin Lee Huff.

👉 “...walleye in Lake Erie are attracted to the surface...by the action of bait fish. As these baits feed on or near the surface, the walleye will cruise approximately five feet under the surface, using what light filters down to silhouette their prey....”

👉 “We troll for these fish using No. 11 Rapalas in silver or blue colors ...flat-lined behind the boat. We control the length of line...by counting the number of pumps, or pulls, let out.”

👉 “We find that the rubber core, twist-on sinkers are the easiest way to go. A ¼ oz. sinker, three feet ahead of the lure with 12 pulls of line out, will cause the No. 11 to run at five feet.”

👉 “Boat and motor noise seem to bother the fish... Because of this, we like to run the lures as far back of the boat as possible, sometimes going to 20 or 25 pulls.”

👉 “As word spread, this method has gained in popularity and the numbers of boats increased. As the activity of the fishermen increases, the fish are more reluctant to suspend. 

To counter this, we have used more weight to get closer to the bottom...A ⅜ oz. twist-on and 18 pulls will run the No. 11 Rapala at about nine feet.”

(Need more depth? Wanna get closer to tje bottom? There's your solution)

👉 “This year, possibly due to the conditioning factor, we have had good success using the jointed Rebels in the same sizes. Nearly all the fish caught come after sundown and before sunrise.”

Reservoirs- Structure Hit Spots

 RESERVOIRS: Buck Perry’s Structure Fishing Facts To Help You Lick ‘Em! (1987)

 

Lowland #3-type reservoir, with detailed areas labeled (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) to indicate various type structure situations (potentially good areas for the fish).

A good "structure situation" can be made up of many features ( structure, breaks [1] breaklines [2] ), but in order to be productive, they MUST be related to the deep water in the area. 

In other words, they must be connected in some manner to the deep, or deepest water, in the area being fished. The fish must have a visible path ALL THE WAY in their movements and migrations from the deep water (their normal sanctuary from an ever changing environment),  to the shallows and vice versa. There may be many "structures, "breaks," and "breaklines" in any body of water, but only a few may be so related to deep water that the fish will use them.

Area 1 - DAM

Area 2 - SIDE FEEDER STREAM CUT THROUGH THE FLAT

Area 3 - SUBMERGED ROADBEDS

Area 4 - HUMP

Area 5 - CAUSEWAY

Area 6 - FENCE/HEDGEROW

Area 7 - ROCKY REEFS

Area 8 - SADDLE

Area 9 - BARS

[1] - a "break" is any anomaly attached to the bottom that acts as a roadmark for fish the move about. It can be anything from a rock to a sunken boat, but the fish see it and know it's there, keeping them on track. 

[2] - a breakline is a measurable change of depth. Picture the lines on a hydrographic that illustrate the depth changes of the bottom. That is a breakline. 

Fish Attractant Scents

(been saying  this about oil vs. water based scents for a long time.)

MAKING SENSE OUT OF FISH SCENTS 

Facts  About Fish Attractants

Fish scents took the fishing industry by storm back in the 1980s. Fisheries biologist Bob Knopf wrote numerous articles on various scientific topics of interest to fishermen, including the effectiveness, and limitations, of scent products. The following excerpts from this 1987 Fishing Facts article still pretty much stand to this day nearly 40 years later.

🎣 First and foremost, for a scent to work, THERE HAVE TO BE FISH IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. If we fish in nonproductive areas, the best of anything won't help us.

🎣 Secondly, there are simply times when the fish are so inactive or turned off that the best angler using the best technique will have a tough time catching them.

🎣 Lastly, there's a lot of confusion on fish scents. Two key factors determine a scent's effectiveness. 

1. First it must contain substances that smell attractive to fish. These substances will be even more efficient if they stimulate the fish to become active and feed. 

2. Secondly, once the scent smells good, it must also disperse in a manner so that fish can smell it.

🎣 Here's where a problem occurs with some scents. Some scents are "oil-based." They do not mix in water. You can test to see if a scent is oil-based by dropping some on the water surface. If it floats, as an oil slick, it's oil-based. If it spreads out as a cloud it's water-soluble, which is what we want.

🎣 Oil-based scents work only once the fish takes them into their mouth or touches them. These appeal to the fish's sense of taste which will usually cause the fish to hold a bait longer, allowing more time to set the hook. They can't, however, be smelled at any distance by fish.

Photo: Ray Hansen with crappies from the same Fishing Facts issue, and sporting a Berkley hat. Berkley was at the leading edge of fish scent research back then, and is still a leader in that area today.

Fish The Hot Spots

 TYPICAL HOT SPOTS

The fine drawing by Wiley Miller, following, shows typical hot spots - places where big fish are caught on nearly every lake. You will want to save this sketch and refer to it again and again - it contains most of what you need to know to find the fish. Finding these spots, however, is a different matter…

Feeder Stream. In spring fishing, this water is often a few degrees warmer than the lake just after the ice is out, when the lake is 39 to 45 degrees. Then, too, moving water has more oxygen than a newly thawed lake. All species will be attracted. Walleyes will run up the stream early, if the stream is available. This feeder stream may be small, shallow, swift or slow, but in the early season it's a fish magnet.

