Fishing A Shallow Lake With Little To No Structure 2024
BigmouthForever23 reply :
I have access to a private lake in my subdvision (just moved here last year). I was really excided to get on the lake, it was the #1 reason I bought the house. But so far I've been disappointed. FIrst, I heard no motors of any kind are allowed, even trollling motors. Reason given is due to how shallow the lake is they don't want to "stir it up." So, boat control is hard enough withoout a trolling motor but the lake is also very shallow. I have a fish finder and the deepest water I could find so far is 7 feet. A website with some info on the lake says the deepest part is 10 feet but I haven't found it yet. Anyway, it's a man-made lake and it's practically flat everywhere. I can't find any sort of drop-offs at all. And there's also an algae problem I've been told and the bottom is made up of muck pretty much. It has very high phosphorous concentrations and very few aquatic plants.
As far as the quantity of bass go, this lake is loaded. However, they're all very small, less than a pound. The biggest one I caught was probably 2 pounds or so and that was on my first day on the lake. I've been told there's decent bass in here but I haven't been able to find them. How does one go about locating where the bigger bass would be located on a lake like this? Not only is there very little structure in the lake, it also lacks cover. Besides some docks and tree brances/logs in the water, there are litterally no weeds that I can find. I think this goes back to the algae problem the lake has. I've never seen a lake like this without any weeds. I think the board that controls the lake killed off weeds in the past in order to fight the algae.
the reel ess reply :
If you use bottom-bumping lures, they'll always be fouled in the muck.Try those top- to mid-running lures. Topwaters, Trick Worm, jerk baits, flukes, spinnerbaits, etc. Comb the lake. Sparse cover makes it easier to pinpoint fish. You'll find the parts that hold fish. Then concentrate on them. But those places will change seasonally. In a lake that shallow, the fish can move from day to day.
einscodek reply :
Whenever I fish one of these holes ie.. when invited to relatives and friends places with one of these lil manmades, I usually use a spinnerbait and a jig
These manmade pond usually have algae problems and are heavy stained.. I need to cover lots of water top and bottom cause I only get to fish these places once got no scouting got no intelligence..
Then all fails I use a jig to drag bottom to feel the contours of the bottom for structure cause uisually even tho its usually carved flat theres always something somewhere on the bottom and the fish are on it prime real estate esp the bigger ones.
papajoe222 reply :
Just from a couple of statements that you made, I'd venture to say there aren't any big fish. A 2lb. bass is a decent fish and may be one of the bigger fish there. The bottom content, lack of vegetation, abundance of small fish and high phosphorous all add up to a very poor candidate for producing big fish. I'd also venture a guess that there isn't an abundance of bait fish present. That plus the abundance of small fish would stunt the growth rate of all the fish. Your subdivision likely has no lake management plan, which will contribute to the fish population remaining stunted.
If there is an association for your subdivision, you could approach them about setting a slot limit and encouraging removal of fish under 12in. and possibly the stocking of a forage species, but don't expect any short term results. A 13in. bass will take five years to reach quality size (18in.+) in our area and that is under good conditions which could take a while to achieve.
The good news is that this body of water sounds like a great place to hone your skills, experiment with new techniques and build your confidence. There are a number of big fish producing lakes within an hour or so of the Chicago area you can take that experience to.
WRB reply :
Did you posted a lake map of this lake; Loch Lomond?
So now we now know the lake doesn't have aquatic vegetation due to poor lake management practice of poisoning the weed growths and more than likely using copper sulfate (blue stone) to treat the algea.
Does this lake have aeration system? There should be 2, 1 at the dam 7' area and another would be helpful at the 7' west end area. Without weeds to produce oxygen, the bottom debris will consume the oxygen, the bass will suffer from low DO levels.
The fact is this lake isn't a managed fishery, it's managed for appearance. I would focus fishing at night or low light periods with small 1/4 oz spinnerbaits, unweighted Senko with a circle hook ( prevents gut hooking with a unweighted Senko) , drop shot 6" worm and a rat or baby bass wake bait, bluegill slow sink swimbait.
I doubt if this lake has more than a few over 4 lbs.
Good luck.
