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Fishing a New Lake
by: Shane DuBois 7/13/2012
Every month or so, I try to fish a new body of water here in Colorado. Fishing a handful of lakes or rivers over and over again is good for dialing in a body of water, and catching fish, but it's nice to break that cycle and fish unfamiliar waters.
This gives you a new challenge to take what you have learned so far at the previous bodies of water, and put that knowledge to use at a new lake. Also doing this can help you break the cycle of areas that you normally wouldn't fish at your favorite lake. Why is it that? It's pretty simple, when you fish a body of water you find your honey hole(s), and when you want to catch fish you go to that spot. As time passes, you kind of forget about the rest of the lake, (not always the case with everyone) or think that the fish might not be in other like areas. This is where fishing a new lake can expand your current knowledge of fishing techniques.
Throwing yourself out of you comfort zone in anything that you do, puts the challenge tag out there. The same goes for fishing! It makes you push yourself, and as mentioned before, to do things you normally wouldn't do, or fish areas you normally wouldn't fish. This can end up being really good, or lead to a long day on the water.
I did all of this fun stuff mentioned above the past few days at Williams Fork Res, near Kremmling, CO. About a week prior to this trip, my buddy and I fished the lake for part of a day for lakers and pike. No dice on the pike that day, but we caught some nice lakers. We decided to spend a few days out there to see if we could learn the lake better, and maybe challenge our fishing IQ. The weather was pretty good almost all the three days we were there, flat calm in the mornings with a little breeze in the afternoon. We had a simple plan of attack, fish for lakers in the morning, then about mid-day, go after some toothy pike!
Tuesday morning we arrived at the lake around 7am, and headed out to mark some lakers. First spot we went to in 60 FOW, marked quite a fish, so down went the anchor, followed by our lines with tube jigs. Didn't take long before I had my first laker of the day on! My partner on the other hand, is new to laker fishing, and couldn't get one to stay on his line all the way up. He also made an amusing song/chant on what he was supposed to do. It went something like this, "jig jig jig, uuuuuuuuuuuup, jig jig, doooooown," and over and over. After a while the bit slowed down, and the wind picked up, so we figured we would go a bit shallow and troll for pike. It took about 20 minutes and the inside board started flying back! "Fish on," I yelled. Grabbed the rod and started reeling, while stopping the boat, hmm fish off? Then the other board, after the boat had stopped started going back! I handed my rod to my buddy to reel in and grabbed the outside board rod and began to reel. It felt pretty heavy as i started reeling in, but I've felt that heaviness before, reeling in a mop of weeds, so i was skeptical. My partner popped the board off, and then I could feel something on the line thrashing about! Got the line almost all the way in when I looked, and seen a big pike! The must of looked up and seen myself and the boat, and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz went the line! The fight was on! After a few more moments of reeling and peeling, my partner finally scooped the fighter into the net! It was a nice, big, fat pike! Measuring 37 inches, and coming in at two ounces shy of 14 pounds! My new personal best Colorado pike! We didn't catch anymore fish on day 1, but that one fish was worth it!
Day 2 started out pretty much the same way, but no lakers wanted to bite, rather chase, and chase our jigs, so we decided to go casting for pike. On my buddy's first cast, BAM! A big strike followed by easy reeling, then again, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, the fight was on! Another nice pike at 32 inches and 8 pounds! We caught a few more smaller pike the rest of the day casting around structure, and weeds. Day 3 we fished for about half the day, with no luck!
We learned a new lake, with still a lot more to learn, but we fished new areas, using techniques that were out of our norm, and comfort zone, with the addition of techniques that we already knew. Everyday fishing is a new learning experience, and when it becomes boring, and the same ole thing over and over, switch it up some. Expand your approach to fishing, species you fish for, and the techniques you use to catch them!
 Blog content © Shane DuBois Member comments IceFishingFool, CO 7/13/2012 9:59:19 AM
Would think it would have come to the boat eaiser if you had a cheese hat on ? LOL Shane DuBois (reconfisher), CO 7/13/2012 11:07:49 AM
hmm maybe bud, might be worth a shot? ccr, CO 7/13/2012 8:37:18 PM
I see you, who's the pretty one?? Shane DuBois (reconfisher), CO 7/14/2012 11:37:05 AM
I believe your looking at yourself without your glasses on again Collin...haha JKaboom, CO 7/17/2012 5:25:10 PM
Nice write-up sounds like a heck of a good time up there. I have never fished Wialliams Fork any good shore fishing there?? ccr, CO 7/17/2012 9:14:15 PM
Lots of people shore fish around the lake so it appears to be pretty good Shane DuBois (reconfisher), CO 7/17/2012 9:19:22 PM
Thanks! You can access pretty much all of the lake by driving around, and most spots the water drops off pretty good. I bet the shore fishing would be great for pike! JKaboom, CO 7/17/2012 11:19:00 PM
Thanks CCR and Shane!!! It looks like I'm going to have to take your blogs advice and hit it up then very soon :)
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