F & F-1 common drop-offs may be near shore or not. Often too, at the weedbed edge. Fish will NOT be all along such drop-offs. They will identify with some break on the drop-off. You will have to fish the entire drop-off by drifting, trolling, or casting until you hit a fish or two.

Then mark that exact spot. Mark it well.

E. Weed beds. To date we haven't said much about these because most fishermen have always camped on them, fished incorrectly and got nothing. We had to break this habit. Now we can ease you back in, the right way, and we will.

C. Vertical Drop-offs. Generally these look simply great and generally these produce almost nothing-some exceptions of course, but FEW.

C-1 Break on Vertical Drop-off. Can be good. It will have well-defined boundaries. Only by catching fish will you find it.

Other Coded Spots have fish potential and are typical of spots on most lakes in most states. They illustrate a principle. A little imagination and logic will transfer them to your lake.

Uncoded Water - Empty! Except for roving schools of white bass, stripers, crappies, etc. Even these will be governed by undetected structure of some sort.

Suspended Fish-Experts know that Kentucky bass and some other species do suspend-Walleyes do too, at times, though not often. But again, suspended or not - they relate to structure.

Weed Beds—On some lakes weeds are structure. Gravel patches or other breaks in Weed beds are fish magnets. Cannot tell it all in one article a book could be written on weed fishing—and weed fishing generally is not the best. However, at times it's well worth a good try.

A & A 1 Underwater Points often, NOT always indicated by shoreline projections. Often these points have surprising potential. Your LO-K-TOR will sometimes surprise even the local guides, and your fish will surprise the local experts.

B-Sunken Island: almost always good at spots-sometimes on cloudy days fish will roam all over them.

B-1 Sunken Island approach: we put this in as an example of small spots that MAY hold the school while the rest of the structure is empty.

C. Vertical Drops comment as above.

D. Boulder or Boulder Patch: fish, after migrating, may hide under these.

E. Weeds: too big a topic and too complicated for now.

George Pazik, 1970

PANFISH: Double Jig

THE DEADLY DOUBLE JIG RIG…Game Plan For PILES OF PANFISH

Tips from Spence Petros for using this technique to cover water (troll) and locate schools of panfish. Just as effective today as it was back then.

Fig. 2

FIGURE 2 - When trolling to find panfish, floating markers are a big help. A marker is thrown - "A", soon as contact is made with a good-size panfish. Troll back and forth through the school as shown. Often the school will move - "B". Troll around marker in widening circles. If contact is made again, toss out another marker.

MORE TIPS

👉 I generally troll to find panfish. And if a concentration can be pinpointed, casting will then be in order. Trolling covers far more territory than casting; plus, it allows much better control of your lure's speed and depth.

👉 Since I'm always trying to stack as many factors in my favor as possible, a double jig rig is used. This setup allows me to test different colors, sizes, dressings and actions, plus it produces quite a few doubleheaders, which are always extra fun.

👉 If I'm searching for a mixed bag, a crappie-type jig of 1/16 to 1/8-oz. will be used on the short line, while a smaller, bluegill-type offering (nymph, wet fly, extra-small jig) will be tied on the longer line.

👉 A split-shot above the three-way swivel replaces the jig weight if a second fly or nymph is used.

👉 Clear-water lakes usually mean a little deeper presentation, especially when the sun is bright.

👉 In clearer lakes, particularly when some sun is out, white or pearl plastic bodies with pink jig heads are top crappie colors on jigs. Under reduced water clarity or light conditions, chartreuse, yellow and lime get the nod.

👉 For numbers of the sunfish family, dark colors like black and brown best imitate the forage they stuff themselves with much of the year.

Fishing Facts, 1986

Weeds for Bass

 Rules To Help Find MORE BASS

The year was 1986, and Babe Winkelman was releasing his new book, "The Comprehensive Guide To Largemouth Bass," one of my favorite reads at the time (and recommend). Fishing Facts published a short article based on a chapter in the book, excerpts highlighted below. 

👉 The most important things to learn to recognize are different species of weeds and different holding spots in the weeds…You don't have to become a junior scientist to recognize a few common weed species. Each species is different in its appeal to bass. Each species presents different opportunities and challenges to you. Get to know them!

👉 Don't limit your fishing to emergent weeds that stick up above the water.

👉 Submerged weeds often grow in clumps or beds with many potential sizes and shapes. There are different locations in and along a bed that bass will use. 

👉 Bass tend to concentrate along surfaces - the front edge, the back edge, and the top of the weeds. While there might be fish deep in the middle of the weeds, they will usually not be the most active fish, so it pays to start your search on the front, back, and top edges of the weeds.

👉 There will be variations in the shape of the weeds, and these can be crucially important. A point of weeds sticking out into deep water will often hold bass. An inside turn or little concavity in the weedline will often hold bass. Irregularities, either holes or dense clumps within the weed bed, attract bass.

👉 Here's a hint that will save you lots of time when looking for fish. Bass will either be on the inside turns or on the points; they usually won't be holding on both types of cover at the same time.