Tom
CeeJay reply :
I would scale down in tackle size. (but as anyone who reads my posts knows, I'm biased towards light tackle 
)
Maybe 4 lb test line and weightless slow sinking soft plastic worms, senkos etc. Or add maybe a BB size split shot or two to get the baits down without burying them in the muddy bottom.
I bet the bass in your lake are eating mostly insects since, as papajoe mentioned above, there likely aren't many bait fish present.
Topwater fishing with anything that looks like a big bug should get you some good action. Perhaps one of Rebel's 1/8oz Crickhoppers or 3/16oz Crickpoppers.
With shallow, cover-less lakes it would definitely help to look around the bank and see what type of creatures might fall into the water for the bass to feed on. Match the hatch, as they say.
Also look to see what other species of fish are present...maybe bullheads, bluegills, etc.
KayakBasser reply :
Strike king tour grade jig 1/2 ounce
WRB reply :
How would you fish this jig in a shallow 4' average muck bottom lake with no vegetation?On 5/26/2015 at 6:49 AM, KayakBasser said:Strike king tour grade jig 1/2 ounce
1/2 oz jig is too heavy IMO, maybe a 1/4 jig with 4" soft plastic trailer like Chigger Craw would work.
Tom
einscodek reply :
Theres a catch and release manmade lake maybe 6 acres about 2 miles away I used to fish a hour whenever I had to wait for practice to end.. only ever caught max 2 pounders from there as well.
One day that season I got curious and asked the county for stocking data.. they had put a bunch of fish in there earlier that season including a pair of 18"+ bass on top of whatever may have been living in there before.. never did catch them tho.. you just never know what lives with those dinks.
Catt reply :
I agree with Cee Jay & down to 4" worms & lizards, 3/16 oz spinner baits, small cranks, 1/8 oz traps, small top waters.
Look for changes in bottom composition & small depth changes.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
On 5/25/2015 at 11:44 PM, WRB said:Did you posted a lake map of this lake; Loch Lomond?
So now we now know the lake doesn't have aquatic vegetation due to poor lake management practice of poisoning the weed growths and more than likely using copper sulfate (blue stone) to treat the algea.
Does this lake have aeration system? There should be 2, 1 at the dam 7' area and another would be helpful at the 7' west end area. Without weeds to produce oxygen, the bottom debris will consume the oxygen, the bass will suffer from low DO levels.
The fact is this lake isn't a managed fishery, it's managed for appearance. I would focus fishing at night or low light periods with small 1/4 oz spinnerbaits, unweighted Senko with a circle hook ( prevents gut hooking with a unweighted Senko) , drop shot 6" worm and a rat or baby bass wake bait, bluegill slow sink swimbait.
I doubt if this lake has more than a few over 4 lbs.
Good luck.
Tom
Yes, I posted that map about the lake. You called it with the copper sulfate. They used that to fight the algae. Only problem was it killed basically all the aquatic vegetation in the lake. I even talked to someone in the neighhborhood who said they stocked the lake a while back with Grass Carp...the people on the board who run the lake have not made the best decisions when it comes to doing what's best for the fish. The lake does not have an aeration system.
Also, about 5 years ago, I heard the lake suffered a pretty big fish kill. We had a really bad winter here that saw a lot of snow fall. So much so that it was so thick over the ice it prevented the sun from reaching the water. Now, the board hires a service to remove some snow whenver that happens.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
Thanks for everyone's help. Another question for you guys. See the pic below I found on a forum of a bass that somoene caught on this lake 1 year after the fish kill happened.
Hard to tell from a pic, but I'd say that's at least 3.5 pounds, no? So, seeing the size of this bass makes me think there has to be some lunkers still left in the lake. But then again, is the number so low that the chance of landing one is minimal?
