Let’s go find some good fishing spots today, for bigger fall or winter fish. We’ll pre-select some spots based on topo map and needs from fall/winter fish, check out those spots in person and quickly try them with lures. Hope this video can also help you find your own spots. We first analyzed topo map of lake hodges, which is free to access at webapp.navionics.com. If topo map is not available for your local lake, as shown later, we can estimate that based on environment.
First, let’s think about what big fish wants in fall or winter. They’re mainly good temperature, food supply and protection.
Accordingly, we look for areas with drop-offs, rocks and vegetation. Drop-offs offers different water temperatures and allows the fish to its favorite. Rocks absorbs heat better and can be leveraged for ambushing bait fish. Vegetation attracts baitfish and offers oxygen. These 3 requirements help us narrow down the area quickly.
Let’s start with the area close to the dam, which typically has more drop-offs. The lake is more than 50 feet in this lake. The dense lines indicate drop-offs and help us shrink the target area. The largest dropoff looks great as it also has a shallow cove nearby. The only downside is that it faces west, which may impact water temperature. Overall this is a good spot.
Next, let’s move to the mid-section that is the largest swing in the lake. The channel is on the south and the shallows are on the north. The channel bottom has lots of varieties, which help large fish to ambush prey fish. The boat ramp is also nearby, so we’ll definitely check this spot.
If we go upstream, the lake narrows in this area and the channel is right next to the bank. The shallows are close to this narrows, which makes this area a magnet for big fish.
All right, we’ve got 3 spots to check, so let’s go to the lake. We’ve prepared top-water lures for active fish and worms for inactive fish.
We arrived after sunrise in order to take kids with us. It turned out that there was a fishing tournament on the same day and we know it’ll be tough fishing after the lake got “scanned” by so many pros. However, it’s also a good opportunity to learn. Some friendly fishermen suggested to fish around 15 feet with large worms, which turned out to be helpful later on.
If topo map is unavailable, we can mostly identify the drop-offs based on slopes above the water. For example, this flat indicates shallows. In contrast, this cliff translates into deep drop-offs.
From the water marks on the rocks, we can see that the water level has dropped a lot, it’s challenging for fishing in fall/winter, but a good opportunity to learn the underwater structure for the coming spring season. For example, this location has grass and dropoffs, will be a good spot when water rises in spring.
As fish was not active, we drove around with kids to watch birds and sceneries. There was also a floating restroom, thanks to the lake management!
We began to sweep location B thoroughly before sunset with the worms suggested by the bass pros. In about 10 minutes my pole was suddenly pulled down. Fish on! We chose this location not only because it’s close to boat ramp, but because the mountain creates a shady area before sunset. The hard-fighting fish turned out to be a large mouth. Its length was above 16.5 inch, no wonder it was so powerful. The bottom was rocky and we got snagged shortly after this fish and the lake closes at sunset. So we decided to call it a day. Where would you go next time, A or C? Why? We’ll reveal our decision next time and show you what can be caught at the location. Stay tuned.
******* MORE FISHING TIPS:
I've been regularly blogging about my fishing journeys since 2012 , so that folks new to fishing can avoid the mistakes we made, get their large fish quickly and get more involved in protecting the environment. My past articles can be found at: It's written in Chinese, but I hope the pictures in my posts can deliver most of the messages:).
******* FISHING GEARS I enjoy using:
Inflatable Vest:
Fish Gripper Grip:
Attwood Boating Navigation Light:
******* COOKING TOOLS I enjoy using:
Rapala4 Soft Grip Fillet:
Titanium Snips to cut fish bones:
Cut Resistant Gloves:
Cast Iron Skillet:
Fish Bone Tweezers:
Fish Shaped Plate:
Fish Shape Porcelain Serving Saucers Bowl:
Bakeware set:
Soy sauce for steamed fish with more soy sauce flavor:
Soy sauce for steamed fish with a little sweetness: (the two sauces also available in most Asian grocery stores)
Music: google audio library, thanks to the author
#bass #fishing #technique #sandiego #fishingspot #largemouth #fishingAP
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