Suspending Fish

 BUCK SEZ: Structure Fishing Basics

Understanding “Sanctuary, Suspension, and Structure,” Part III

Figure 6 shows a side view of a section in a lake. I have placed the fish in their deep water sanctuary; in this case, suspended as shown. I have also placed one of those invisible breaklines we have talked about in earlier study. It could be a breakline of water color, oxygen, light, current, temperature. etc. In this case the breakline is caused by thermocline. It would appear (from your depth sounder) the fish are unrelated to structure, breaks or breaklines, This is not true. They are positioned in direct relationship with the temperature breakline, as well as the breakline on the bottom. If we could look from a top view, we would likely find them positioned in direct relationship to a nice structure, such as bar, hump, etc. When the fish move (or migrate) they would. move toward the bottom breakline, then onto structure to shallower water. They would have guides all the way.

Figure 7 is a side view of a section in a lake. A group of fish are in their deep water sanctuary. In this case suspended slightly above the bottom. But, the fish are located in relationship to breaks on the bottom; in this case a hard bottom covered wich rocks. In most instances, and especially with bass, you may not be able to see the fish in a position such as this. The fish will be so close to the rocks, your depth sounder may not record their existence. This will hold true with most species when conditions are bad, and the fish become very dormant. You'd think they were rocks themselves, as far as showing up on your depth sounder - and for that matter, you'd also think they were rocks as far as taking a pass at your lure (if you were doing sloppy fishing in any form).

Prok Frog Tips...1976

 Fishermen and big bass alike JUS’ LOVE THEM PORK FRAWGS

By Gene Kroupa

👉 SKITTERING (weed beds, reeds and lily pad fields)

> You'll need a "weedless" spoon - like the Johnson Silver Minnow shown in the foto - and a medium size pork frog. Run the weedless hook through the slit in the frog's nose so that the frog's belly is facing up. I like to bevel the front edge of the pork frog by slicing off some of the fat.

> Start out by casting parallel to the cover. As soon as the bait hits the water, hold your rod high and retrieve at a speed that is just fast enough to keep the bait from sinking.

> Next start pitching your spoon frog deeper into the cover. You'll get hung up even with this supposedly weedless lure, but you'll also hang into some pretty nice bass, too.

> If the bass aren't in the mood for topwater action, then let the spoon sink near the bottom (The Golden Zone is within 2 feet of the bottom), before you start a very slow retrieve…When you get a strike, retaliate immediately and repeatedly.

👉 FALLEN TREES, BRUSH AND HEAVY WEEDS

> Just take a Shannon twin spinner, trim off the bucktail, and add a modified pork frog. You modify a medium size pork frog by beveling the front so it isn't square. Then cut (score) the underside of the rind, next to the chunk, to thin the hinge and make the tail section more flexible.

> You can rifle the resulting lure into the thickest stuff which looks impossible to fish. I usually let it sink to the bottom before retrieving, although you can fish it at any depth by starting the retrieve sooner.

(I'd imagine a spinner bait could take the place of the long defunct Shannon Spinner... David)

👉 CLEAR, SHALLOW WATER

> At times like this, I get rid of all the extra hardware and wing it "free-style," with just a green or yellow pork frog on a weedless No. 2 hook. I'll toss the bait up on the bank and then hop it into the water with a realistic plop and let it sink.

> If nothing happens, I kind of jig it back towards me trying to make it look like a lazy frog out for a Sunday swim. Once the frog has moved 10 feet from shore, I quickly reel it in on the surface.

Wisconsin Fins and Feathers, June 1976

Wis. DNR photo (fish)

NOTE: (Brian Portlock, the man behind Facebooks, "Structure Cafe", made the following observation...which I agree with.)

For whatever reason, I tend to view the demise of pork baits as ‘the end of an era’ - a generational change - more so than any other bait or lure, right or wrong.

I have heard that modern versions of the classic pork frog are on the market, but I've never tried the.

Popper And Jig

 POPPER AND JIG

In fly-fishing, the "popper dropper rig" is popular. Its a floating, attractor-type, like a popper or foam fly,with a small nymph fly tied to trail below in the water. 

But its not exclusive to fly fishing...in, fact it may be derived from gear fishing techniques as described in this article from the 1970's...and the article describes it as, "old school!"

               >> >> 

"Here’s an old school tactic you may have read about in fishing articles over the years, targeting a variety of species. I’m not even sure if it had a name, but you’ll probably recognize it easily enough. 

You tie on a surface popper lure as an attractor, then run a 12”-18” dropper line down to a small jig. In theory, the popper gets the attention of the fish, because of the noise and commotion, then, when the fish comes to investigate....he see's the smaller jig dancing below and eats it.

The first photo shows this setup as featured in a 1979 Elmer Guerri story on white bass fishing that appeared in Fishing Facts magazine. Its a Hula Popper with the jig attached.

The second photo is of a modification that Rebel actually sold, the Drop Pop R. With it, you ran the line through the body (no line tie) and then tied it to a dressed treble at the rear of the bait after running it first through a worm sinker and colored bead. At any point during the retrieve, you could stop and drop the treble below the popper and trigger a bite…well, that was the theory 😊 

I never was a fan, but I believe it was geared toward schooling fish, which I never seemed to run into much on my waters."

