by Mark Schram 

Does your fishing trip constitute a trip to the same spot, using the same color and style lure, but looking for a different result?  Too many times I notice the same boat fishing the same spot the entire fishing season with no consideration to seasonal changes or conditions.  A proven system is a wonderful thing to have found, but what if you were to tweak it a bit?

 So you want to find some new spots, where do I start.  A couple of suggestions: 

  1. Notice where other boats were fishing the last couple of trips.  This is the easy method to finding secondary locations. 
  2. Check out some of the better fishing blog web sites that may give you nearly instant reports on a select body of water.  Remember, not every body is honest, so selective reading is suggested.  Look for methods (ie.. which live bait is working well), rather than exact location.
  3.  Your local bait shop will always tell you fishing is good.  They’re in the business to sell fishing baits.  Rather, ask for some specifics as to locations, presentation styles and color to help your quest.
  4. Drift fishing is another way to locate scattered fish, but also to hone in on some unsuspecting fish holding locations.  When you get a hit, mark your gps with a waypoint, and circle back over the location on the next drift.  Many times additional fish will be holding on the same structure.
  5. The best method (and most rewarding) is to eliminate the crowd.  Last season I purchased theLakemaster chip for my locator.  I plotted 10 new potential locations on the GPS and created a page for each spot in a pocket sized notebook which stays in the boat.  Over the summer, I made a point to stop by each spot. I kept notes of each spot.  In one of the spots my first 4 cast resulted in 2 keeper walleyes and 2 nice sized small mouths.  This has become one of my favorite “honey holes.”  

 Ok, maybe you love your spot, so what would it hurt if you altered your presentation?  The last 3 years I have fished the Musky National Championships with my Uncle.  He is an established fisherman who lives on the tournament body of water offering great knowledge.  He used the same lure the entire three days of the tournament.  He tells me he caught all of his Musky on this one particular lure, and I know better than to argue. It was the only lure he used the entire season, so it is the only one which caught fish.  In two of the last three years, I landed Muskies with lures I had only owned for hours and never had fished before.  I was willing to change lures based on water conditions, weather conditions and fishing location.  My willingness to makes changes overcame his advantage of knowledge.  My uncle was skunked all three of these years.

 To summarize, do not be afraid to get out of your rut.  Try new lures, new locations, or new presentation styles.  You may find some new “honey holes” which are better than your current sweet spot!