Learning to fish all over again......

[Mitch Rapp]

So, I have always been a pond fisherman, grew up fishing ponds, can walk up to a pond, stare at it a second and probably start catching fish in just a few casts. I can read the pond if you take my meaning. I now have a boat, and the prospect of fishing lakes and rivers thrills me but also intimidates me. I went over the weekend and had good advice on where to go, I did not do well, but am relatively sure it was due to just the fish having sort of "turned off" if you know what I mean. I have some people who have fished sandbass and crappie for years, so I have good intel and "scouts" if you will for that. They go a few times a week when the fish are running, and will help me in any way. My question is more to the point of things like bass fishing, and catfishing on the lakes. I have been doing a ton of reading on catfish, pre spawn, spawn etc and think I have an understanding of them, to a point. I guess my question is, can you read a lake like a big pond? I walk up to a pond on a hot summer day, and if there is a tree putting a shadow on the water, I know where the bass are. Now I am looking at lakes and rivers with timber, creek arms docks etc etc etc and it's a bit overwhelming.

This is not a "I have hunted for 12 years and never seen a deer" thread, just wanting to know what to expect, and advice on how to approach it. I know it first and foremost going to take time and effort on the water....well darn right? lol. Just looking for pointers to maybe help me "transition" if you will.

 

[ousoonerfan22]

One son-in-law said he found the crappie up close to the bank at Oolagah last week every tree or brush pile had them while most people were after them in 20 feet of water but he said they were slow Sunday. Our other sil has been catching blues on Oolagah on shad and goldfish but I don't how he's setting up on them. I see you're In Broken Arrow the Verdigris River usually has crappie and sand bass up in the creeks especially if we get some rain to get some current flowing in the sandies move up in the creeks.

 

[makeithappen]

You and I both, Mitch. I strike out all the time. I prefer hard baits and shallow fishing, so that doesn't help my cause. Hoping the fish finder helps. It's been really cool seeing all the junk and bottom terrain.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

You and I both, Mitch. I strike out all the time. I prefer hard baits and shallow fishing, so that doesn't help my cause. Hoping the fish finder helps. It's been really cool seeing all the junk and bottom terrain.

I got a fish finder, but it's a cheap one. Not sure how dependable it is as a locator, I wanted more to be able to tell depth and spot structure.

 

[chazroh]

Crappie were on the banks last weekend on eufala.

 

[Mitch Rapp]

Crappie were on the banks last weekend on eufala.

Nice. Went sandbass fishing last night and struck out. Water temp was good where we went but I think it's a bit cool in the lake and channel still.

 

[dennishoddy]

This is not a "I have hunted for 12 years and never seen a deer" thread, just wanting to know what to expect, and advice on how to approach it. I know it first and foremost going to take time and effort on the water....well darn right? lol. Just looking for pointers to maybe help me "transition" if you will.

IMHO there is way too much info required for someone to put in a post that will make a successful pond fisherman into a successful lake fisherman.
I think we all just want to go catch some fish.

Again, just my opinion, but you need to target a certain specie of fish you want to catch. Lets say for starters, crappie.
Crappie have four basic seasons. Winter pattern, transition from winter to spawn, transition from spawn to summer, and transition from summer to winter patterns.

Most people fish for crappie during the spawn. They are close to the bank, and typically in pea gravel, and small rock areas in lakes that have that type of structure. Some don't have that, yet crappie still spawn in those lakes. They will do what they have to do to spawn, so water temps certainly come into play.
Most experts (and I'm not one) will say that water temp is what drives the crappie to be where they will be at given times of the year, and let me add a caveat, and say "Most" are correct on that. (what I'm getting at is that not every tip I give is what works on every lake) Some lakes have inflows that have an effect on temps up lake and down lake where the water is deeper.
Unless you have a deep water probe, you will most likely rely on surface temperature coming from a locator, or local fishing reports coming from the ODW fishing reports on the net, and in newspapers.
when the surface water temperatures start warming towards the 45-50 degree range, the crappie start moving toward shallower water from the winter habitat. They can be caught in open water or in structure at the 16-20' depth. As it warms more, they move more shallow toward the mouth of coves or flats. Getting some of these hot days in early spring, they will be deep in the am and shallow in the afternoons.

If water depth is stabil during the spawn they can be in anywhere from 1 foot of water(fow) to 4fow. Jig on a small bobber pulled through the spawn areas is killer. Different colors can make a huge difference.

55-60 degree water, the males will be in the shallow water fanning the beds, with the big females sitting on structure in deeper water. This is why you hear of some catching them deep, and shallow at the same water temps.
As a general rule, surface temperatures in the 62-65 degree range are almost perfect for shallow, spawning crappie. They will be in the brush, pea gravel, rocky areas, etc.

When water warms to the 70-75 degree range the females leave the nest and the males come back to guard them. The females go back to the deeper structure where they were before they spawned. (most of the time) Then you get back to catching the smaller males.
Again, its dependent on water temps. Crappie spawn when water is in the 62-65 degree range, which can be as early as January in the Deep South or as late as June in the North. Shallow lakes in Oklahoma will have an earlier spawn than deep lakes that warm up more slowly.

If your really into the spawn in Ok., you can chase it by starting with the small local lakes, and staying into it by going to bigger lakes that warm up later in the month.

I will have to profess that I used other info to get the exact water temps posted, but I've basically put my experience into the post from a lot of time on the water over the years.

Right now, my crappie experience ends with the spawn. Never fished for them in the summer pattern, nor the fall transition from summer to winter. Plan on rectifying that this year. There is a lot to learn, and water temps are the key for the most part.

Winter pattern is all about good electronics and super sensitive gear. I love fishing for them in December, January and February.

25-35fow in my local big lake, and 25-29fow in a small lake I fish. They congregate in huge schools over deep structure along the edges of main lake channels or trees in deep water and stay there. Once you find them, you can go back time after time and mostly be successful.

Like you said originally, you understand that time on the water is key to learning to fish bigger waters. Your exactly right.

Also understanding the type of habitat crappie want to see at different times of the year is key. That habitat will be mostly the same on bigger waters than a pond.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Good Job!!!!

 

[makeithappen]

Wow Dennis. Incredible information! Thank you for the amount of time you put into the post, as it's a wealth of knowledge. Hopefully I can put some of that to use.

 

[dennishoddy]

Thanks!
I meant to add some pics as examples of crappie habitat that good electronics can help find.
First is crappie in a winter pattern. Those fish are on that tree every time I go there. They don't always bite though.
The second is a pic of crappie in the winter to spring transition. They are holding in open water on structure feeding on a school of baitfish. Crappie were actively feeding, so dropping a pair of jigs down there produced fish.