Pond Fishing ABC'S

 The ABC’s of Pond Fishing

Growing up in the Midwest, farm ponds, golf course ponds and burrow pits were some of the most common fishing waters around. Spence Petros shares a dozen of the best spots to look for in these miniature waters.

1. Inflow of Water - An influx of water into a pond usually occurs after a rain or melt-off. The water may come in via a small creek, gully, or an erosion cut in the surrounding soil. Stained "new water" coming in often triggers some excellent bass and panfish action in clearer bodies of water. Water color can also help a lot on those tough, gin-clear strip pits too.

2. Stand of Emergent Vegetation - The key to working this is often just getting a lure to the fish. Bass and panfish will frequently hold on the deep edge of reeds, cane, bulrushes or other forms of emergent vegetation, making lure presentation tough for the shore-bound angler. Try to achieve casting positions that will let you work this edge.

3. Large Weed Bed - This will hold fish almost anytime. In spring, fish the shallower-growing edge of these weeds and over the top of new weeds. Pay attention to any shoreline wood cover such as a pier. Wood piers could be super very early before weeds start growing. If a pier has three, four or more feet of water at its end, bass may be there anytime; crappies best in spring and during sunny fall afternoons.

4. Shallow, Soft-Bottom Marsh - Ponds in low, flat, swampy areas often have a connecting shallow, dark-bottom bay. The first few warm afternoons of early spring will heat up these marshes very quickly, which draw bass and panfish.

5. Rip-Rap Bank - These rocky areas are commonly found in ponds where the water level can be controlled via a small wood dam or spillway of some type.

6. Deeper Hole - The deepest area in the pond is usually out from the spillway. I'd look to these areas for suspended panfish, especially big crappies, just about anytime you're not getting them in other spots.

7. Channel - A good early area for bass and panfish as this will warm up quickly.

8. Sandgrass-Coated Flat -Sometimes you're just at a loss in trying to figure out the whereabouts of the larger bass. On numerous occasions I've seen slow-tapering flats coated with sandgrass (a short-growing, crunchy grass that looks like dillweed and often has a distinct odor) hold the larger fish.

9. Pads - A bunch of pads in a bay usually signifies a shallow, soft bot-tom. In most waters this means the bay has bass potential from the first warming trends of spring until just before the pre-spawn movements begin.

10. Willow or Tamarack Bushes - On numerous ponds l've seen unruly growths of thick, impenetrable willows or tamarack bushes along a portion of the shoreline. These growths seem to occur on a somewhat firm bottom; which, when combined with the amount of cover they provide and the difficulty of fishing these areas, make ideal spawning grounds for bass and panfish.

11. Fallen Trees - Most anyone will recognize a fallen tree in the water as a potentially-good spot. But most anglers won't interpret and fish trees to exploit their maximum potential.

12. Stumps - Usually a few stumps together mean the pond was created by raising a previously existing source of water to reach the current water level. What this boils down to is that stumps are usually located in shallower water on slow-tapering bottoms.

Excerpts: Fishing Facts, 1987

Panfish Patterns, Reservoirs

 

Panfish Patterns In Reservoirs

Ray Hansen’s seasonal location advice for panfish in man-made lakes (reservoirs).

Source: Fishing Facts

Universal Drift Rig

 Ray Hansen’s drift fishing rig for basins and deep water flats when chasing panfish.

PS While this speaks to, "panfish," it can also be down-, or -up sized, with the weight adjusted as needed to stay in close contact with the bottom. A bottom rigged weight using a 3-way swivel (aka Wolf River Rig) is another good option, keeping the lure 1-2 feet off the bottom. Overall, it's  also a good presentation for slow trolling, like with a trolling motor.

👉 A presentation that allows you to cover lots of water and work the best zone (the bottom) thoroughly is a good choice in mid to late fall. There is one rig I tie up for use with drift-fishing passes that really helps me locate fish during the late season. I've used it mainly to find schools of white bass, but other panfish species can be taken in this manner, along with some walleyes and largemouth bass.

👉 This simple drift rig is tied by passing your line through a 1/4 to 3/8-ounce bullet-shaped slip-sinker, tying a small barrel swivel as a stopper, then adding an 18 to 24-inch leader and a size 4 or 6 "Tru-Turn" brand long-shank hook. 

👉 The dressing for this rig is a curlytail plastic grub about 2 inches in length. I generally use 8-lb. test line off the reel and a 6-lb. test leader on this rig.

👉 The rig is allowed to sink down and contact bottom, then my spinning reel is engaged. Targets for fall drift-fishing passes will be long drop-offs, points of land, the deeper portions of large flats, or any other lengthy piece of bottom structure with a relatively clean bottom.

👉 While drifting along, the sinker will drag bottom and hang up slightly every few feet. As the weight pulls free, it causes the grub to shoot forward, then pause as the sinker hits bottom again. It is this stop-start action that triggers fish and the hits are usually quite hard.

