Fishing without Grass

[Christopher Laurencio]

So now that I live in SC, I'm fishing lakes that are completely barren of any grass. It's tough to adjust. Any help aprreciated.



CJL

 

[Marty Klein]

You're going to have to hit every dock, laydown, rock or rockpile, overhang or underhang [cut], dropoff, channel, etc.



But, we are talking about hydrilla, coontail, and such--right?

 

[Marty Klein]

ps: retaining walls, rock banks, transition banks ...

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Here where I live...we don't have any either.

BUT, I can tell you I fair pretty good fishing drop offs and ledges during the summer heat.

Try to find some good tapering points with some kind of structure whether it be rock, wood or a transition area.

Caroilna rig it and fish water that no one knows about.

People look at me strange as they go by because they don't have a clue of what the bottom looks like.

Spend a few days just watching the LCR and locating good structure before you even wet a line...best way to learn any lake.

And I be willin' to bet that there is grass there...just not visible from the top.

Dale Hollow has some really good grass but, most is not visible except for what's around Goat Isalnd...in the fall when they draw the lake down 20 ft....it's really visible and HUGE!

Good Luck CJ

 

[Teri C.]

I had to adjust to little to no grass as well. I am by no means a good fisherman (woman) but I do find fish love rock, big chunk rock. I also have luck with fishing rock walls with worms or jigs. There is usually a ledge right up against a big wall. Find sunken trees and old road beds when they draw the lake down for the winter. Anywhere you can find water flowing in or out is a good place too.

 

[Derek Chance]

I had to do the same thing moving from Minnesota to Missouri. The best thing I can say is to start finding/fishing structure like points and channel swings. Also fish cover like docks, wood, brushpiles, etc., but I would start with main lake points in the summer and channel swings with transitions. A transition could be where chunk rock turns to pea gravel or something like that. If you can find a dock on a channel swing point with brush planted, you should catch fish on it



hope it helps. It took a while to get used to, but I did a lot of Internet fishing to learn along with time on the water.



Derek

 

[Edward Lea.]

There is probably a van down by the river where you can buy it.

 

[Texas Transplant]

He, he, he. Don't you just love what the Catawba River Authority and Duke Energy have done to the lakes?



Humps and off-shore structure are big. Docks that are in deeper water. For instance, I had some docks that I used on Wateree, that were in 12-15 feet of water, as opposed to some close by that were in 5.



For some of the lakes down there, there are some pretty good maps available. Others not.



Look for major breaks/drops, and of course creek channels. However, down there, most of the creek channels have long ago 'silted' over. The other thing you are going to find, is 'most' of the successfull fisherman on your new lakes, plant and fish brushpiles. Lot's of them. You need to have real good electronics, and look for brushpiles planted throughout the lakes.



Tex

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Thanks for all the pointers will do, I have to say if yo ask me what I miss most about NJ, I would have to say grass and lillypads are in the top 8 or 10. LOL. I'm dying for a lliypad or two.



I'll give all the tips a shot.



No grass, wow. :huh:

 

[Marty Klein]

Stop looking back and start looking ahead right now, young man-:angry:! If you don't then you are going to miss some of the best fishing around. Quit worrying about what you don't have and look to all the bounties you have! I'd love to be back there routinely catching watch folks out here yearn for unsuccessfully every trip out.



Now, take a dose of suck it up and start catching fish.

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Okay Marty,



I'll take a suck it up, trust me when I say I'm happy about the WHOLE THING. Did not want to come off complaining, really, just want to discuss tactics.



CJL

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Did you notice one word that keeps comin' up for this time of year?

That's right...HUMPS!

If I only had one place during the summer...that'd be it. You may not gets numbers and NEVER expect it but, just keep it slow and steady and experiment with different style and color of worms and just about any other bait you can think of to Caroliina rig and the options are endless. Good stout rod and no less than 12 lb test. and at least a 1/2oz. weight no matter how shallow.

Big mama likes to run the highway when it's hot.

Good luck

 

[Texas Transplant]

CJL - remember. Jason Quinn (master of of the deep crankbait bite), learned his trade on Wylie, Norman and Wateree. On the southern part of Wylie, just below Ebenezer, are some significant deeper water humps. Also, there is a MAJOR break line just on the south end of Goat Island (just off the Ebenezer Park/Landing.



The docks that are on both sides of the lake, at the last major 'turn' before the dam (again Wylie), will really hold some fish - especially when they are pulling water. They get behind the dock pilings, and wait for dinner to come by.



Try Carolina rigging off of the Red Fez Club, on the right side of the lake just below the Buster Boyd bridge.



Now - go fishing!



Tex