How would YOU fish this lake for largemouth bass?

  • greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1278774

    In-Depth Outdoors Pro-Staffer Greg Huff and Bass Utopia blog’s Jason Holmer will target largemouth bass tomorrow for an IDO “Hooked Up” web video.

    Based on this map and profile, how would YOU fish this lake?

    Size = 1,000 acres; max depth =15 feet; water clarity = 6 feet; bottom content = sand, gravel, silt; deep weed edge at about 7 feet; aquatic plants = bushy pondweed, coontail, filamentous algae, muskgrass, northern watermilfoil; forage = bluegill, sunfish, perch, bullheads; apex predator = northern pike.

    thegun
    mn
    Posts: 1009
    #1096892

    this time of year I would go to a old and true tactic.. texas rig worm on the weed edges and maybe a few frogs over the weeds!!

    good luck

    deertracker
    Posts: 9237
    #1096893

    A sinker, a plain hook and some corn…
    DT

    greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1096897

    Here’s what I tied on tonight:

    For the morning bite:
    — Spook on a spinning rod for the early-dawn topwater bite
    — Wacky worm on a spinning rod for the late-dawn bite (when topwater bite tapers off, but deep weedline bite has not yet turned on)

    For the afternoon bite:
    — Texas-rigged motoroil-red flake 10-inch worm on baitcasting gear
    — Texas-rigged purple-blue flake creature bait on baitcasting gear
    — Texas-rigged green pumpkin creature bait
    — Green-brown weed jig with a big creature bait trailer on baitcasting gear

    So that’s my gameplan as of now. May have to call an audible if conditions differ greatly from tomorrow’s forecast.

    — Greg

    James Holst
    Keymaster
    SE Minnesota
    Posts: 18926
    #1096902

    Yes, help these guys out! I’m behind the camera tomorrow and I don’t like watching people beat the water to a froth but I can tolerate it when the guys are CATCHING fish! Any tips or ideas for these guys tomorrow as they pick apart this lake? Largemouth are the target. Great video footage is the goal!! Regardless of how it goes we should have video of the day to share here on IDO.

    kwp
    Eden Prairie
    Posts: 857
    #1096903

    I think I would also try drop shoting the deeper weed edges after you have located a few fish. I doubt the fish in there have ever seen a drop shot.

    Jack Naylor
    Apple Valley, MN
    Posts: 5668
    #1096915

    under the surface is not too interesting for videos, except to see some different presentations work.

    i’d try Pop-R’s early, then some buzz baits around the deep edges, and shallow edges. Then get out some frogs around and through any visible weeds. Try skipping some frogs around and under docks.

    If you know how to skip Senko’s, show something different on video and skip some docks.

    Any decent lake should have enough action with the above to edit a respectable 30 minute show.

    Good Luck,

    Jack

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22456
    #1096930

    I’d be throwing a 4 inch leech on a plain hook, all along that north end. Funny, but it works best for me, especially when I can sight them

    desperado
    Posts: 3010
    #1096931

    I wouldn’t fish ANY lake for Largemouth Bass

    lhprop1
    Eagan
    Posts: 1899
    #1096952

    Topraider or Jackpot over the weeds. Seriously. Us muskie guys can’t keep those pesky bass off our topwaters.

    That lake looks like a parking lot and those weed lines could amble on miles. A topraider or pacemaker, which covers a lot of water fast, as a search bait to at least locate them would be perfect. Once you find them, slow it down with a texas rig or other plastic worm presentation.

    biggill
    East Bethel, MN
    Posts: 11321
    #1096953

    10″ bullhead near some timber with a 4 oz no roll sinker.

    That ones for you BK!

    fredbart
    St. Paul
    Posts: 372
    #1096957

    What a great idea and thanks for the opportunity to learn and contribute. This has always been what I.D.O. is about! My two cents, I for one can do without the conversations about what fish is better than other.

    ottomatica
    Lino Lakes, MN
    Posts: 1380
    #1096959

    Looks like a fairly shallow lake, most likely a slop bite. I would start with a Rage Toad and swim jig to search. Have a lure rigged up like a jig/craw for specific targets.

    This lake will likely be pretty weedy and poppers/spooks will be more difficult to work IMO.

    If it’s a new to you lake, I wouldn’t waste time with slow/deep techniques until forced to. Then I would use a jig worm because it allows you to really sense the weedline and is a great bite triggering bait. Also detect forage like sunnies pretty well…

    Make sure to hit the areas where the first contour gets close to shore.

    keepcasting
    Excelsior
    Posts: 445
    #1096751

    I would start on the North and East sides of the lake in shallow fishing pads/docks first with frogs or wacky rigs. The only mid lake structure that you can get from that map is the point/hump on the NE side. If the shallow bite doesn’t materialize then I would work the deep sides of that hump and definitely the saddle between it at the shore with jig worms, texas rigs, etc. Good luck. Other than catching fish, trying to figure out new lakes is one of the most fun parts of fishing i think.

    mplspug
    Palmetto, Florida
    Posts: 25026
    #1096969

    Quote:


    I’d be throwing a 4 inch leech on a plain hook, all along that north end. Funny, but it works best for me, especially when I can sight them



