About Fishing Structure

 

The more you know and understand these two terms the better since they are often confused as the same, but in fact they are not.

COVER is defined as a type of structure, natural or man made such as weeds, vegetation, fallen trees, docks, and swimming platforms.

STRUCTURE is the physical characteristics of the water system; points, rock bars, islands, reefs, humps and breaklines. To understand the difference, if you completely drain the water only the structure will not move.

Breaklines & Edges

Anglers hearing or reading the phrases “fish caught off the first break” or “fish caught on the weed edge” may be confused as to their meaning. All active fish will relate to breaks or edges. Weed beds are like “aquatic neighborhoods” providing all stages of the food chain protection from predators or an ambush source for feeding. Breaklines (Breaks) are defined as an area of transition from one depth to another, one cover type to another, one water temperature to another, one water color to another, one substrate to another or any other transition that could influence fish behavior. Cover (weeds) next to a deep water breakline usually hold more fish than a shallow flat.

Humps and Reefs 

Any mid lake underwater structure higher than the surrounding area can be classified as a hump or reef, they are among the most productive structures in Wawang Lake. For walleye and northern pike these are attractive possibilities. If weeds, boulders and ledges are present, this structure will be even better, producing more game fish.

Points and Bars

Protruding shoreline points and bars offer a diversity in structure and are fish producers throughout the year. Key bottom components are, inside turns and drops offs. Add cover such as submergent and emergent weeds, drowned wood and you have a top attraction for all game fish in our lake.

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Meanwhile at Wawang Lake – THE MINK FAMILY

Several years ago when Terry and I (Tami), owners of Wawang Lake Resort, were out fishing we  trolled our boat into one of the lakes’ many bays, a splash resounded in the bay that caught our attention.  Curious Terry headed over towards the ripples left from the splash to have a look.

Soon a head popped up out of the water between the boat and shoreline – it was an adult mink and suddenly a couple more smaller heads bobbed up right after – her babies.  We soon realized mom was teaching her young to swim and forage for food.  So cute!

Looking over towards the shore we noticed a couple more drenched baby mink patiently waiting for mom to return.  That was four kits in all.  Meanwhile, one of the kits had drifted away from mom coming closer to our boat and now struggled to crawl up the shaft. of the motor.  Terry reached over and grabbed the little mink by the scruff of the neck and pulled it into the boat.  Now sitting on the boat seat the little one, looking like a drowned rat, sneezed, coughed  and hiccuped and looked very dazed.

Suddenly mom was alarmed when she noticed one of her young was missing.  Sensing danger she swiftly  grabbed the one near her by the neck, dove under the water and soon came up at the shoreline 20′ away where her other babies were obediently waiting.  Quickly, she turned and stood on her haunches as she scanned the waters surface for the lost kit – but he was nowhere to be seen

She dove back into the water and swam back to the training area.  She swam in panic, swam in circles, dove under anxiously looking for the kit.  Her head bobbed out of the water over and over, several times.  Seeing that she had become quite concerned for her missing baby Terry picked up the nervous kit sitting with us and put him back in the water, and shoved him off towards his mom.  Mom now seeing her baby swam over, grabbed him by the neck angrily and gave him a few good shakes in reprimand before driving under the water with him away from danger and  back to the rest of her family and safety.  With one last head count she then leaped into the dense woods, her babies following close behind and not one of them looked back even once.

Once we were done fishing Terry threw the remaining minnows onto shore where the mink family had been.  I knew he was thinking that they might come back.

As it turned out it was a wonderful day.  The weather was great, the fishing even better and we now looked forward to a freshly caught fish supper.  Best yet though was our wildlife encounter and a glimpse into the lives of one of our neighbors – the mink family.  As I put my jacket on and got myself comfortable in the seat for the ride back to the lodge I wondered if the mink family would come back to that spot and be eating as good as we would that night.  At least I hoped so.

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WEB   RATES     FISH    HUNT    CABINS    PHOTOS
TESTIMONIALS    BROCHURE    HUNT BOOKLET

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The Underwater World of Freshwater Fish (part 1)

Cover & Structure:
These two terms are often confused as the same, but they are not. Cover is defined as a type of structure, natural or man made such as weeds, vegetation, fallen trees, docks, and swimming platforms. Structure is the physical characteristics of the water system; points, rock bars, islands, reefs, humps and breaklines. To understand the difference, if you completely drain the water only the structure will not move.