Also, I was wondering why all the bluegill and crappie in this lake are mutant big compared to all the other lakes I've fished in the area. I was thinking if the panfish are much bigger compared to other lakes in the area, would the same apply to the bass? I thought it might have to do with the size of the lake and how shallow it is.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
Here's a link to where I found that pic and some users talking about the lake and the fish kill. Going off the dates these posts were made, that bass was caught about a year after the fish kill.
http://www.lake-link.com/Illinois-Fishing-Reports/report.cfm/88990/Loch-Lomond/
Also, one more thing. My neighbor is lending me her jon boat to use on the lake. She's lived in the neighbord for like 30 years and she's on the board. She along with everyone I've talked to said this is a good lake for fishing, especially bass. And one of her friends she's known for decades moved to Lake Villa but he comes down sometimes to use her boat and fish the lake. I went out with him the other day. He said he's been fishing the lake since he was a teenager. He's probably in his 50's. Anyway, I went out with him and we caught about 20 bass in a few hours, all under 1.5 pounds or so. I asked him about the size of the bass and he said this year he caught one that was 20+ inhces and that you could fit your whole fist in the mouth. Now, the one reason I find this hard to believe is I had caught the biggest bass that night, alhtough it was probably only a pound. When I caught it my friend said, :wow that's the biggest one of the night, 2.5 pounds if you ask me." My jaw almost dropped but I just said yeah it's a nice one. But in my head I was thinking is this guy nuts.
So yeah, who knows maybe there are some lunkers in here I don't know.
greentrout reply :
There's many a basser who would like your situation. I've seen these kind of ponds/lakes since I live in a large urban area and fish them. Don't underestimate it yet. Get up every morning at the crack of dawn and throw a top water like a Devil's Horse or Tiny Torpedo. The little Chug Bug is deadly, too. . Walking the dog with a Zara Puppy, same. Then go with a 1/4 oz. White spinnerbait single blade with gold or silver. Chartreuse/white skirt, too. Try a weightless Zoon Trick worm in June Bug. Everything is relative. A 5tlb iLMB n some circles is laughed at. Other places where they fish it's a joy. You're up north and maybe the spawn is still on? I'm a Southern Boy so I don't know. Good Luck.
Old school basser...
BigmouthForever23 reply :
Greentrout, you make some great points. Not only do I live up North, but we've had an unusually very cool spring so I'm thinking maybe it did mess with the spawning. I'm not too familair with identiying what's happening when.
You mentinoed some lures. What about a Zara Spook. It's my favorite top water lure and in the past I've seemed to catch the bigger of the bass on previous lakes I've fished using this lure.
I shouldn't make it sound like I"m mad per say or really disapoointed in the size of the bass. I mean, before I bought this house and had access to this lake, I was stuck bank fishing from the local forest preserves. I used to fish another nice lake in the area on my boat with my dad but that all ended after my parents moved to FL. But it's still fun catching the small ones. The other lakes I'd fish, I'd get skunked on so many occasions. It's nice to fish a lake that actually has been stocked and is full of fish. It's making me think maybe I'm a better bass fisherman than I though.
And you're so right about a 5 pound bass. Down south you'd be laughed at for saying that's a lunker, but in my area it's a lunker!
greentrout reply :
On 5/26/2015 at 8:34 AM, BigmouthForever23 said:Greentrout, you make some great points. Not only do I live up North, but we've had an unusually very cool spring so I'm thinking maybe it did mess with the spawning. I'm not too familair with identiying what's happening when.
You mentinoed some lures. What about a Zara Spook. It's my favorite top water lure and in the past I've seemed to catch the bigger of the bass on previous lakes I've fished using this lure.
I shouldn't make it sound like I"m mad per say or really disapoointed in the size of the bass. I mean, before I bought this house and had access to this lake, I was stuck bank fishing from the local forest preserves. I used to fish another nice lake in the area on my boat with my dad but that all ended after my parents moved to FL. But it's still fun catching the small ones. The other lakes I'd fish, I'd get skunked on so many occasions. It's nice to fish a lake that actually has been stocked and is full of fish. It's making me think maybe I'm a better bass fisherman than I though.
And you're so right about a 5 pound bass. Down south you'd be laughed at for saying that's a lunker, but in my area it's a lunker!
I live in Texas. I got a well off friend who will call me from time to time and ask me if I'd like to go to Lake/Reservoir Conroe with him and bass fish. You betcha. There, I will have my Spook since Lake Conroe is a very big reservoir not anything like a residential subdivision. The smaller bodies of water the Zara Puppy is the scaled down version of the Spook. By the way, I love small State Park waters, National Forest and urban and rural smaller bodies of water with our prey the LMB..
http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/conroe/
Have a great evening.
