American Lake

[Mikeel1987]

So I'm thinking of heading out to American Lake on Saturday to finish up the year for Boating season. I haven't fished much for Bass in the colder months but would like to. Anyways does anyone have any tips where I should go to catch some SMB on this lake for the colder months and what to use?

[Diamonddave]

I was there today and I think your going to have to go deep for them. Water was clear and cold I would try using a worm bumping bottom, or fishing the ledges if you have a depth finder you should be able to locate them. I don't have a boat and not to sharp on bass other than sea bass. There were no boats on the water today, I keep hearing end of season. I don't go for that heck im hungry every day, I cant imagine that fish dont eat when they get hungry or bite when they want to, sure water temp, clairity, and weather do play a role. Good luck to you! Post on here how you made out!

[Mike Carey]

going deep was how we fished them when I went out with Bigbass Dez on lake Washington. I would think the same applies to American.

[Amx]

All lakes should fish pretty much the same. If you have a temp meter with the probe on a line wire, drop it down to 50 feet taking the temp every 5 feet. The warmest level is where the fish SHOULD be. You also have to consider the thermocline and it's depth. Then the best oxygen level and it's depth. Then go to the lake bottom at that level with the best temp/oxygen and start there. The other day as I dropped the probe down it got colder as it got down to 25 feet, from 46 surface to 38 at 25 feet. That was the bottom depth also, so didn't measure/check other depths. Only got crappy and trout from 25 to 30 foot depths. Also below the thermocline the temp might go up a couple degrees or more.

What I do is start at the shallows where there are fish most of the time in the summer and fall, I then go out to deep water and look around to see where the fish might be holding for the winter. Around rocks, ledges, dropoffs, sunken boats/logs, balls of bait/crappy/perch/trout. Bass will suspend over deep water during the summer AND winter, BUT they'll be somewhere around balls of bait or close to where they might find crayfish = rocks, mud flats where the crayfish burrow in.

LOTS of time dropshoting, Carolina rigging, 1/2 oz or bigger skirted jigs, or same jigs with crayfish trailer, mostly football head around/over/on/in the rocks. But roundhead jigs or standup jigs/shakyheads on the flats, but footballheads work just fine and then you don't have to retie a different jig just because you might find a mud flat.

I also have 2 or 3 jig rods already tied up, round, football, and maybe a standup. Football with crayfish/no skirt, and roundish/flatface skirted jig with crayfish trailer are what I have tied on now. But I spend hours with just the dropshot and seldom use the jigs, but then I've been concentrating on the dropshot since last fall a year ago, I needed to get more experienced with it. Soon I'll go back to the jig a lot.

[Mikeel1987]

I'm thinking in the 50-60 Foot range what do you guys think?

[Amx]

Right now? 30 to 40, with possibilities of 50 and 60. Won't hurt to start at 30 and go deeper. I don't know that lake, but going by the temps that would be my guess.

[Mikeel1987]

Ok thanks ill try that

[Mike Carey]

be sure to fizz those deep water bass before releasing them.

[Amx]

fizzing

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http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... etof7_x8NE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mikeel1987]

Should I fizz them even if I release them right away?

[Amx]

Some people say yes, some no, some people say to put the fish in the livewell for a few minutes to see how they do, then fizz as necessary.

Feel the sides of the fish where the vid shows to stick the needle in. It should be sorta soft, if the bladder is swollen too much it'll be harder and bloated, usually.

When you do release the fish, stick around and watch for a few minutes to see if the fish comes back up. Then fizz it.

I personally don't know because I've never fizzed a bass, only 2 perch. I don't usually fish that deep, and I don't usually fish in the winter time, been 20 years since I did fish in the winter.

[Mikeel1987]

So I got up this morning to go fishing grabbed the rods and tackle threw them in the boat and said to my self, better test the trolling motor real quick make sure everything works. It doesn't. Battery's dead won't even spark if you touch positive and negative with a wire. I have an on-board charger so it should of been ready to go but it wasn't. OK Walmart here we come. After getting the run around there we finally get the battery installed everything works again. Get to the lake about 8. So already an hour late and the motor won't spit any water. OK got that defrosted should be good to go. Nope as I back off the trailer I realize I have no steering its locked up. Tried to work that loose but no luck left the lake around 1030-1100 and didn't even fish. Something didn't want me to fish today. Anybody have any ideas how to prevent my steering from freezing in the cold? I have Costco Carport that I park my boat under.

[Amx]

Tarp over the boat and motor with an electric heater inside that won't start a fire.

[G-Man]

Grease may stiffen up a bit but not to the point of locking up your steering. I would suspect that you have water in your cable/linkage. Bust out the hair dryer and heat up your steering gear starting from the motor and work your way back. If it is frozen because of water intrusion, better to replace it as one really can't tell if your cable is corroding and how far it is gone, especially if you have used your boat out in the salt. Learned my lesson the hard way on the far end of Baker lake when my cable broke.

[Amx]

I had both cables on my boat lock up and I could only turn the motor in one direction. One cable at a time. The first time after the boat was about 10 years old or less. The next time a couple years later. One time it started early in the morning right before the sendoff for a tournament. So I had limited steering for that day. That night we unhooked that cable and left it. Replaced the first cable, the second time I ran it with one cable for awhile, and in '02 I had hydrolic steering installed.

[Mikeel1987]

Its never been in saltwater but ill check it out just to make sure I might just buy a second cable to replace the old one

[Mikeel1987]

Finally made it back on the water. Here is my report.
Went to American Lake to try and catch some SMB but all we caught was Trout and 1 Kokkanee. Caught on all on a Drop shot with Berkley Minnow in various colors. Even caught 1 Cutthroat about 17 inches. Smallest fish was around 13 inches and we caught around 15 or so. Would of been nice to catch SMB though. oh well maybe next time still had lots of fun. Will try to post pics of Cutthroat later. Fished in about 35-80 feet.

[Mikeel1987]

Heres the cutthroat

[Mikeel1987]

Well I havnt caught one yet but my dad got his first Winter SMB. American Lake 13 Inches

[Amx]