Post by rickkustich on Jun 26, 2009 14:54:05 GMT -5
Big Water Bass Structure
Many of the forage rich lakes of the Mid Atlantic region produce big bass. Some of these lakes are large expanses of water such as the Great Lakes or the Finger Lakes. From a fly fishing standpoint figuring out where to catch fish on a big piece of water can seem like a daunting task. But there is one general consistency among smallmouth and largemouth bass „Ÿ the desire to be near structure. Structure will normally provide a constant food source as prey will similar areas as well. It also provides security. Even big bass need to be concerned with security especially in lakes where muskies and large pike prowl.
It seems like the key to large water is to break it down into components that can be analyzed, understood, and then approached with confidence. For my own fishing I find it helpful if not imperative to fish from a boat on large water to allow for flexibility. If restricted to the shoreline, wading, or a float tube, however, there can still be plenty of opportunity on large lakes with a proper selection of water.
Early season represents some of the best time of the year to wade fish or fish from a float tube. Both smallmouth and largemouth will collect in the shallow bays and flats in the spring to spawn. It is important to know the season openings and regulations on each lake that you fish. In the New York State waters of Lake Erie the season opens on the first Saturday of May and creates a great opportunity for fly fishers as smallmouth can be found in shallow bays into July. Smallmouth tend to prefer bays and flats that are rocky or filled with small boulders where largemouth seem to be found in areas that have sandy bottoms which often include inlets and isolated bays off the main body of water. Both smallmouth and largemouth can be found near the mouths of creeks and streams at this early time of year as well. The warming waters of the creek often attracts bait which in turn draws in the bass. Man-made break walls, piers and other such structure will also provide good opportunity for the shore-bound fly angler. If the structure is composed of rocks, boulders, or slabs and the surrounding water has sufficient depth, it will often hold smallmouth throughout the year.
I like to fish shallow bays, creek mouths, and break walls from my boat as it gives me some tactical advantages. I think the most important is that I can cover more water and always have plenty of room for a back cast. For smallmouth I select bays that have a lot of bowling ball-sized or even larger boulders. These areas tend to hold fish well into summer. As the lake water warms bass will move from these easier to reach holds. Smallmouth tend to move deeper and largemouth search out there summer range.
As smallmouth move out it becomes essential to identify deep water structure that will attract concentrations of fish. A detailed lake map which shows depths is a good starting point. Many regional guide books include maps of the larger lakes. Concentrate on the spots where there is significant change in depth over a small area. Reefs, bars and drop offs make up the brunt of deep-water structure. In Lake Erie, big smallmouth can be found in depths of five to twenty feet well into July. But these big fish will normally move to the thirty to forty foot range in August and return back to shallower water again in early fall. Except for structure that is marked on the surface with some type of buoy, an electronic depth finder is essential for locating the proper bottom contour. Even subtle changes in depth can signal good smallmouth water if the bottom is also laden with boulders. I have found a number of good areas by simply watching my depth graph as I drive or drift over a piece of water. A GPS unit can be used to mark productive areas. For the techno savvy there are various types of electronic gadgetry that utilize digital GPS maps to locate all the hot spots. However, this takes a little too much of the adventure out of it for my liking.
If you do not have a map there are other signs to look for to locate deep water structure. The most obvious is to identify points that jut from the shore. A point will often extend well into the lake below the surface of the water and create a rise and drop along the lake floor. Also look for subtle variations to the waters surface which may denote a reef or drop off.
Some larger lakes like those found in the Finger Lakes region drop off quickly from the shore and do not have the vast number of shallow bays and flats that are found throughout the Great Lakes. A shoreline that drops quickly can hold large smallmouth for most of the season. An area that drops through a progression of steps in depth will provide much better holding water than one that is straight like a wall. Prevailing winds can also impact good bass structure on lakes with steep drops. Fish will tend to concentrate in the areas where the food is brought their way by the wave action or any natural current.
As smallmouth gravitate to depths, largemouth will look mainly for weedy cover or shallow water structure such as dead falls. Even on large expanses of water, if largemouth are present, concentrations will be found in or along the weediest areas. Largemouth like to sit in ambush along the inside edges and holes in the weed beds. They also use lily pads, tree trunks, branches, and man made structures such as docks and piers as holding and hunting water and will generally remain in relative shallow depths throughout the year. Precise casting is often required when casting to this visible structure.
For fly fishing big bass water I mainly use a nine foot for an eight weight rod. This allows me to deliver large, wind resistant flies and handle the sink tip shooting lines or full sinking lines needed to reach summer smallmouth depths. I like to surface fish when I can and the window seems to be a little wider on big lakes for largemouth than it is for smallies. But smallmouth will come to the surface from depths of over ten feet. Look for small pods of actively feeding smallmouth chasing bait to the surface, especially in the morning and evening. Low light periods will also be the best time to bring a big bucket mouth to the surface. I use a variety of deer hair flies. Some are designed to make a commotion to bring fish from great depths and others are designed to be twitched subtly on the surface. For surface fishing I use a floating line with an exaggerated weight forward design such as a bass taper.
For fishing deep structure I prefer a fast sink tip shooting line combination like the 300 grain Rio Density Compensated 24 Foot Sinking Tip or 300 grain Teeny Line. For working very deep structure I use the Rio Deep 7 full sinking line. The low diameter of this line slices through the wind and delivers the fly to depths of thirty feet or more. Flies for fishing deep include Clouser minnows tied to represent common bait found in the lake as well as weighted Wooly Bugger, Bunny Leeches, crayfish patterns, and small deceivers.
Finding good bass structure on large lakes is not as difficult as it seems. A little research and exploration can go a long way and the rewards will be well worth the effort.