SirSnookalot reply :
That lake sounds just like my subdivision ponds in South Florida. At one time they were very good, the HOA spraying program has been aggressive, now there is a lack of vegetation. We have a few people here that drag senkos and do pretty well, I don't fish that way. For the most part I fish 2 lures with the emphasis working just off the shoreline, although at times the fish are deeper. I use a roostertail and chug bug, both produce well for me, not as good as senko. Another lure I use, mainly for peacocks but bass like them too is a Rapala flat rap, a fairly shallow running jerkbait. Being in Florida these ponds can produce some very decent size bass. This kind of community pond fishing is totally different that fishing a larger body or water, it's a lot easier. Easy doesn't mean you catch them all the time, it means the fish are there and it's whether they are aggressive that day. When they are on it's pretty darn good, when off you'll struggle like any where else.
In the winter I fish them almost everyday, it's summer so I'm spending less time chasing bass.
Catt reply :
Ya got multiple problems brought about by poor lake management.
Most importantly was the eradication of the vegetation; the lack of vegetation leaves the food source no place to hide from prey.
Next is the abundance of Crappie, one of the fastest way to get a small body of water out of balance is to stock Crappie.
Y'all mentioned Lake Conroe, TX; it maybe hard to believe but it wasn't that long ago Conroe was in the same shape. The housing authority dicided to eradicate all the grass in an effort to make the lake more suitable for water sports other than fishing.
fishballer06 reply :
One thing you have to realize, is that whenever talking to the average Joe (or Sue), their opinion on an "excellent fishing pond/lake" and the opinion of an advanced bass fishermen like yourself, are more than likely going to be totally different. To the average Joe/Sue, a 2 pound bass (in the 14-16" range) might be a really big fish. These people are more than likely the people that enjoy just sitting on the bank with a bobber and worm and catching whatever bites. More often than not, they probably catch mostly bluegill/perch/crappie/catfish. So if they can catch a few bass scattered in there and they're bigger than the average 6-9" panfish, they're going to be tickled and think that the bass in their pond is a quality fish. This is where your opinion of a quality fish and their opinion will differ.
It's good to have some big bluegill and crappie in a lake, because those large panfish are likely spawning and producing baitfish every year whenever their spawn hatches out. However, too many of these fish will also create competition for food with the bass, especially the larger crappie. Larger crappie will be aggressive and eat basically as much as a larger bass will.
WRB reply :
This particular small lake has been mismanaged to the point they need to dredge the lake bottom to remove the silt and debris. Add a aeration system. They don't allow boats with electric motors because the prop wash stirs up the silt! Don't know if body contact in the water is allowed?
Fertilizer from lawns washes into these small community lakes creating algea blooms, then copper sulfate is used to kill the algea. Grass carp added to eat the aquatic vegetation. Bluegill, crappie, catfish and bass are all competing for survival eating each other's spawn and young of the year fish. With the weeds/grass gone from both blue stone and carp, the carp will eat the spawn and fry, no place to hide. You end up with a few survivors that can grow to good size fish; big crappie, bluegill and over populated small bass indicate very low fishing pressure at this lake. Add the fact this shallow lake freezes over, reducing fish survival do to very low DO levels. This lake needs a lot of TLC. They need to hire a good biologist, perform electro shock to determine the fishery population and follow the advice.
Tom
BigmouthForever23 reply :
WRB, pretty much everything you said in your post is spot-on. You are very knowledgeable. There has been talk of dredging the lake due to the harm the copper sulfate has caused but I think it's a money issue that's holding that up. There are two beaches on the lake so yes there are body contact with this water. The fertilzer is a huge problem. The board has sent out newsletters that have urged lakefront homeowners to not use fertilizer that contains phosphorous for the reasons you mentioned. And yes, there is very little fishing pressure on the lake. I was out all day Saturday and Sunday evening and I only saw a few fisherman. And th majority of them being casual guys going for panfish or whatever. I'm going to mention some of this to my neighbor who is on the board but I don't know how much good it will do. Here's a link to the site with a short description of the lake:
http://www.lochlomondlaker.com/lochlomond/sub_category_list.asp?category=10&title=History
RoLo reply :
It's an unfortunate cycle: waters that produce lush weedbeds are prime candidates for herbicidal treatment,
but dead vegetation creates silt and mire that's unsuited to plant growth.