Breaklines & Edges

Anglers hearing or reading the phrases “fish caught off the first break” or “fish caught on the weed edge” may be confused as to their meaning. All active fish will relate to breaks or edges. Weed beds are like “aquatic neighborhoods” providing all stages of the food chain protection from predators or an ambush source for feeding. Breaklines (Breaks) are defined as an area of transition from one depth to another, one cover type to another, one water temperature to another, one water color to another, one substrate to another or any other transition that could influence fish behavior. Cover (weeds) next to a deep water breakline usually hold more fish than a shallow flat.

Humps and Reefs 

Any mid lake underwater structure higher than the surrounding area can be classified as a hump or reef, they are among the most productive structures in Wawang Lake. For walleye and northern pike these are attractive possibilities. If weeds, boulders and ledges are present, this structure will be even better, producing more game fish.

Points and Bars

Protruding shoreline points and bars offer a diversity in structure and are fish producers throughout the year. Key bottom components are, inside turns and drops offs. Add cover such as submergent and emergent weeds, drowned wood and you have a top attraction for all game fish in our lake.

Follow our HUNTING BLOG

WEB   RATES     FISH    HUNT    CABINS    PHOTOS
TESTIMONIALS    BROCHURE    HUNT BOOKLET

Subscribe to Blog via Email

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New Lake/Lodge Fishing Tips

Nothing beats the thrill and excitement of going to a new lodge to fish a new lake.  The anticipation of catching that fish of your dreams, or, a mixture of lots of action with a trophy fish or two is almost unbearable.. Everything looks so good as you start up the outboard, but where in the world should you start fishing?

No matter what species of fish you are after, by being prepared and following some rules, you can find fish fast and easily. And that’s about as fun as anything when it comes to fishing!

Before You Go

Once you have decided on a lake/lodge you would like to fish, the first step is to see whether they have a good-quality topographical map. What a map of this type shows is the depth throughout the body of water and the structure the lake contains. By pinpointing sudden depth changes or islands and points, you will be well on your way to finding fish.

Take a waterproof pen and circle any areas of the map that have a good possibility of holding fish. These can be things such as underwater humps, weedy back bays or islands. This map will become your eyes while out on your new body of water, and will ultimately lead you to success.

Another tactic employed is researching any information on the lake. This can be in the form of speaking to references, ask the lodge hosts, or simply studying the map provided on our website. There is a ton of first-rate information out there, and it can all increase your odds greatly.

On The Water

Once you have finished your homework, it is time to apply it to the real thing. One technique  when starting out from the dock is to run a graph while traveling up and down the lake. This will help locate weedlines and bottom structure, and will be used in conjunction with your map.  Run the boat for an hour or two while investigating the lake before even throwing a cast. Once it is time to make that first cast,  be sure that it will be in a productive spot.  Watching your depth finder as you motor around the new lake can help you find structure more likely to hold fish.

Marker buoys are a favorite trick when it comes to “virgin” lakes as they can help you pinpoint and stay on productive structure. Although they will not necessarily mark the fish, they will enable you to stay on cover or structure that will be holding the fish. Take one-half-dozen of these markers while hitting the lake, and toss one over the side when you come across a productive hump or point. A great use for these buoys is to mark a long weedline so that you can troll its edge with accuracy or keep your casts in the strike zone longer. This trick has salvaged some days for many anglers when facing new water.

What To Throw?

When fishing a new body of water your main goal is to find fish fast. One of the main ingredients of this credo is to cover water quickly and efficiently. By incorporating a “fast-moving” lure, you can be assured that fishless area can be quickly abandoned, while also hooking the most aggressive fish you come across. For walleye, a good choice of bait is a spinnerbait or buzzbait, while for pike it’s a bucktail or spinnerbait. By keying-in on the productive water you already have found, coupled with this high-percentage technique, you will find yourself in the midst of accommodating fish.

Regardless of the species of fish you target, throwing a fast and efficient bait will increase your odds for success. Once you have caught a number of fish with this rapid-fire technique, it is then time to slow things down and carefully go over the area with a slower-moving presentation. This also is a great time to toss a marker buoy so you can stay directly on this productive spot you have unearthed. If the fishing starts to slow or the conditions begin to change, simply move to another productive area you had found earlier in the day.

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When To Go?

In order to increase your odds on your trip to a new lake, you should watch the weather forecast for the days of your trip to the lake/lodge. Several days of calm, stable weather is a good sign that the fish will be cooperative. It also may be better to fish earlier in the day or towards the evening if the conditions have been unusually hot.

