Searching For Whites

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Set off to the bar today in search of making some new way points. I get kind of burned out on the same ole scenery at times and just go give it a try somewhere else. I should invent something like a roomba i-robot (way-bot) that you just toss in the lake and it will continually search and record way points for you until you retrieve it. This would save a bunch of time. Who would buy one of these if there were such a thing?
Anyhow I went and put in at a new to me ramp and started researching the hard way. The light rain was annoying but didn't last too long. Came across a huge bait ball with the tell tell archs off to the sides. Temptation got the better of me so I threw in a lure. Immediate hook up. A big drum. Threw in again. Hook up. Another big drum. After two or three more hook ups I decided to get back on course and not waste too much time, but anyway it sure was fun.
Back to searching I finally made several way points and proceeded to fish them. Seems these areas were inhabited by fish and some of them wanted to play with my verticle offerings.
One beauty came in at 14 3/4 inches.
I put her back until next time.

Awesome fish. You may be on to something with the waybot.

Cool, making the waypoints will always pay off.

NICE. :cheers2

...and, SAME HERE. I've got 3 go-to's spots for post-spawn through pre-spawn, and between the 3, there will be a school on at least 1 of them 99% of the time. Gets boring hitting the same 3 spots all the time. So I bought a Lowrance Elite 9TI and have spent countless hours just idling around, marking potential targets. I marked over 100 new waypoints in the past year, with none of them yielding anything near my 3 go-to's. I'm sure there's fish using some of these areas, and that it's my lack of confidence + lack of skill in how to fish these new areas, but will continue to do as you are doing, trying to FORCE myself to be a better angler + increase my stable of productive spots to fish. I told Dad: It's like deer scouting for Crappies :Rofl

The Way bot sounds cool. I have a different but effective way to find way points, just ride around in the winter time when the lakes are 30-40ft below full pool and photograph brush piles and structures that I think will hold fish in the Summer.
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Here are some piles out in front of a dock that has yielded many a fish in the summer months, and are about 15-25ft deep at summer levels. The only problem with this method is that everyone else can find said brushpiles in the winter if they do their homework [emoji16]


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Good job!

Great job


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Originally Posted by StantheMan2567

The Way bot sounds cool. I have a different but effective way to find way points, just ride around in the winter time when the lakes are 30-40ft below full pool and photograph brush piles and structures that I think will hold fish in the Summer.
?Attachment 361929
Here are some piles out in front of a dock that has yielded many a fish in the summer months, and are about 15-25ft deep at summer levels. The only problem with this method is that everyone else can find said brushpiles in the winter if they do their homework [emoji16]


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

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That is a lot of water missing. A man could used an atv or a side by side to put out brush piles on that lake

I love the report, Gene and like you, I love to scout and Mark new spots. Some of the time I am looking for spots where I will drop a crappie hotel. Other times, I just look for fish and other fishermen’s honey holes. Lolol.

Interesting post. I downloaded the Navionics phone app and have found and marked many waypoints to try. Several have been productive. I can do that at home and then find on lake and save on DF. If my subscription was current I could just download to an SD card and update my DF but this works well also.
I had never heard of a freshwater Drum until I caught some on Lake Erie jigging for Walleye. Thought I had a monster Smallmouth or Walleye until I netted a 7# drum.
I've never seen one in our SC lakes.

These are some great comments and example pics! Brushpiles on the heavily drawn down lakes are pretty obvious in the winter I suppose. I have looked at Cherokee via satellite when it was drawn down and could even see them this way.
Lakes that only draw down around 5ft and not reveal its contents makes one resort to other thoughtful tactics. One clue I often look for is also an obvious one like in the picture. A tree cut from the stump is at times directly straight out in deeper water. A few passes with the electronics and if your lucky wah la!
I have thought about writing up an article on this topic for newbies but its still just a thought.
I am sure some of you guys know tricks I have never even thought of.

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Originally Posted by SeaRay

I had never heard of a freshwater Drum until I caught some on Lake Erie jigging for Walleye. Thought I had a monster Smallmouth or Walleye until I netted a 7# drum.
I've never seen one in our SC lakes.

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Man, they're ALL UP IN IT over here. When I'm hunting toothy-critters below Watts Bar (and the temp is right), will catch 50 of them to every 1 walleye I catch. AND THEY ARE BACK-BREAKERS. A 10+ lb'r in current (x50) will absolutely WEAR YOU OUT.

First one I ever caught was on Lake Erie as well. Had no idea what it was, so I took it home and cleaned it. Tasted the way dog food smells. rotfl