Ask The Pros

I'm having trouble finding bass in a lake I know quite well. Can you give me some tips?

Question:
I'm an above average angler, but I have trouble throughout the year putting the pieces together between the when, where, why, what, and how of finding bass in a lake that I know quite well. Could you give some insight as to what to look for when I'm fishing around a lake that I know (In the four seasons). Spring and early fall are my favorite because I'm a topwater man. I'm trying to diversify my arsenal, but it's hard. Help me please.

-Steve

Answer:
Anglers at all levels can struggle with fishing their home waters. Look at how many of the pros don't do well on their home lakes in tournaments. I believe we can get to know our home lakes "too much" in some instances. We have developed patterns throughout the years and tend to stick with them too long when we aren't catching fish. Try thinking a bit out of the box and be quicker to pull the trigger on new techniques, lure sizes and colors, speed of presentation and spots where you fish. You might try sometimes just driving your boat slowly, examining the bank or your graph for places you never fish but are similar to those where you catch fish. Another fun experiment is to pick a cove or small section of the lake with various depths and types of cover and forget what season it is, and just fish it all. I'm always surprised how many of the fish don't read the same books I do.

Good fishing!

Steve Brigman