Source: Fishing Facts

Panfish Patterns

 Panfish Patterns In Natural Lakes

(this can also have some application to man-made lakes, if you treat porions of those lakes in the ways described here)

This special Fishing Facts issue was filled with articles specifically geared toward fish locations in all types of waters. Yesterday we highlighted pond fishing in a Spence Petros article. Ray Hansen covers natural lake panfish today.

See map for seasonal locations. Technique highlights follow:

👉 The earliest movements of fish will usually respond best to a light, natural form of presentation. In this regard - no matter where you live — it is wise to consider using small lures such as those popular for ice fishing in the northern states. 

👉 A typical rig will consist of a long spinning rod (I use 7 to 9-foot models..,coupled with a small spinning reel filled with 4 or 6-pound test, clear monofilament line. 

👉 Terminal tackle consists of small size 8 ice-fishing spoons. These lures are suspended 2 to 6 feet under a very small "carlyle-style" bobber. These floats have a pointed end that responds better to a very light hit. Bait for this rig will be several "spikes" (maggots) or waxworms (larva baits often called "grubs").

👉 As you proceed from one target to another, stop briefly on the upwind side and cast the rig a few feet upwind from the spot. Allow the breezes to drift your bait alongside pilings or even under docks and other cover. The gentle movement of the bobber as it drifts along will impart an enticing "quiver" to the bait, and panfish just love it.

Casting points amd weedlines

 Buck Sez: Casting Points and Weedlines (1972)

Points - To fully cover a longer structure (bar) by casting, the boat should be moved to several positions as shown in Drawing No. 1 Position one (1) would allow the fisherman, by fan casting, to cover all of the shallow section within reach. From this position, he can check any weedline that might be present, and as the casts swing around toward the deep section, the lure would be allowed to sink to the bottom before the retrieve was started. After this section has been worked, the boat would move to position two (2) which would be about where the cast reached from the previous position. The same procedure would be followed as in the number one (1) position.

Continue to move the boat and follow the same casting procedure until the last position is reached. The last position would put the fisherman within reach of the breakline, and preferably the "drop-off".

Weedlines - Figure No. 3 shows a similar situation. The structure is quite large with a weedline that is long and crooked. The weedline bends in and out with "fingers".

Most fishermen would place their boat in position *A"" • out from the weedline, and make casts in toward shore. The "expert" casters would have you believe that the lure must check every little crook, hole, and turn along the entire weedline. But unless the weedline was completely visible, very few casts would cover the water correctly from this position.

Position "B" would be the preferred location, for the simple reason that the area could be checked more easily and effectively. The exact weedline could be established, and casting would require no special skill since only the tips of the 'fingers' would be worked to establish if any fish are along the weedline. If no fish are found on the tips, it is not likely that any would be found in the pockets.

Structure: The Key

 STRUCTURE: WHERE FISH LIVE AND LOAF ...

20 more areas to look for fish

From a March 1976 Wisconsin Fins and Feathers story by Steve Grooms. Credited as a Lindner map, so it likely originally came from one of the earlier In-Fisherman magazines or possibly a Fishing Facts article that Ron or Al wrote.

(1) ROCK DROP-OFF - It holds crawfish and is generally good for walleyes and smallmouth bass is particular.

(2) ROCKY FLATS - Most productive in spring of the year for walleyes and smallmouth bass.

(3) WEEDLINE - (Where weeds end) - Good for all game fish, particularly largemouth bass and northern pike.

(4) STAIRSTEP LEDGE - (below the weed line) - Good for walleyes, smallmouths and big northern.

(5) MOUTH OF CREEK OR RIVER - Productive for all game fish during early spring.

(6) SUBMERGED TIMBER ON BANKS OF CREEK OR RIVER BED - Best for largemouth bass

(7) SUBMERGED TIMBER AND/OR BRUSH INSIDE THE CREEK BED - For largemouth bass and crappies.

(8) OLD CREEK OR RIVER BED CHANNELS - Home area for largemouth bass in all reservoirs. The movements of these schools will be based on weather conditions. Schools either moving up the creek beds during warmer weather and dropping back out after it cools off.

(9) TIMBER AS IN RESERVOIRS AND FLOWAGES. Outside edge of the timber is productive at times and other times you will have to move all the way into the timber itself. Fishing the heaviest, bushiest trees.

(10) SUBMERGED ROCK REEF - Productive for walleyes and smallmouths throughout most of the fishing season.

(11) CLIFFS — In the south these are generally Kentucky (spotted bass) waters; in the north, smallmouths, walleyes, northerns and lake trout in early spring (if other conditions are present.)

(12) SLOPING UNDERWATER POINTS SURROUNDED BY DEEPER WATER - Productive on all fish, especially during the summer season.

(13) RIVER OR STREAM OUTLET - It can be productive for roving schools of fish at times, but most of the time, some surrounding area would be much more productive.

(14) BUSHY POINTS - Very productive at pre-spawning periods and throughout the spawning time and night fishing through the summer. These are key times but are generally good all through the fishing season and should be checked at regular intervals. (Directed to largemouth bass in reservoirs.)