Muck-scraping is an enormous project, it's costly and time-consuming:
> Takes time to reach an affirmative vote to fund the project
> Takes time to complete the project
> Takes time to experience positive results
This water might be private and it might be close to home, but I'd still take my business elsewhere.
An extra 30 minutes on the road is a lot better than wasting a day on the water.
I live 1-minute (60 seconds) from Jennings Fish Camp on 3,700-acre Lake Pierce.
In the past 7 years, I can count on one hand the number of times I launched in Lake Pierce.
Roger
WRB reply :
You get the elephant out of the house one bite at a time.
Suggest they start with a aeration system, oxygen burns dead bottom debris plus adds dissolved oxygen for the fish. The lack of green aquatic vegetation is a serious if not fatal problem. Green growth produces oxygen via photosyntheses, the only other source of DO is wind creating waves and that action stirs up the bottom silt!
Aeration system is essential for improving the water quality and not that expensive.
The sandy beaches are good areas to fish at night with bottom bumping lures like a T-rigged worm! Sand is lighter color, the worms stands out against it. 7 1/2" to 10" black w/blue flake Power worms work good at night.
Good luck and don't give up.
Tom
scaleface reply :
Lots of good lures mentioned. I fish a silted in ox bow lake protected by a leevee. The Bagleys Honey Bee catches a lot fish there and big ones .
greentrout reply :
On 5/27/2015 at 1:03 AM, BigmouthForever23 said:WRB, pretty much everything you said in your post is spot-on. You are very knowledgeable. There has been talk of dredging the lake due to the harm the copper sulfate has caused but I think it's a money issue that's holding that up. There are two beaches on the lake so yes there are body contact with this water. The fertilzer is a huge problem. The board has sent out newsletters that have urged lakefront homeowners to not use fertilizer that contains phosphorous for the reasons you mentioned. And yes, there is very little fishing pressure on the lake. I was out all day Saturday and Sunday evening and I only saw a few fisherman. And th majority of them being casual guys going for panfish or whatever. I'm going to mention some of this to my neighbor who is on the board but I don't know how much good it will do. Here's a link to the site with a short description of the lake:
http://www.lochlomondlaker.com/lochlomond/sub_category_list.asp?category=10&title=History
Your link states this lake has been around since 1955 with a 550 ft. dam and 55 ft. concrete spillway. This might be kind of like a flood detention waterway with other lakes draining their water into your lake, too. 75 acres is not the biggest body of water but it's bigger than most subdivision waters. You have 2.2 miles of shoreline. Average 5 ft. of water with some being 10 ft. probably at the dam.. The state DNR is involved and the final paragraph stated: "Our lake supports a diverse population of healthy fish, waterfowl and invertebrates – and a wealth of recreational opportunities. It truly is our community’s “treasure”. Enjoy it, and help us improve it".
I'd work with the right folks to improve it and happily fish it.
Old school basser...
rick1973 reply :
Hey guys I'm new on here but could anyone tell me how to fish a hulla popper my wife just got me one and I only fish with plastic lures. I need help learning how to fish this so I can add it to my fishing tools.
WRB reply :
Welcome, you need to repost your question in the Tackle forum.On 5/27/2015 at 8:00 AM, rick1973 said:Hey guys I'm new on here but could anyone tell me how to fish a hulla popper my wife just got me one and I only fish with plastic lures. I need help learning how to fish this so I can add it to my fishing tools.
Tom
Paul Roberts reply :
That fact that there are large panfish makes this interesting. This speaks to the overall productivity of the lake and its ability to grow fish. If there are good numbers of these big panfish, it indicates an abundance of small prey. With the large panfish and good numbers of small bass, the lake sounds like a great place for fish to get a good start in. But small prey sources –even lots of them– do not usually grow and sustain large bass. Bass generally need a lot of appropriately sized fish in their diets to grow large.
