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Depth fishing tips

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3
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Fishing the hump

Fish the "humps" in the water! The fish love 'em. A hump is basically an underwater island and could be just below the surface to 10's of feet down. Look for a raised surface bottom from its surrounding depths and sharp drop-offs around the island forming the edges of the "island." Often they are made of rock and or sand and weeds and this mixture is inviting to the fish. They are a good resting place and a food source for big fish looking for bait fish staying out of open water. Throw in a marker buoy or anchor, but don't get caught in the rope!

Topics: Hump
10
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Staying Ahead

Get ahead of the fish. When the fish are visible whether it be to the naked eye or on your depth finder, setup ahead of where they are heading and use the wind or current to lead you to the fish as quietly as possible.

Topics: position, current, depth finder
20
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Downrigger

I recently bought a new Downrigger from Walker at Cabelas and got the Lake Master Combo that also came with a new Pole for trolling. Over just a few hours of using it, I've learned that an accurate depth finder is extremely important. Dragging your downrigger weight on the bottom can be scary because your worried about your downrigger ripping off the boat, then your poles going with it and all your gear on the line. Meanwhile, everybody is leaning over the side of the boat trying to help, so then your worried about capping the boat. You learn quickly what you can and cannot do when trolling with one of these. I suggest when using a down rigger, plan on buying a few other essentials, such as: A decent fish/depth finder with temperature and maybe even gps for marking your fish, so you don't make the same mistakes I did. A vinyl coated downrigger wieght; vinyl can help block fish from "feeling" the electrical charge given off from the boat through the downrigger line and ball. Some fisherman say red vinyl coated balls seem to entice more strikes. Also you will need a release that can be consistently be adjusted as light as 1/2 lb of release tension especially when fishing for Kokanee because of their soft mouths.

Topics: Downrigger, Kokanee
8
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Alternative way to rig a tube - with a leadhead and rattle

Just a quick tip for another way to rig a tube with a rattle - Bass Pro Shops sells this little roundish rattle for tubes (XPS Tube Rattle), and I use the Bass Pro Shops tender tube head in 1/8 oz. or 1/4 oz., depending on the depth and conditions. First, push the tube rattle up in the tube, then insert the tube head, and push the eyelet through the tube where it stops. The rattle sometimes adds just enough extra to the tube to get more strikes, and by having the jig head back a little from the end of the tube, it helicopters down in a more random manner, which also gets more strikes. You can also rig it this way without the rattle, just leave 1/4"-1/2" of space between the jig head and the end of the tube.

Topics: Tubes, Rattles
17
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Using marker bouys on points

Bass, and probably other gamefish, congregate along points, and especially cover and secondary structure along the points. The system is simple, takes a couple of minutes to set up, and you can spend a few hours fishing one point a nd catching serious amounts of bass.

First, determine the points. In early spring and late fall, find steep sloping points, while long, slow-sloping points are generally better from late-spring to early fall. A good topo or bathymetric map, or GPS map will show these. Once you've chosen the point, begin to go over it with your depth finder. Look for tell-tale fish arches, or baitfish schools, to determine where you should start. Whatever your target depth, toss a marker bouy a few feet shallower on the main point. Work along the point until you come to the first big drop off into deep water, then toss a marker bouy a few feet deeper on the main point. These two markers should be the same color. While you're scouting the point, when you see a key piece of cover, something different in the bottom structure, or something interesting, throw a different colored marker bouy near it.

Begin by lining up along the point, starting shallow, and fan casting the entire point. Work deeper, then shallower. Use repeated casts from different angles at all key pieces of cover and secondary structure. Crankbaits are good to use for scouting lures, and once you find the bass, pick the area apart with a variety of presentations.

It could literally take you 4 hours to fish a decent point, and I've pulled as many as two dozen keepers off one point from all different depths. Remember to use the proper color, based on conditions, forage and activity level, and the proper depth for your crankbaits. If the point drops from, say, 7 feet down to 13 feet, cast the shallow end with a crankbait that dives to 9 or 10 feet, and then work the deeper end with a crankbait that'll dive to 15 feet. Stay with it, and you'll find the bass.

