Where Are The Fish?? Understanding Seasonal Patterns On Lakes

Alas, the grind. How much time do we spend as fishermen trying to get the right gear, the right bait, the right hats for goodness sake? Too much. The truth is, you can catch great fish on mediocre gear as long as you know where to find them and their general diet. I'm going to focus on catfish today, but these principles can hold true for many predatory fish.

So, you wanna catch the big ones? 

First, let's temper those expectations a bit. If you grew up fishing, catching mondos all the time with pops, you might be disappointed to find that you can't seem to recreate those childhood memories. Or, if you were like me, I was energized by Jeremy Wade pulling up river monsters and imagined (via the magic of TV) that it couldn't have been all that hard. Catching big fish, however, is difficult and it takes a lot of knowledge. There isn't a substitute for time on the water.

I've worked on my local lake for about three years, studying depth charts, trying new spots, and spending many, many hours catching nothing. The reward, however, is that I'm beginning to understand the lake and its patterns. I've done ninety-five percent bank fishing. If I got some sort of water craft, it would be a whole new learning curve.

How to Find Good Spots

The three most important things to look for in finding spots are depth, structure, and baitfish. For catfish, people generally think deep water, but especially in the summer months, catfish can be found cruising the entrances of shallow lagoons.

Depth

A lot of the larger lakes have depths charts available in paper form. If they don't, try the navionics web app. It's super easy to use and provides basic depth charts for most of the major bodies of water in the US. Below is a picture of the area where I recently caught some nice channel catfish.

Tip: Take multiple rods and cast them to differing areas. This will help you figure out where the fish are.

Notice that I wasn't fishing in the lagoon. This was because it was daytime and it was mega windy. Like seriously, twenty to thirty mile an hour gusts (OMG Becky!). I did cast into the cove when I first arrived, but it didn't yield results. If it was nighttime, I probably would've kept one rod in the cove because the catfish would've been moving in to feed. As it was, however, I casted it towards semi deep water where they were more likely to hang out during the day. 

This is a good summer pattern when the deep water, thirty feet or deeper, doesn't have enough oxygen to sustain the fish (also known as the thermocline). So, in summer and in high water, look for shallow coves that border deep water. 

This was the second fish of the day

This is me being incapable of using a camera

Structure

Fish like structure. Structure can be fallen limbs, big rocks, ledges, or even sunken boats. The reason is, smaller fish use structure as a safe haven. Whenever they venture too far out, the bigger fish are waiting outside the structure to eat them. 

For the fisherman, structure is a blessing and a curse. It concentrates fish into one area, but it also can snag up your gear. Here are two locations that I've fished and gotten bites. The first I've never been able to land a fish because, though you can't see it in the picture, there are massive concrete slabs in the water. There are also large brush piles, weed beds, and other fishermen's lost gear. 

For a bank fisherman, the above spot is great for finding fish. It has structure, it's near deep water, and the trees and weed line will attract bait for catfish, but, like I said, there's so much structure that it's virtually impossible to bring in your catch. If you positioned a boat or a kayak in the mouth of this cove, then you might be able to get around the snags.

The next picture is of the lagoon where I caught the catfish I've included in this blog post. Notice that there are some fallen trees and weed lines (they appear as dark spots along the bank). I caught fish casting off the bottom left hand point, the entry way for the fish. What you can just see from this picture is that it goes from a very shallow, rocky bottom to deeper water right off shore. Notice how the water goes from a lighter color, to a darker green. On Google, that can be your tip off that you've found an area with a drop-off. I also happen to know it gets deeper there because of the depth charts I've studied.

My view of the cove pictured below

You might ask, but where is the structure? It looks pretty empty doesn't it? Structure isn't always downed trees or large rocks. Ledges and drop offs also attract fish. This is why it's important to fan cast multiple rods. I had one in the cove and one at the entrance. I got a fish in the entrance, so I moved both rods to that location and started getting fish there.

Bait

Shad is the best catfish bait without exception. Occasionally, I've had worms work better than shad for small catfish and that doesn't mean that the dip baits and dough baits and hotdogs don't work. They do, but for targeting catfish, the best bait is their natural forage. I strongly recommend investing in a cast net. You can get a small one for around 20-25 dollars at Walmart and it's a source of free bait, provided your local reservoir allows cast netting. It only takes five or six fishing trips of buying worms for the net to pay for itself. 

Shad are oily and emit a lot of scent. Catfish hunt both with their sense of smell and by their lateral line, so you can use cut shad or live shad. It's the only bait I've consistently caught larger catfish on. Plus, you don't have to deal with getting the smell of death that dip baits inevitably leave in your car, on your clothes, and hands. 

To cast net them, I suggest casting off docks, marinas, and dams. You'll see them at the surface. Then, you can freeze your surplus and have a backup reserve of bait. Why do it any other way? 

Seasonal and Weather Changes 

Let's face it. There's no such thing as a honey-hole. How many times have you caught fish hand over fist in a spot one day and the next you catch nothing? 

Fish migrate A LOT. They're like little traveling salesmen looking for good places to stay and ways to get baitfish. I'll just stick to basics for now, but weather and season are sometimes hard variables to account for. 

Summer

In the mornings, think shallow. Catfish are moving from deep water to coves and lagoons to chase shad. 

Spring 

When the water is low, look in deep spots, the original river or creeks feeding into lakes, and along deep structure.

Winter
Think deep...sometimes. Basically, look for warmer water. This could mean shallower areas, places where warm rain water is coming in, or places that get a lot of sunlight. Winter fishing is tough, but if you find a spot, the fish are usually schooled up and the action can be fast. Blue catfish experts often say that winter is the best time for trophy blue cats.

Rain
Fishing during a rain storm isn't advisable. You could catch fish though and hey, if you like getting wet...After a good rain, focus on coves or feeder creeks. Rain washes in bait and attracts bait fish. The catfish will follow that.

Low Water
Look for deep holes. The fish will hang out there.

High Water
Try multiple spots. Again, lagoons and coves can be good. Just don't stay in one spot too long.

Keep Walking

In conclusion, the best advice I can give is to just keep trying new things. If you see someone catching fish, try and copy them. Don't be afraid to ask other fishermen what they're doing. A lot of times, they're eager to share their knowledge. Also try and ask the old guys who run marinas for where to catch specific fish. They want people catching fish on their lakes because it brings them business. 

Also, be generous and share your knowledge. Don't keep all the fish you catch and there will be plenty for you to share. Good luck out there. Catch some monster fish and as always, stay nerdy! ;)