Likely annual production of fishes in your lake gets cropped down with all the competition and their having few places to hide, leaving relatively small populations of mid-sized prey fishes left over for the following year. Those small panfish that do manage to survive grow quickly, and beyond the gape size of all those small bass. When bass run out of food, or the food is expensive to capture (as has been seen to be the case in open water environments), the bass basically hit a wall to growth, maturing at a smaller size and potentially resulting in a population of small bass.
While those big bluegills and crappies are likely too large for the vast majority of bass to eat, there might be individual bass that have left their cohorts behind and grown big enough to eat them. I’d check this out by bringing a rod or two dedicated to up-sized baits like swimbaits, BIG spinnerbaits/buzzbaits, and topwaters like a full-sized Zara, wakers, or a Jitterbug. Expect fewer catches overall but greater potential for finding those individuals that have broken through the wall. You can always get your rod bent with the small bass by down-sizing when you need the boost.
Undoubtedly there are some big bass in the lake, but whether they exist in worthwhile numbers is an obvious question. Such fish will certainly show up occasionally in community catches so it pays to keep your ears to the ground. You are right in questioning whether your acquaintances "big bass" was truly a BIG bass. People don’t often actually weigh and measure, and guestimates are too often more about the excitement of the moment, or relative size, than reality. When assessing a waters potential, reality is a big help. The fact that the man mentioned “a mouth he could stick a fist in” is promising at least. The photo of the bass you provided is not one of those BIG bass that snarfs 7” and 8” ‘gills like popcorn. But it does show a quality bass in good body condition, which is promising. Post-winterkill years, if the kill was not too widespread, can put in motion conditions for rapid bass growth due to reduced competition -possible "cracks in the wall", so to speak.
Your new home lake sounds like an interesting enough place. Let us know what you find. There is a trip reports section here.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
On 5/26/2015 at 12:41 AM, CeeJay said:I would scale down in tackle size. (but as anyone who reads my posts knows, I'm biased towards light tackle
)
Maybe 4 lb test line and weightless slow sinking soft plastic worms, senkos etc. Or add maybe a BB size split shot or two to get the baits down without burying them in the muddy bottom.
I bet the bass in your lake are eating mostly insects since, as papajoe mentioned above, there likely aren't many bait fish present.
Topwater fishing with anything that looks like a big bug should get you some good action. Perhaps one of Rebel's 1/8oz Crickhoppers or 3/16oz Crickpoppers.
With shallow, cover-less lakes it would definitely help to look around the bank and see what type of creatures might fall into the water for the bass to feed on. Match the hatch, as they say.
Also look to see what other species of fish are present...maybe bullheads, bluegills, etc.
I'm going to try and switch from my texasrig set-up with my worm and instead try a small split shot. I think you're right and that this might help reduce the chances of my worm getting berried in that algae/muck bottom. I actually use to troll with this set-up with my dad on a lake I grew up fishing. We had amazing results. We'd go out at noon, bright sun, and be catching 5 pound bass in the middle of the day with a lake full of ski boats and jet skis. All we'd do is troll over drop-offs and we'd be pulling them right out of the weeds that they'd be around to get away from the sun. I will try this for sure next time I'm on the lake (hopefully tomorrow.)
BigmouthForever23 reply :
On 5/27/2015 at 9:50 AM, Paul Roberts said:That fact that there are large panfish makes this interesting. This speaks to the overall productivity of the lake and its ability to grow fish. If there are good numbers of these big panfish, it indicates an abundance of small prey. With the large panfish and good numbers of small bass, the lake sounds like a great place for fish to get a good start in. But small prey sources –even lots of them– do not usually grow and sustain large bass. Bass generally need a lot of appropriately sized fish in their diets to grow large.
Likely annual production of fishes in your lake gets cropped down with all the competition and their having few places to hide, leaving relatively small populations of mid-sized prey fishes left over for the following year. Those small panfish that do manage to survive grow quickly, and beyond the gape size of all those small bass. When bass run out of food, or the food is expensive to capture (as has been seen to be the case in open water environments), the bass basically hit a wall to growth, maturing at a smaller size and potentially resulting in a population of small bass.
