When fishing lakes like Dale and Laurel, most people think of fishing deep with light line and small baits. However, it depends upon the species of fish and structure you are targetting and whether there may be larger fish in the lake that may take your lure. If you are fishing deep in heavy structure, you may want to use heavier line resistant to abrasions. But, if you are fishing for schooling fish over deep structure, you may want to use lighter line for greater casting distance. If you are targetting LM, they tend to stay in shallower water and maybe in the backs of creeks or in weed beds. If you are targetting SM, they tend to say over deep structure or in moving schools in water less than 5 ft over deep water, especially when the shad are schooling. If you are targetting Spotted Bass (SB), they tend to stay over deep structure and move around much like SM. However the SB are much more curious and aggressive and tend to be bait-followers. They like the SM like rock structure, long deep points with structure, especially if there is current, but the SB stay over deep water most of the time.
When fishing in clear water lakes, long casts are necessary especially when fishing for SB because they are bait-followers and it gives them more time to strike. Clear water bass depend more on sight than any other sense. SB and SM may come through 40 to 60 feet of water to strike from vision alone. So lures in bright colors such as in white, red, pink, neon green, chartreuse tend to be an excellent choice. Jerkbaits are excellent because active SB and SM will be in the first 5 feet of water over deep water to feed on shad. Heavy compact spinnerbaits (3/4 - 1 oz) with double blades allow long casts and fast retrieves with less water resistance for reaction strikes.
It helps to have the right equipment to make long casts with fast retrieves. One should cast their lures where most fishermen sit to fish the bank. It is also important to use a trailer hook on spinnerbaits when fishing for reaction strikes. One should map out holding places where they find fish so the next time they will not boat over the structure. Try fishing 60 to 80 yds out from a point and fish no deeper than 6 feet. Try to find the pattern of the day or hour. Go from bluff walls to main lake points to secondary points to flats and fan cast to find active fish. Good fishing to all.
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