Bridge Lake. Here is my pre-planned map before I fished Bridge Lake for the first time.
I want to share what I do before I head out to a new lake (or old lake I haven’t fished in a while). My methods and ideas on fishing a new lake are always evolving based on my target species and the weather, but they are usually close to the same method for each species.
We went to Bridge Lake for the first time this year and loved it. There are many great places on this lake to explore and there are also many places to retreat to in a small boat if a storm rolls thru.
Before I fish a new lake there are some things I like to research and study before I venture out.
1. Follow Facebook and Internet forums to learn about the lake and what might work best. Also, ask questions when needed to learn about specific information that could help speed the learning curve.
2. Print a Bathymetric Map which can be found on the Government website or Anglers Atlas. Please be aware that these maps are NOT for navigational purposes as we discovered on our last trip. The red dots on the map were underwater structures that caught us off guard and could have been dangerous.
3. I like to divide a new lake into “zones” and plan to fish certain areas of a lake based on the weather and what I find upon arrival. Breaking down a lake into smaller areas to target helps you focus on one spot at a time. The lake can also look a lot different when you get to it and having a pre-planned itinerary can help improve success on the water.
4. Check out the new lake on Google Earth. I like to zoom in on images of a lake to see what the underwater structure looks like and also use the landscape view to see what the trees and hills look like around the lake and how they might affect wind direction. (Of course, sometimes Google earth is not updated and the landscape may be different upon arrival).
5. Where are all the boat launches? I like to find as many boat launches as I can so I can access them based on wind direction and areas of the lake I decide to fish each day.
6. When I arrive at my destination, I love talking with people at the lake or place I’m staying to learn about the lake and what works best.
Some questions I like to ask are:
What lures work best here?
What type of dodgers do you use?
What colors work best?
What time of the day is the “bite?”
What areas of the lake should I try first?
How has the fishing been?