While those big bluegills and crappies are likely too large for the vast majority of bass to eat, there might be individual bass that have left their cohorts behind and grown big enough to eat them. I’d check this out by bringing a rod or two dedicated to up-sized baits like swimbaits, BIG spinnerbaits/buzzbaits, and topwaters like a full-sized Zara, wakers, or a Jitterbug. Expect fewer catches overall but greater potential for finding those individuals that have broken through the wall. You can always get your rod bent with the small bass by down-sizing when you need the boost.
Undoubtedly there are some big bass in the lake, but whether they exist in worthwhile numbers is an obvious question. Such fish will certainly show up occasionally in community catches so it pays to keep your ears to the ground. You are right in questioning whether your acquaintances "big bass" was truly a BIG bass. People don’t often actually weigh and measure, and guestimates are too often more about the excitement of the moment, or relative size, than reality. When assessing a waters potential, reality is a big help. The fact that the man mentioned “a mouth he could stick a fist in” is promising at least. The photo of the bass you provided is not one of those BIG bass that snarfs 7” and 8” ‘gills like popcorn. But it does show a quality bass in good body condition, which is promising. Post-winterkill years, if the kill was not too widespread, can put in motion conditions for rapid bass growth due to reduced competition -possible "cracks in the wall", so to speak.
Your new home lake sounds like an interesting enough place. Let us know what you find. There is a trip reports section here.
Yeah, the size of the panfish had me puzzled. Especially considering I grew up in this area my whole life and fished another lake not more than 3 miles away from the lake I fish now. I remember the panfish there were so small, especially the bluegill. I asked my dad why they were so small and it's because he said the lake was stunted with crappie and bluegill. The bass however? Probably the biggest I've seen locally. My dad caught some over 6 pounds, those are lunkers from where I'm from. Yet, it's the opposite (so far) for the lake I fish now. The panfish are mutant big but the bass are all on the small side. I know the lake is stocked, but I wouldn't be able to comment on the rate of annual production being capped for the reasons you listed. Although, it does makes sense and I think you could be on to something here.
I'm gonna take your advice and "go big" so to speak. I've noticed that when I've used a Zara Spook I get a lot of very light hits, obviously from all the small bass. So, I hope if I continue to use it at some point I'll get a big hit and know I have a chance to land a "bigger" bass. I'm also going to start using a much bigger worm, 12" instead of 7.5'". Maybe that will help reduce the number of small bass I come across. Another reason I suspect there could be some nice bass in here is the one that I caught on my first day, probably at least 2 pounds or more, it looked very healthy with a good proportion of weight to length. Same with that bigger one from that pic I posted. I fished another lake nearby and it is definitely stunted with bass. Every bass I would catch there would be really long but skinny. My dad also mentioned a potential positive of that fish-kill was it might help lower the already very high population of fish and the lake could benefit in the long run, similar to what you said.
Thanks for the great response.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
I wanted to bump this thread to update ya'll. I caught not only the biggest bass so far out of this lake, but it's one of my biggest ever. Remember I live in the NW suburbs of Chicago so anything over 3 pounds is considered a really nice size bass. I think this one was about 3 pounds. I didn't have anyone to take a pic of me with the fish so it's somewhat of a close shot but I took one with it next to my shoe to give you an idea of the size (I wear a size 12 shoe). This bass was so chunky!
Catching this bass gave me so much needed confidence in this lake. Even if there are a few big ones and ton of small ones, I still have some hope now. And the conditions were not ideal. We've had so much rain lately the water quality was worse than it normally was. It literally looked like someone dyed the water with green color.
I caught this bass where a fellow poster (WRB) mentioned could be a good spot. So thank you for that. I circled the spot in yellow.
Preytorien reply :
Very nice. Those smaller suburb ponds can really hold good fish. Fishing cover-less bodies of water is certainly a challenge, but can be productive.
Keep up the good work!
MrPeanut reply :
Good work! It always feels better when you've put in that much time and effort
As a fellow suburbanite who fishes a lot of forest preserve lakes, I know that for this area that's a good sized chunk for sure.
