Finding Fish on the Rock

[troller]

Wow! What insight. Thanks for all you contribute to this site!

[Ellros]

Excellent post, and very helpful to a noob like myself.  Grew up in eastern Nebraska, and learning to fish TR is a completely new experience.  In NE, when they say they are catching fish shallow, it means under 10'.  Usually under 6'.  Here on TR, shallow is 30'      which is about the max depth at most eastern NE reservoirs.  Plus, NE lakes are mud/clay bottoms with vegetation.  Here it is rock and timber.  Quite a difference and challenge for someone new to it.

[Nitro 750]

Great read!!!!!!!!! Thanks Bill

[Sore Thumbs]

15 hours ago, Ellros said:

Excellent post, and very helpful to a noob like myself.  Grew up in eastern Nebraska, and learning to fish TR is a completely new experience.  In NE, when they say they are catching fish shallow, it means under 10'.  Usually under 6'.  Here on TR, shallow is 30'      which is about the max depth at most eastern NE reservoirs.  Plus, NE lakes are mud/clay bottoms with vegetation.  Here it is rock and timber.  Quite a difference and challenge for someone new to it.

You need to check out Bass Edge podcast with Scott Suggs. He talks about lakes in Kansas that are similar to your lakes in Nebraska. He says to take a piece of conduit and constantly check bottom for hard surface. He said it will be hard to find but if you do you will own said lake. Good luck. 

[skeeter]

I've had the same thoughts and observations about how introducing structure on pea gravel flats affects Bass and it hasn't been good.  Bill, you're the first person I've ever encountered saying the same thing.  They seem to give the new structure, whether placed by MDC efforts or downed trees that have washed in during flood events and sunk, a very wide berth and remain far, far away from it for some reason.

This is purely a guesstimate on my part but I wonder if it has anything to do with that structure possibly harboring something that preys on Bass that they have experience with from the time they are fingerlings ?  Large Flathead maybe ? 

I've only noticed this on Pea Gravel, not larger rock.  Don't know if MDC fisheries biologists are aware of this.

[Quillback]

I would like to see them place some rocks on the gravel run outs.  Not a lot, but several small piles of head sized rocks close together.  Seems like whenever you can find some rocks on those run outs there are usually bass around them.  Stumps would probably work too, but you'd have to anchor them to the bottom.

[crazy4fishin]

5 hours ago, Sore Thumbs said:

You need to check out Bass Edge podcast with Scott Suggs. He talks about lakes in Kansas that are similar to your lakes in Nebraska. He says to take a piece of conduit and constantly check bottom for hard surface. He said it will be hard to find but if you do you will own said lake. Good luck. 

Good thought about NE lakes....a term we use loosely up here  as many are in the 500 acre range - but can hold good fish!

I do have SI & DI and really need to "understand" what I am seeing....on TR I struggle with the run out thing....gravel to rock etc. Meaning looking for the right thing.

C4F 

[dtrs5kprs]

Don't hate me all at once, but I love the DNR stuff- brush and rock.

Lot of that brush is pretty old now, if not gone. Anchors are still there, which gets to Quill's point.

[bobby b.]

Bill,  your post was the best and it begs the question.  When the fish move, is it a total do over or does your years of experiemce tell you where to look first and if so is it species dependent?  

Thanks for the great post.

[skeeter]

On ‎2‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 7:15 AM, Quillback said:

I would like to see them place some rocks on the gravel run outs.  Not a lot, but several small piles of head sized rocks close together.  Seems like whenever you can find some rocks on those run outs there are usually bass around them.  Stumps would probably work too, but you'd have to anchor them to the bottom.

Agreed.  Stumps and rocks are great but brush is a turn-off for Mr. Bass for some unknown and not-understood reason on pea-gravel.