(15) HARD BOTTOM SURROUNDED BY SOFT BOTTOM - By hard bottom we mean sand, clay, gravel, rock surrounded by large areas of mud, silt, etc. This area can be a small rise as little as one foot difference.

(16) REEDS OR RUSHES - Productive for largemouth and smallmouth bass especially in spring of the year. In certain areas these are good walleye waters in fall when frogs go into hibernation (Only where frogs are prevalent.)

(17) STAIR STEP LEDGE ON A CREEK OR RIVER BANK - Generally a hard spot to locate but very productive for all species of fish.

(18) SUBMERGED (WEEDY) ISLAND - Productive for all types of fish in all areas. The edges of the drop-offs most productive..

(19) SHALLOW WEEDY BAYS - Good for largemouth, northern and musky early in the year and again for a short period in the fall. The nearest dropoff to the deepest water in the area will hold most of the adult game fish through the. summer season.

(20) A DEEP HOLE OR CAVERN - In shallow lakes an area like this will hold the whole concentration of game fish. In deep natural lakes and reservoirs the drop-offs surrounding these holes should be fished. Look for a break on that drop-off, example, a pile of rocks, a sunken tree an exceptionally heavy patch of trees. Something that makes it different from the surrounding bottom. In very deep lakes this can be barren water.

Spinner Bait Tips

 🤔 Can you name this popular 1980s spinnerbait brand from just the unique blades shown in the picture?

hint: it rhymes with "pike ring," and the brand is still with us today.

In the meantime, here’s some additional spinnerbait fishing tips to remember from the Spence Petros article it appeared in:

• keep hooks razor-sharp

• the heavier the cover, the shorter the cast

• use tackle heavy enough that will allow you to control the fish in the cover being fished

• plastic or pork dressings work well; use colors that contrast with lure's body color

• for maximum blade action and feel, use a ball-bearing swivel between wire arm and blade. If lure doesn't come with one, I put on a Berkley ball-bearing snap-swivel (size 0) or a swivel (size 0 or 1)

• to give lure more action or a bigger silhouette, reverse rubber skirt so the strands bulge out more

• bass will sometimes nip at back end of the skirt during spring. Trim skirt down so it ends at hook's bend

• try faster, steady retrieves for more active fish

• try slower, deeper retrieves with pauses that allow lure to flutter downward when fish are less active.

Fishing Facts, 1986

BASS...Catch More!

 A SUREFIRE WAY TO CATCH MORE BASS!

Author Larry Larsen says find or fish darker or more stained waters to up your chances at catching more bass.

> In dark waters anglers can generally catch more fish. The water clarity covers up mistakes, and we all make them. Fish are usually closer to the surface in off-colored waters, which allows all anglers a better chance to catch them. Since most anglers are better "catchers" in the easier-to-fish shallow water, their opportunity to battle fish is better in waters with reduced underwater visibility.

> RAINSTORM RUN-OFFS - Waters can be dingy for various reasons. Muddy run-off that continues for weeks may drastically change the water clarity of a reservoir or natural lake. Microscopic particles can suspend throughout the lake, leaving the waters with a cloudy, low-visibility look.

> SOUND COUNTS - Most anglers know that sound plays a vital role in the success of a lure retrieve or bait presentation. Vibrations (sound) excite fish into striking a piece of wood, metal or plastic. Vibrations are picked up by the lateral line that runs along the side of a bass. A bass can pretty much judge lure speed, size and direction thru its lateral line, and quickly compute whether to strike or not. The darker the water the more insignificant "seeing" becomes for them. In tests, blindfolded bass had no problem tracking down and striking lures.

👉 (Diagram) When working small protrusions, cast as far back into them as you can. Lure should be retrieved parallel and as tight to these edges as possible. Larger points should be worked at various depths, starting with casts to the shallower breakline.

Fishing Facts, JUNE, 1985

Post Spawn Blues...

 HOW TO BEAT Bassin' Post-Spawn Blues

Speaking of great illustrators, Tom Seward was another one of the best. As a former art teacher from IL, he drew all his own article diagrams. He was also a taxidermist and lure designer (Crankbait Corp., Natural Ike, Luhr Jensen, Yakima, etc.) and helped pioneer in the “natural” color patterns on crankbaits in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Here are his thoughts on post-spawn bass movements from a 1985 Fishing Facts article.

> Knowing what to look for and choice of lakes are critical to good post-spawn bass action. Fish can be tracked from creek arms and coves right into the main lake. Many apparently attractive spots hold no fish or just yearlings. 

🔑 Productive spots have been marked with a large dot. 

> Timbered coves without spawning flats or proper bottom content are eliminated by fish, as are areas without clear lead-ins from well-formed creeks. 

> Points with no surface area and far from feeder creeks are often poor choices. But notice how flats near deep water or creek edges hold fish on corners, cups or fingers, while slow-tapering flats distances from deep water are poor. 

> Areas shown…are also enhanced by cover in the form of stumps, brush cut to clear lake, or thicket edges at the ends of farm fields. 

> Fish especially concentrate on sharper projections that taper out into deep water or "cupped" areas near deep water. Fish may be a long way from shore, but the contours and edges of holding areas must be in the warmer 13 to 15-foot areas where the bass can be tempted with lures. 