Master Bait'r reply :
On 5/25/2015 at 1:28 AM, BigmouthForever23 said:I have access to a private lake in my subdvision (just moved here last year). I was really excided to get on the lake, it was the #1 reason I bought the house. But so far I've been disappointed. FIrst, I heard no motors of any kind are allowed, even trollling motors. Reason given is due to how shallow the lake is they don't want to "stir it up." So, boat control is hard enough withoout a trolling motor but the lake is also very shallow. I have a fish finder and the deepest water I could find so far is 7 feet. A website with some info on the lake says the deepest part is 10 feet but I haven't found it yet. Anyway, it's a man-made lake and it's practically flat everywhere. I can't find any sort of drop-offs at all. And there's also an algae problem I've been told and the bottom is made up of muck pretty much. It has very high phosphorous concentrations and very few aquatic plants.
As far as the quantity of bass go, this lake is loaded. However, they're all very small, less than a pound. The biggest one I caught was probably 2 pounds or so and that was on my first day on the lake. I've been told there's decent bass in here but I haven't been able to find them. How does one go about locating where the bigger bass would be located on a lake like this? Not only is there very little structure in the lake, it also lacks cover. Besides some docks and tree brances/logs in the water, there are litterally no weeds that I can find. I think this goes back to the algae problem the lake has. I've never seen a lake like this without any weeds. I think the board that controls the lake killed off weeds in the past in order to fight the algae.
If this is in Chicago, don't even bother looking for big fish- 7ft is not deep enough to avoid winter kill.
It still can't hurt to Ned rig the place upside down just to see what's in there though IMO.
WRB reply :
Congratulations! Feeling better about your home lake is priceless.
Tom
BigmouthForever23 reply :
Master Baite'r,
I'm sorry can you explain what you mean by Ned rig?
And can anyone chime in on the depth of the lake and a winter kill. Is 7ft really not deep enough to avoid a kill in this area? I've talked to a lot of people in the neighborhood who've lived here for decades and as far as I know of the lake only experienced one major fish kill. But that winter was not the norm. The amount of snow we got that year was rediculous. Now, they hire someone to come out and clear the snow off the ice just to make sure it doesn't happen again.
BigmouthForever23 reply :
Thanks for the posts guys. It was funny when I caught this one as I thought I was caught intially. I casted right by a sunken log in the water and that's where he took it, a 10 inch worm. So after I set the hook I thought I was hooked on the dang log! haha
RoLo reply :
"Fishing A Shallow Lake With Little To No Structure"
Welcome to Florida 
Roger
vmabuck reply :
Fly Rod.
Poppers, Clousers, crawfish pattern, and Woolly Buggers...
SirSnookalot reply :
On 6/19/2015 at 10:22 AM, RoLo said:"Fishing A Shallow Lake With Little To No Structure"
Welcome to Florida
Roger
In South Florida many of them are not lakes. They are dug out ponds (fish bowls) with little or no real structure, they may or may not have vegetation. It is not overly taxing walking around these ponds, it's pretty easy and relaxing. Coming from the land of the Great Lakes and now spending a good deal of time fishing the Atlantic, I can see the difference in trying to locate fish. Without a doubt fishing the larger bodies of water does require some know how, not so in a Florida man made pond. Bass fishing in these ponds is probably the easiest fishing I've done in my life, there is really not much to it. When I say I walk around with a couple of lures in my pocket, I couldn't be more serious, it's literally shooting fish in a barrel. A challenge, hardly..........fun, tons of it.
Master Bait'r reply :
On 6/19/2015 at 12:40 AM, BigmouthForever23 said:
Master Baite'r,
I'm sorry can you explain what you mean by Ned rig?
And can anyone chime in on the depth of the lake and a winter kill. Is 7ft really not deep enough to avoid a kill in this area? I've talked to a lot of people in the neighborhood who've lived here for decades and as far as I know of the lake only experienced one major fish kill. But that winter was not the norm. The amount of snow we got that year was rediculous. Now, they hire someone to come out and clear the snow off the ice just to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Well the Ned Rig is really just a concept of tiny jigging with around 1/16th weights r so and small plastics. Downsizing the shakyhead almost.
In terms of depth, usually you need the pond to be deeper but perhaps 7ft is just enough or there's a hole r spring feed someplace. If you're catching 'em you're doing alright!
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.