Do you have a good fish locator on your boat? If so can you work it so that you can understand everything it tells you when you’re on the water? What brand name unit do you have and does it have GPS on it? For those of you that are just beginning to fish and don’t know the term GPS well this means Global Positioning System meaning it takes a reading from several satellites and tells you exactly where you are. The GPS unit can guide you from one place to another in storms or fog and it can help you to locate and mark fishing spots in the middle of a lake and then guide you back to it. A good fish locator and GPS unit is something that every pro fisherman uses and depends on everyday on the water.
There are several different kinds and models of locators on the market today and all are good when you take the time to learn how to operate them. When you get your unit it will come with an owner’s manual so take the time to read it and take it to the lake with you so that you can go back to it when your unit does something that you don’t understand. There are CD’s that come with some units that gives you even more help when you need it. If you don’t have a clue of what unit to purchase then you may want to call someone that fishes a lot and ask them which unit they feel is best I know I have my favorite units and the ones I use are all Lowrance. Now Lowrance makes several models some with GPS and some without. They also make units in black and white and in color as well. Which ever units you buy learn what it will do and all it’s capabilities and make yourself understand it and everything that your unit can do for you and it will make you a better fisherman. If you read your manuals and still don’t understand how it all works then do as many of my clients have done in the past hire a guide to take you out and show you how your unit works or attend classes or sport shows. There will most always be someone there that will be glad to help you with any problem you have. I’m not sure about all guides but I know that when you fish with me that I like for my client to tell me what their fishing weakness are and this way I can help with what ever it may be. I feel that when you hire a guide you should learn something or your money was just thrown out the window. I have over thirty years experience as a fishing guide and I like working with beginners as well as the pros.
Now here’s what’s going on this month on Lake Fork and on Lake Palestine and how to catch your fish.
First let’s go to Lake Palestine. You will find Lake Palestine about 5 inches low, but the fish are doing well. On the south end of the lake you can find some small school fish up chasseing shad early at times. You can catch them on top waters, crank baits, and Carolina rigs. As the day go’s on you will need to use your Lowrance fish locator to find the fish. You can find them feeding up where you find the creek bends, humps and old road ways or any place that offers them deeper water near by. You can find these spots by using a good map of the lake and by using your fish locator and by the way I don’t think I mentioned earlier but most all your GPS fish locators will have maps of lakes built in for your use and the Lowrance units have extra chips you can purchase that will zoom you in on a lake map so close that you can just reach out of your boat and touch the spot you desire to fish. Now back to what we were talking about. When you locate an area with fish holding on it you will need to fish it very good and fish as slow as you can covering every part of the area. I like to fish it first with crank bait and then go to a slow moving worm. I will move from spot to spot covering as much water as needed to produce my fish. Remember that the fish will move with the bait fish and may quit biting. Don’t get discouraged and move they will normally be back soon and you can begin catching them again. If the fish don’t come back in say an hour then instead of leaving the spot completely you may want to crank up and move around slowly watching your Lowrance graph to see if they have moved up to another bend in the creek close by where the bait fish have moved off to. Bass will do this, they will move around with the bait fish moving up and down a creek channel not really leaving the area you found them in at first. Bass know and understand where they live and if you will use your Lowrance unit well you to will know where to find them when fishing the deeper water that lake Palestine offers.
Up north on Lake Palestine the bass have been ok early and late on spinner baits, frogs, and plastic worms.
Crappie on Lake Palestine have been fair on jigs in about three to fourteen feet of water. To find your crappie you will need the aid of your graph again to locate the drop off’s and brush piles. Without a good fish locator it will be like fishing in the dark. You will be fishing spots where no fish exsist.
Sand bass and Hybrids have been slow but best early in the back of your creeks. These fish will come up and school early and late and can be caught at these times on Rat-L-Traps and top water lures. When they stop schooling a lot of your fisherman will leave and go home but the ones that have their Lowrance graphs with them will know and understand that they can just move out to the deeper water and spot their white bass down close to the bottom and then begin catching them again. Now when you move out deeper you will need to change lures so that you can fish down on the bottom. My choice of lures will be jigging spoons and tail spinners. Fish slow and pay close attention to your fish locator and you will go home with a boat load of white bass.
Now let’s go up to Lake Fork. You will find Lake Fork about full pool with the bass doing good on the main lake humps and on the main lake points. You can use your Lowrance graph or fish locator to find these humps and then to find where the fish are located on the hump. The bass will sometimes be on top and other times they will be along the side of the hump. When you set your boat up on the spot set it in a position so that you can cast to all angles of the hump covering it from left to right. Fish slow when fishing the deeper water so that you can have every advantage possible in catching the fish.
For those of you that like to fish a jig/pig well you can do well in the back of the creeks where you find grass. Fish the edges of the grass and fish slow for best results. Now you notice I said fish the edges of the grass but not necessary the grass you can see on the top surface. Sometimes your grass may not grow all the way up to the surface and again this is where your Lowrance graph will help you. Your Lowrance locator will show you the grass if there is any and if not you will see where you will need to make your adjustments to find your grass and your bass.
No matter what lake you fish when fishing deeper water learn to depend on your Lowrance graph or fish locator as I have and you will catch more fish than ever before.
If you are coming to Lake Palestine or Lake Fork and need a guide you can reach me at (903)561-7299 home. My cell is (903)530-2201 or you can email me at [email protected]
Until next month remember to keep only the fish you can use and release the rest so that our kids can enjoy the greatest sport of all. The one we call fishing.
Good Luck and Good fishingBy: Ricky Vandergriff