> A study of this map section should give an idea of the selection process needed to find numbers of concentrated fish during the so-called tough post-spawn period.

Anchoring...Forgotten Art

 OLD SCHOOL: TECHNIQUE

Anchoring is quickly becoming a lost art thanks to technological advances like “spot lock” trolling motors and Power Poles. This was the way all the good casters worked productive structure back in the day. I still carry a 15 lb. anchor and 100 ft of rope in the boat.

Tips On Proper Anchoring

by VITO LICARI

Fishing Facts, 1972

Spinnerbait Flutter

 Because the basics never go out of style…and at one time, these were cutting edge techniques. Jimmy Houston won AOY twice on the B.A.S.S. tour, primarily on the strength of his spinnerbait game - 1976, two years before this story, and 1986, ten years later. Recently, I’ve read an article or two that said with all the guys jiggling minnows and sharp-shooting fish out in open water, spinnerbaits were about to make a comeback.

FLUTTERING THE SPINNERBAIT

👉 Fire your spinnerbait several feet past a tree [or moss bed], engage the reel and immediately begin the retrieve by reeling and lifting with the rod tip. Once the lure has reached the trunk [or edge or hole in moss bed] stop the retrieve, and allow the lure to begin fluttering to the bottom.

👉 It is important to let the lure sink as straight down as possible, right next to the tree [or moss bed]. To achieve this, slowly drop your rod tip as the bait descends.

👉 Follow it down… By doing so, you slowly give the lure enough line to let it sink almost vertically, instead of swinging back toward you in an arc. As long as you begin the flutter with the rod tip high, you are in good position to accomplish this. By keeping just enough tension on the line to eliminate slack, you can feel the pulsation of the blade as the lure "helicopters" to the bottom. 

👉 Single, large blade spinnerbaits are far better for fluttering than the tandem models. The two blades on a tandem lure tend to tangle when the bait falls, causing it to fall too fast. Tandems are much better suited for a steady retrieve, where the two blades work together to cause a great deal of vibration.

Excerpted from In-Fisherman, Feb-Mar 1978

Structure Fishing Basics

 Do You Know These “Basics” Of Structure Fishing?

By Buck Perry

Figure 1 - "If the fisherman does not accept the first part of the basic guideline, which states that fish spend the greater part of their time in deep water, further study of the structure fisherman's guidelines would be a waste of time."

Figure 2A and Figure 2B -  "A part of the basic guideline states another fact that has to be accepted. It says when fish become active and move toward the shallows, they do not go just any direction, but will use features OF and ON the bottom to show them the way. The most common 'structure' being a 'bar' (a feature of the bottom) extending from the shallows to the deep water in the area." It might be well at this point to say more about the terms used. "Structure situations" are features (OF and ON the bottom the fish use as their guides in their movements and migrations. "Structure" is a feature of the bottom that is different from the surrounding bottom area.

👉 "Breaks" are objects ON the bottom such as stumps, rocks, bushes, sunken ob-jects, etc. "Breaklines" are places on the bottom where there is a more rapid increase or decrease in depth, such as the edge of a channel. When the more rapid increase or decrease in depth occurs at a particular spot (a short distance) it is referred to as a "break." Fish react to other forms of "breaklines" such as: the face of a weedline, the edge of a current, where waters of different colors or temperatures meet, where a "clean" bottom meets a "dirty" bottom (clean versus muck, etc.).

Fishing Facts, 1985

 The "Crossing Point" Ambush Pattern

By Al Eason

In-Fisherman, Feb/Mar 1978

During the mid 1970s when In-Fisherman was just getting started, Al Lindner was still fishing national bass tournaments across the country, as well as spending winters down in east Texas fishing and guiding. Probably not a big surprise then to see Al Eason, Texas fishing guide, with an article in this issue. Al had just  released a book in 1976, “How Pro Guides Find and Catch Fish,” which might be a new one for your library. Al (Eason) appeared in several magazine articles after his book came out, sharing his thoughts and observations about shad and bass behavior, much of which FFS seems to be confirming some 50 years later.

Excerpts:

> I felt that large concentrations of shad usually take cover at night in shoreline moss beds or in dense brush. Then, very early in the morning, they appear to leave the shore and begin following a daily migration pattern of some sort out in the open water. 

> This route might be a more or less elliptical course through areas where the shad could feed on plankton…the shad traveled circuits which could range up to as much as four or five miles…it appears that when the shad schools reach the first leg of their "rounds" — usually about mid-day, they begin to back track toward a nighttime resting place.

> From my studies, I felt convinced that certain large concentrations of bass often continually follow large shad schools like wolf packs follow caribou herds on the tundra.

> I also felt that, at night, bass lay and wait for the shad to come from shore in the morning and begin to shadow them again. It appears that bass feed on the shad whenever they are very tightly schooled as they pass over some sort of underwater barrier. It's as if the bass trail the shad until the baitfish get into a vulnerable position, usually against some kind of "cross-over" barrier, and that it is at such a site that the bass attack.