Fishing a new lake can be a fun and rewarding experience for an angler and with the aid of the lodge hosts you will be on your way to having a great experience with many lasting memories. Try these tips and tactics when you try your luck at a different spot, and reap the rewards that your new found lake may hold.

Follow our HUNTING BLOG

WEB   RATES     FISH    HUNT    CABINS    PHOTOS
TESTIMONIALS    BROCHURE    HUNT BOOKLET

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

Subscribe

Name(required)

Email(required)

Comment(required)

Email Me....

Fishing Package Rates eBrochure THE OUTBACK Adventure Info Hunting Rates

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Δ

 

Meanwhile at Wawang Lake – THE MINK FAMILY

Several years ago when Terry and I (Tami) (owners of Wawang Lake Resort) were out fishing   trolling into one of the lakes’ many bays, a splash resounded in the bay that caught our attention.  Curious Terry headed over towards the ripples left from the splash to have a look.

Soon a head popped up out of the water between the boat and shoreline – it was an adult mink and suddenly a couple more smaller heads bobbed up right after – her babies.  We soon realized mom was teaching her young to swim and forage for food.  So cute!

Looking over towards the shore we noticed a couple more drenched baby mink patiently waiting for mom to return.  That was four kits in all.  Meanwhile, one of the kits had drifted away from mom coming closer to our boat and now struggled to crawl up the shaft. of the motor.  Terry reached over and grabbed the little mink by the scruff of the neck and pulled it into the boat.  Now sitting on the boat seat the little one, looking like a drowned rat, sneezed, coughed  and hiccuped and looked very dazed.

Suddenly mom was alarmed when she noticed one of her young was missing.  Sensing danger she swiftly  grabbed the one near her by the neck, dove under the water and soon came up at the shoreline 20′ away where her other babies were obediently waiting.  Quickly, she turned and stood on her haunches as she scanned the waters surface for the lost kit – but he was nowhere to be seen

She dove back into the water and swam back to the training area.  She swam in panic, swam in circles, dove under anxiously looking for the kit.  Her head bobbed out of the water over and over, several times.  Seeing that she had become quite concerned for her missing baby Terry picked up the nervous kit sitting with us and put him back in the water, and shoved him off towards his mom.  Mom now seeing her baby swam over, grabbed him by the neck angrily and gave him a few good shakes in reprimand before driving under the water with him away from danger and  back to the rest of her family and safety.  With one last head count she then leaped into the dense woods, her babies following close behind and not one of them looked back even once.

Once we were done fishing Terry threw the remaining minnows onto shore where the mink family had been.  I knew he was thinking that they might come back.

As it turned out it was a wonderful day.  The weather was great, the fishing even better and we now looked forward to a freshly caught fish supper.  Best yet though was our wildlife encounter and a glimpse into the lives of one of our neighbors – the mink family.  As I put my jacket on and got myself comfortable in the seat for the ride back to the lodge I wondered if the mink family would come back to that spot and be eating as good as we would that night.  I hoped so.

 

The Underwater World of Freshwater Fish (part 1)

Cover & Structure:
These two terms are often confused as the same, but they are not. Cover is defined as a type of structure, natural or man made such as weeds, vegetation, fallen trees, docks, and swimming platforms. Structure is the physical characteristics of the water system; points, rock bars, islands, reefs, humps and breaklines. To understand the difference, if you completely drain the water only the structure will not move.

Breaklines & Edges

Anglers hearing or reading the phrases “fish caught off the first break” or “fish caught on the weed edge” may be confused as to their meaning. All active fish will relate to breaks or edges. Weed beds are like “aquatic neighborhoods” providing all stages of the food chain protection from predators or an ambush source for feeding. Breaklines (Breaks) are defined as an area of transition from one depth to another, one cover type to another, one water temperature to another, one water color to another, one substrate to another or any other transition that could influence fish behavior. Cover (weeds) next to a deep water breakline usually hold more fish than a shallow flat.

Humps and Reefs 

Any mid lake underwater structure higher than the surrounding area can be classified as a hump or reef, they are among the most productive structures in Wawang Lake. For walleye and northern pike these are attractive possibilities. If weeds, boulders and ledges are present, this structure will be even better, producing more game fish.

Points and Bars

Protruding shoreline points and bars offer a diversity in structure and are fish producers throughout the year. Key bottom components are, inside turns and drops offs. Add cover such as submergent and emergent weeds, drowned wood and you have a top attraction for all game fish in our lake.