The truth is that when you're fishing smaller bodies of water like playa lakes and ponds, location becomes less critical. The smells and loose particles from your bait will permeate a good portion of the lake in short order.
But, let's remember something from the last post. It's fall. The water's cold and so are the fish.
They're not exactly in a feeding frenzy. Fish may detect your bait from yards away, but they may not want to expend the energy or what little heat they have to head your way. Even in a smaller lake or pond, you sometimes have to drop the bait right in front of the fish's face ... or at least within a few feet.
That may seem daunting, because even playa lakes cover hundreds of acre feet. So what's your next move? There are certain features that should attract your attention, especially on those warmer fall days. Here are a couple of examples.
In the picture above, the main portion of the playa is beyond those two trees. The narrow creek-like feature is actually overflow from a recent heavy rain. It leads to a small pool pictured below.
Features like this are fantastic! During the warmest part of the day, carp and catfish will swim up into these channels and pools in search of food. After fishing the main lake for a long time with only one small catfish to show for it, I decided to hit that creek-like area. That's where I caught this carp.
This is a common carp. He weighed in at just over two pounds. Here's a better look.
My tackle box can be used as a length reference. Of course, I've caught much bigger. (See previous posts.)
That said, my two pounder put up a nice fight. By getting up out of the old chair, taking stock of the lake formations around me, and fishing those formations, I was able to pull a trip out of the toilet.
In the fall and winter, that's often the best you can hope for. Happy fishing!
No comments:
Post a Comment