Fishing Q&A

fishing tips?

I have been fishing for awhile now but I fish is rivers most of the time usually the Ohio river to be exact. The past few years me and my frind have gone on a short fishing trip to East Fork Lake in Ohio. I am not used to fishing in a lake and we never catch anything can you give me some tips of what to look for? We are mostly trying to catch some catfish and bass. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Public Comments

1. Do you have a fish finder? If so, look for the deep holes for Cat fish. In cold water Bass are very lethargic. Slow rolling a spinner bait on an offshore rock pile or bouncing a jig or drop shoting a scent impregnated plastic worm should work good for you.Go to a local bait & tackle shop for the scoop on the fish. If you don't have a fishfinder, fish the points or any structure you can see.Look at the bank & fish any area that is diferent from the rest of the bank.Most of all,be patiant. I've seen Pros that get sKunked plenty of times.You can also go to Bassmaster .com & read a lot of the pros suggestions to catch more fish.Good luck.
2. cat,s put a few worms on a med size hook lay it on the bottom, Bass hook a worm thru the head slowly reel in in,
3. I haven't fished rivers, but I hear that smaller lures like the Daiwa Peanut, and Norman DD something are working for river smallies. I don't bother fishing for catfish, but the guys I fish with tend to catch bluegill first, and then tie on 5/0 hooks to heavy line, and use the live bait to catch some monster cats. I just sit back and drink the beer, while they catch the bottom dwellers. The lakes are down all over from the drought this summer, and the crazy weather pattern is messing with lake fish, but Zoom Trick worms Texas rigged, ChatterFrogs, spinnerbaits, 3/8-1/2 oz jigs, and Reaction Innovation Skinny Dippers in "white trash" color have landed me some nice largemouth and smallmouth during this past season. Just bash the banks, look for downed timber, rocky ledges, or grassy areas with hydrilla or lilly pads to ambush them where they hide. I tend to stick to natural colors, but it's usually hit or miss on what they're hitting on a given day. Good luck and good fishing!
4. go catch you some bluegill,shad,creek chub, and or some skipjack if your going after flathead and blue(flathead like structure and usually stay shallower than the blue which will be found in the deep holes below running water if there is any if not just the deepest and coldest water for blue. chicken liver and bluegill head will work for channel also gob of minnows).use a sliding cork with a sliding egg sinker make your own leader out of a strong braided line(you how the mouth of them cat are)try creek mouths,below spillways, coves, etc.....for bass use minnows or nightcrawler(hook minnow through top of eye ,behind dorsal fin, or through tail use light split shot under a small bobber hook worm through collar under bobber or on bottom with small split shot. crankbaits and a Texas rig will work for bass also use a 6 inch Junebug worm from walmart
5. its just like river fishing where do you catch your fish fish the windy side of the lake points and drop off and old creek channels dont be afraid of the weeds have pulled some nice fish out of weeds
6. What most people don't realize is that current is just as important in a lake setting as in a river setting. I don't know your particular lake, but if there is a river channel, it will create current throughout the whole lake. This will give you an idea of where fish will be located throughout the lake. If there is no significant flow of water then wind direction will be your source of current. Fish face directly into the current 90% of the time and use eddies and backwaters to rest. Even if the current is slow, bass are typically ambush fish who like to expel little energy to sit in one spot quietly waiting for prey to pass by. The leeward side of points, cuts in the shoreline, the downward side of humps and shoals are where your bass will be. Chances are they'll be facing towards the current, so run your baits right at them. Don't give them a chance to think about biting the bait, or scare them by sneaking up on them from behind. As for catfish, look for mud bottom and drop cut pieces of shad or bluegill right on bottom.