Boat activity provides fishing opportunities!
I was fishing Ossipee Lake, in Waterboro, yesterday. The boat activity was intense. I was there to try out some Crappie fishing techniques that I had picked up on Lake Kissimmee. Last year, on Ossipee, I was fishing an area of the upper lake and ran into some real nice sized Crappie while fishing for Bass with a Senko. This year I wanted to try a few new techniques.
The boating activity was intense, which made my plunking technique at little difficult. I picked up quiet a few fish, but none of the size I was looking for. Than it came to me, I should be bass fishing right now.
Last year, while fishing a pond with intense boat and wave activity due to a wake board competition, I caught some really nice Bass holding in confined areas. The place was covered with wake boats which take on water to increase the amount water displaced for boarders. They make huge waves as the large wakes are thrown from the boats. As I fished the pond, I noticed that most of my usual spots were dormant. My rock pile was even slow! As I made a bend around a small cove I started hitting Bass left and right. They were hanging in an area adjacent to to the wave activity but sheltered from it. They were hanging right on the line of choppy to calm water.
So, yesterday I repositioned my boat to attack Bass waters that were right on the line of choppy to calm water and again, bang, bang, bang. I find that the Bass will move up to these water to hold in and take advantage of disoriented Bait Fish. I can only imagine that they are trying to hold in calmer water and disoriented feed becomes present as the activity progresses.
Some of my friends curse boat activity when it appears. I like it. First, the activity mask your presence. Secondly, fish will prey on feed that has become disoriented. Try a little prop activity or wave action on a good bed, it usually brings it to life. And if the lake is active look for those cuts that bring together choppy water and calm. Bass also attack when startled, so try to weave this into your technique. Try these tips and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Be safe and have fun fishing.
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