    On the rare occasion I use live bait for bass, leeches are my #1 choice. They love them. In a distant second is a small sucker.

    desperado
    Posts: 3010
    #1096975

    Quote:


    On the rare occasion I use live bass for bait


    There ya go; I fixed that for ya Pug

    out_fishing
    Moorhead, MN
    Posts: 1151
    #1096988

    Quote:


    Quote:


    On the rare occasion I use live bass for bait


    There ya go; I fixed that for ya Pug


    tomhopkins
    waconia, mn
    Posts: 132
    #1096990

    I would first focus on the creek inlet and boggy area on the ne corner of the lake. It looks like a good spot for frogs and baitfish depending on the flow.my second spot would be the point on the sw end of the lake and the weed flat west of it. As far as how I would attack it my go to is casting swim baits, frog imitations , and plastics depending on weed density to cover water and find the most aggressive feeders. If that didn’t pan I would start trolling outside weed edges with raps around that 7 ft mark

    suzuki
    Woodbury, Mn
    Posts: 18623
    #1096993

    Good luck on Jennie!

    tom_gursky
    Michigan's Upper Peninsula(Iron Mountain)
    Posts: 4751
    #1097005

    soft to hard bottom transition areas incl the small points and inside contour breaks finesse jigs/ craw trailer, swim jigs over the grass tops…Cranks, match the forage with some DT 8s, 10,…
    KWPs dropshot idea is a good option along with previous (realistic) suggestions. If there are thick pads, weeds in the shallows I would forgoe the Spook topwater in lieu of a soft body buzzer or hollow body frog.

    I’d come help but I have the UP Bass Championship this weekend on a similar flowage…Good Luck Greg!

    vikefanmn77
    Northfield,MN
    Posts: 1493
    #1097007

    I got an idea…it involves shallow water, rubber boots, and a cattle prod.

    timschmitz
    Waconia MN
    Posts: 1652
    #1097012

    Quote:


    Good luck on Jennie!


    Lol I didn’t even notice that until you said it! They should have skipped the bass and dug those eyes out of the weeds! One night 4 years ago 4 eyes over 27″ came through my ice hole out there

    Whiskerkev
    Madison
    Posts: 3835
    #1097016

    I’ve been getting a lot of big mouthed bait on cut sucker lately.

    pdl
    Bayport/St. Croix/Otsego/Grand Rapids
    Posts: 450
    #1097060

    Jack–how about working steep eastern shorelines at dawn near points with white spinnerbait, long copper spinner and white trailer? (Don’t forget to hold back till everyone else blasts off and work the resort docks.) Some guys stay off the computer after midnight if to stay ahead of the bigdogs, Mr. A Team!

    David Grosulak
    Pool 2
    Posts: 116
    #1097130

    I would start by fishing wind blown banks on thick weed edges with a Senko on a RED size 3/0 gamakatsu hook. Personally I would start with a green w/ watermelon flake senko and go from there. If you don’t get a bite in the first 10 feet, recast.
    My 2 cents

    greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1097650

    This lake had a really bad algae bloom and all the weeds were covered in some gross crud, so after an hour with no bites, we called an audible and went to a nearby lake and got on a great dock bite. Photos and video coming soon! — Greg

    greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1097664

    How did you do in the UP Bass Championship, Tom?

    greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1097671

    Quote:


    this time of year I would go to a old and true tactic.. texas rig worm on the weed edges and maybe a few frogs over the weeds!!

    good luck


    That, indeed, was what our game plan was, but the lake had a really bad algae bloom and all the weeds were covered in some gross crud and we could not find any good green (i.e. oxygen producing) weeds, so we bailed and went to a nearby lake.

    greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1097651

    Quote:


    under the surface is not too interesting for videos, except to see some different presentations work.
    i’d try Pop-R’s early, then some buzz baits around the deep edges, and shallow edges. Then get out some frogs around and through any visible weeds. Try skipping some frogs around and under docks.
    If you know how to skip Senko’s, show something different on video and skip some docks.
    Any decent lake should have enough action with the above to edit a respectable 30 minute show.
    Good Luck,
    Jack


    We were thinking along the same lines, Jack, but were surprised to find that the bass on this day wanted nothing to do with topwaters — spooks, frogs, poppers, etc. We tried ’em all with no luck, on this lake and another we trailerd over to later in the morning. After the sun got up, we indeed switched to a dock bite and had great success skipping docks — but with creature baits rather than Senkos.

    The water was so green and algae-stained, Senkos did not move enough water to help the bass locate them, so we skipped Lake Fork Craw Tubes and Trigger X Flappin’ Bugs. I also caught one or two on a Powerbait 10-inch worm with a curled ribbon tail.

    Skipping was the ticket, as the bass were hiding waaaay back under the docks, in the hardest-to-reach spots. Very few came from pitching/flipping to the first foot or so under the dock edges.

    greghuff
    South Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Posts: 134
    #1097663

    Quote:


    What a great idea and thanks for the opportunity to learn and contribute. This has always been what I.D.O. is about! My two cents, I for one can do without the conversations about what fish is better than other.


    Glad you liked the post! This one was a success, so we’ll be doing more of these.

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