It may be a lake that I have never fished before. It is a good idea to have a game plan before embarking on a trip to a strange lake.
The first thing I would do is buy a topographic map of the lake. This would help eliminate areas of the lake that are unproductive at this time of year. It would also speed up the search for creek and river channels, humps, points and other structures.
A good chart recorder and GPS would be invaluable for pin pointing potential spots on the map. Sometimes you may get some good information about this lake from a friend who has fished it before. Some good information could come from the local bait and tackle shop, but don’t count on it all together.
A lake like Guntersville with its famous grass bed would be a good place to go. Maybe you will have been there before several years ago and you found some good spots. Grass beds can appear and disappear with time so your area may be void of grass now and areas that have never had grass before could be the new hot spot.
Keep your eyes open for other boats grouped up in one area. Watch for someone to catch a fish or not catch a fish. Fish could move from shallow grass to deep points in no time if the weather changes.
With this 95-degree weather hanging over us I don’t really expect to hear about a new fishing bonanza, but you never know. It may be saltwater fishing or it may be in a cool mountain stream, but nevertheless it will still be fishing.