Topics: Points, marker, bouy
14
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Fishing journal

I like to keep a notebook filled with information that I can reference from time to time, maybe to be successful in similar conditions or to find a pattern.

I keep notes of what lake, date, time, weather conditions, bass & catch locations, lures used, structure, cover, water temperature, depth and clarity, and any other information I think would be important.

Topics: Log, Journal, Notebook
10
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Keeping your rods reels simple

So, we've all seen the Bassmasters on ESPN, and everyone seems to have 50 rods & reels ready to go. I don't know about you, but I can't afford that. I have 6 rods & reels, 4 baitcast & 2 spinning. I know that wisdom says for crankbaits you should have a 6' medium action rod with a winch for a reel and flourocarbon line to get it down to depth, and for worms you should spool mono on a 7' medium-heavy rod and baitcast reel, yada, yada, yada.

All of my baitcast outfits are 7' medium-heavy rods with 6.3:1 reels spooled wiith 12 lb. mono. All of my spinning outfits are 6'6" medium rods with mid-sized reels and 8 lb. mono. I find that having all of my rods & reels be the same allows me to get a better feeling for each rod & reel, and gives me a lot of flexibility for different fishing styles. Also, it saves a lot of money when you don't have a different rod & reel for each type of bait.

Point is, do what you can afford to do. If you can afford to have 20 rods & reels, then let that work for you. If your budget allows you to have a couple set-ups, then make the most of it. Pick out some good quality equipment and get good at using it!

Topics: Rods, Reels, Combos
21
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Offshore Structure - Lake Winnipesaukee

OK, I'm guessing three more weeks and the ice will be gone. Tht means that spring bass fishing will be upon us. But what about when the spawn ends, and it gets into mid-to-late June, and the bass seem to disappear from the shallows? If you're on the big lake, try these two spots (please leave a few for me):

1. There is a nice hump between Eagle Island and Stonedam Island in Meredith - lots of rocks, tops out at about 5 feet, one side slopes gradually, the other has a quick drop. Awesome for summer smallmouth;

2. Another nice sunken ridge between Pine Island and Three Mile Island in Center Harbor. Tops off around 10 feet, with steep slopes and a gradual ridge drop off both sides.

Try the 6-8 foot depth range around some structure whn the weather has been stable, a little ahllower if it's overcast, and go right down to about 18 feet after a cold front blows through. Cover the whole area with crankbaits, and you won't be disappointed!

Topics: Bass, humps, offshore, Lake Winnipesaukee
15
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Spring is here Start thinking about the pre-pre-spawn...

Well, the ice will all be gone in another month, and as soon as the lakes open up, you can expect to find me (along with a bunch of other guys) out on the water chasing down some late winter/early spring bass. As the temperatures hit 40-45 degrees, the bass will start to move around a little, and after a couple of warm days, you'll find them coming up on shallow flats to feed. Just make sure to look for shallow flats, near cover, and close to deeper water - a quick break into the depths usually holds more fish. Once the temps reach above 50 degrees, the fish will start to stay a little shallower, cruising around for a quick meal. 55-60 degrees and they're almost into spawn mode.

Slow-rolling spinnerbaits, jigs, carloina rigs, and big deep-diving crankbaits are great early spring baits. Once you start to see the vegetation returning, especially in water 7-10 feet deep and near a breakline, lipless crankbaits are almost unmatched, especially on warm days.

Remember, warm sunny days will draw the bass shallow, and once the weather stays warm, overcast days with a little breeze are the most productive. 3 days before to 10 days after th full moon seem to yield the most big fish, and remember to tune your lure size, color and action to look as natural as possible when the bass are inactive/sluggish.

Topics: Bass, Spring, Lures, Season, Jig, Crankbait, Spinnerbait
6
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Ice fishing for crappie

Crappie have their eyes on top of their heads, and will see your bait and lures above them. If you have a sonar and can see crappie at a certain depth, try to keep your bait or lure just a little higher because crappie won't see anything below them. Crappie will often continue to follow your lure higher and higher until they strike, and when they hit your rod tip will actually go up instead of down because the fish is taking your lure higher. Make sure to set the hook when this happens.

Topics: crappie, technique, depth, lures, bait, sonar, ice fishing