Tips When Fishing New Lakes and Ponds

Fishing a new body of water is both exciting and daunting at the same time. The prospect of lots of bass, especially big bass, tends to get most anglers blood flowing. On the other hand, the challenge of determining the parts of the lake and types of cover/structure holding those bass can sometimes be a little unnerving!

Here are several steps you can take both before and once on the water to prepare for a great day of "catching bass" on any new body of water.

Before the hitting the water:

Research the lake or pond: Look for information about the waterbody, such as its size, depth, and structure. Also, research the type(s) of bass that are present in the lake or pond you'll be fishing.

Study a map of the lake or pond: Look for features such as drop-offs, flats, creek channels, bluff areas, inflow/outflow areas, points, roadways & road beds, dams, docks, and weed beds. These are likely spots where bass will be found at different times of the season or varying weather conditions.

Fishing Algae-stained Lakes with KVD

Fishing a new lake always presents numerous questions when an angler hits the water for the first time. 

Add in a complication of an ongoing algae bloom turning the water color the pea soup green and breaking down the lake cover for an effective day on the water becomes even more challenging.

In this next video, bass pro Kevin VanDam (KVD) explains his apporach to fishing lakes underoging an algae bloon and why a swim jig is often his bait of choice when he finds the bass holding near shallow cover...

Tips When Fishing A New Lake

Though most of us do a little background research and map work-work before heading to a new lake or pond…

What do we do once we are on the water?

This video from WFN provides several “on the water” tips about how to approach your day on a new body of water…