> "It's my belief that at least certain bass groups appear to follow the shad all day long, perhaps feeding on them from time to time such as at midday in open water, but more usually tearing into them when they encounter this barrier. What's more, it also appears that the shadowing bass hole up along some nearby underwater structure at night and wait for the morning arrival of the shad on their way to open water.”

Trees - Crappie Secrets

Quickly eliminate the masses of unproductive trees, and zero in on the hot fish-producers.

👉 So, expect crappie to appear in treetops at 50° and holding in the first five feet of water.

👉 Expect the crappie to be up in trees near coves, creek arm areas, bays near potential protected spawning area, and in prime fallen shoreline trees extending into at least 8 to 10 feet of water at the 55-58° temperature range.

👉 Expect all fish to leave treetops by 62° or any higher stable trend for spawning activities.

Tom Seward

Fishing Facts

May 1985

Find Hot Spots Easier

Detect Hot-Spots Before Launching Your Boat  
By Buck Perry
Fishing Facts, Feb 1985

Excerpt:

- The BASIC guideline of the structure fisherman, #1, says the bigger adult fish, in an area spend the greater part of their time somewhere in the deepest water - in the area - being fished. This is their true home base, their sanctuary, where they are quite comfortable, secure, and slowed in their activity.
From these sanctuary homes, they may migrate over known routes* to find food, depending on water and weather conditions.

* routes which are known to THEM.

In the case of reservoirs this deepest water - in an area - normally means the channels, and in the majority of cases, it means the main channel, or its main tributary channels.

- A structure fisherman's #2 guideline then says the fish will not move across an expanse of bottom devoid of visible, known, "signposts" (called, "breaks") just to reach some good-looking stick-up that might be over, "that-a-way" toward the shoreline. And by that, we mean 'good looking' to the angler.

Simply put, you can't expect these adult fish to travel a long way over featureless flats, just because you hope they will.

- Next, guideline #3 says when the fish DO move toward the shallows, the features of the bottom visible to them (aka, bottom structure, breaks, depth breaklines) which they use in their migration must go "all the way" from the deep water to the shallow water. 

The fish may not go all the way to the shallows, and in fact, its likely most won't go all the way every time they become active and moving -- BUT, the path they know and usually use does go all the way. 

- Another guideline, #4, says how deep the fish are, and how far they move toward the shallows is determined (or controlled) by the weather and water conditions at the time of their migratory movements.
The structure fisherman also knows the weather and water conditions are seldom good enough to get a great many fish, and especially the larger, adult fish, into the shoreline shallows.
They just simply prefer not to go into the shallows (8-10 ft. or less), if they don't have to. For them its unsafe and insecure, compared to their deeper water homes. 

However, when we catch them, its usually in the shallows, so we assume thats where they ALWAYS live. But we have STUMBLED upon a few of them there by playing a numbers game of lure casting. Meanwhile, the most of them are further out and have not come in.

With just these few guidelines we should begin to see or get a good interpretation of most all reservoirs... at least one good enough to catch fish consistently in whatever reservoir we find ourselves.

This "classic" bar has depth breaks and signpost features (breaks) which fish know and follow into the shallows

Not far to go from deep water - straight up, basically. 

The long flat is the problem here - featureless and without any guideposts for fish to follow. The edge of the channel is the likeliest pace to find them..if they are here at all

Look Beyond The Obvious

By Buck Perry Fishing Facts, Sep. 1984

Excerpts:

> If I had a depth sounder, I would still do the trolling. Lures that are trolled properly will give a more detailed picture of the shape, depths, and the condition of the bottom than a depth sounder. But more importantly, the lures on the troll would have me "fishing" all the time. Furthermore, if I used a depth sounder as an aid in determining what bottom features were present, the speed of the boat would be rather fast, anyway, to get a good picture of the changes in the bottom.

If the boat is moving slowly, such as with a paddle or an electric motor, a depth sounder is not likely to allow a true interpretation of the bottom features (structure, breaks, breaklines, deep water). So I may as well be trolling a lure while I learn whats down below. Much too often the fisherman doesn't realize these things and he skips trolling. Trolling is still an outstanding, "teacher."

> My thoughts and "guidelines" in the fishing situations discussed are:

(1) Fish spend the greater part of their time in deep water—a sanctuary from a changing environment (when deep water is available to them). And they are usually so deep, or so dormant, they are almost impossible to catch.

(2) Fish are not active and moving ALL the time. Therefore I must exercise patience quite often for the fish to become active and move shallower.

(3) When the fish move shallower, they follow bottom features (structure, breaks or breaklines) to show them the way. I can also recognize the same features the fish use in their movements and migrations.

(4) How far the fish move toward the shallows and how long they stay is controlled by weather and water conditions (at that time). And I have found the weather and water conditions are seldom good enough for all the fish, and especially the larger ones, to move shallow enough for the shoreline fisherman to make a decent catch consistently.

(5) To handle the different fishing situations faced, I must control the depth and speed of my lures (or bait) on or around the bottom features (structure, breaks, breaklines) the fish use in their movements and migrations. To handle all the situations, trolling is the "teacher" and is just as important as casting - and in some instances may be the only way to put the fish on the stringer.