Many of the forage rich lakes of the Mid Atlantic region produce big bass. Some of these lakes are large expanses of water such as the Great Lakes or the Finger Lakes. From a fly fishing standpoint figuring out where to catch fish on a big piece of water can seem like a daunting task. But there is one general consistency among smallmouth and largemouth bass „Ÿ the desire to be near structure. Structure will normally provide a constant food source as prey will similar areas as well. It also provides security. Even big bass need to be concerned with security especially in lakes where muskies and large pike prowl.
It seems like the key to large water is to break it down into components that can be analyzed, understood, and then approached with confidence. For my own fishing I find it helpful if not imperative to fish from a boat on large water to allow for flexibility. If restricted to the shoreline, wading, or a float tube, however, there can still be plenty of opportunity on large lakes with a proper selection of water.
Early season represents some of the best time of the year to wade fish or fish from a float tube. Both smallmouth and largemouth will collect in the shallow bays and flats in the spring to spawn. It is important to know the season openings and regulations on each lake that you fish. In the New York State waters of Lake Erie the season opens on the first Saturday of May and creates a great opportunity for fly fishers as smallmouth can be found in shallow bays into July. Smallmouth tend to prefer bays and flats that are rocky or filled with small boulders where largemouth seem to be found in areas that have sandy bottoms which often include inlets and isolated bays off the main body of water. Both smallmouth and largemouth can be found near the mouths of creeks and streams at this early time of year as well. The warming waters of the creek often attracts bait which in turn draws in the bass. Man-made break walls, piers and other such structure will also provide good opportunity for the shore-bound fly angler. If the structure is composed of rocks, boulders, or slabs and the surrounding water has sufficient depth, it will often hold smallmouth throughout the year.
I like to fish shallow bays, creek mouths, and break walls from my boat as it gives me some tactical advantages. I think the most important is that I can cover more water and always have plenty of room for a back cast. For smallmouth I select bays that have a lot of bowling ball-sized or even larger boulders. These areas tend to hold fish well into summer. As the lake water warms bass will move from these easier to reach holds. Smallmouth tend to move deeper and largemouth search out there summer range.
As smallmouth move out it becomes essential to identify deep water structure that will attract concentrations of fish. A detailed lake map which shows depths is a good starting point. Many regional guide books include maps of the larger lakes. Concentrate on the spots where there is significant change in depth over a small area. Reefs, bars and drop offs make up the brunt of deep-water structure. In Lake Erie, big smallmouth can be found in depths of five to twenty feet well into July. But these big fish will normally move to the thirty to forty foot range in August and return back to shallower water again in early fall. Except for structure that is marked on the surface with some type of buoy, an electronic depth finder is essential for locating the proper bottom contour. Even subtle changes in depth can signal good smallmouth water if the bottom is also laden with boulders. I have found a number of good areas by simply watching my depth graph as I drive or drift over a piece of water. A GPS unit can be used to mark productive areas. For the techno savvy there are various types of electronic gadgetry that utilize digital GPS maps to locate all the hot spots. However, this takes a little too much of the adventure out of it for my liking.
If you do not have a map there are other signs to look for to locate deep water structure. The most obvious is to identify points that jut from the shore. A point will often extend well into the lake below the surface of the water and create a rise and drop along the lake floor. Also look for subtle variations to the waters surface which may denote a reef or drop off.
Some larger lakes like those found in the Finger Lakes region drop off quickly from the shore and do not have the vast number of shallow bays and flats that are found throughout the Great Lakes. A shoreline that drops quickly can hold large smallmouth for most of the season. An area that drops through a progression of steps in depth will provide much better holding water than one that is straight like a wall. Prevailing winds can also impact good bass structure on lakes with steep drops. Fish will tend to concentrate in the areas where the food is brought their way by the wave action or any natural current.
As smallmouth gravitate to depths, largemouth will look mainly for weedy cover or shallow water structure such as dead falls. Even on large expanses of water, if largemouth are present, concentrations will be found in or along the weediest areas. Largemouth like to sit in ambush along the inside edges and holes in the weed beds. They also use lily pads, tree trunks, branches, and man made structures such as docks and piers as holding and hunting water and will generally remain in relative shallow depths throughout the year. Precise casting is often required when casting to this visible structure.
For fly fishing big bass water I mainly use a nine foot for an eight weight rod. This allows me to deliver large, wind resistant flies and handle the sink tip shooting lines or full sinking lines needed to reach summer smallmouth depths. I like to surface fish when I can and the window seems to be a little wider on big lakes for largemouth than it is for smallies. But smallmouth will come to the surface from depths of over ten feet. Look for small pods of actively feeding smallmouth chasing bait to the surface, especially in the morning and evening. Low light periods will also be the best time to bring a big bucket mouth to the surface. I use a variety of deer hair flies. Some are designed to make a commotion to bring fish from great depths and others are designed to be twitched subtly on the surface. For surface fishing I use a floating line with an exaggerated weight forward design such as a bass taper.
For fishing deep structure I prefer a fast sink tip shooting line combination like the 300 grain Rio Density Compensated 24 Foot Sinking Tip or 300 grain Teeny Line. For working very deep structure I use the Rio Deep 7 full sinking line. The low diameter of this line slices through the wind and delivers the fly to depths of thirty feet or more. Flies for fishing deep include Clouser minnows tied to represent common bait found in the lake as well as weighted Wooly Bugger, Bunny Leeches, crayfish patterns, and small deceivers.
Finding good bass structure on large lakes is not as difficult as it seems. A little research and exploration can go a long way and the rewards will be well worth the effort.