Early Spring Fishing Tactics in Lakes & Ponds
Early spring fishing techniques for lakes and pond fishing hinge on weather and lake conditions. The early bird anglers must be prepared for anything; for anything is likely to happen from sudden, unexpected fly hatches, snowstorms, high winds, or conditions that require dredging bottom with worms or other baits.
More often, however, streams and rivers are rolling with a full head of water from spring run-off, carrying along mud and debris. Lakes and ponds are also brimming to capacity and may still be ice-rimmed and sporting very cold water temperatures. A beginning fisherman is at a loss as to how to approach these conditions.
During such times in rivers and streams, fish sulk, because the cold waters make them lethargic. They will be found in any type of cover from underwater logs and debris, to back-water pockets and eddies, and under stream-washed banks. Look for cover and you'll find fish.
The lake and pond fisherman is presented with still greater problems. The vastness of a large body of water sets one back. Just where do you start? In the early spring, most fish will be well dispersed over the entire body of water in their search for food. Some trout usualyy become cannibalistic in lakes and ponds, turning to forage fish as their mainstay. But here they grow to good proportions.
Where To Find Fish
Look for fish during the early season near inlets or outlets, near dams, and along the shoreline; particularly along rock-strewn shores. They can also be found under lake-edge debris and near underwater bars extending out from shore.
The angler that prefers trolling now comes into his own, for more fishable waters can be covered in a shorter period of time than with any other method. Begin by trolling close to shore, increasing the distance gradually. If you prefer to cast, choose the above mentioned locations.
Food and cover is only one reason fish move around in a large body of water. As surface water temperatures warm, some fish, especially trout seek cooler areas. Lakes with a depth over 30 feet have three layers of water in the summer months, each with a different temperature. The surface water is the warmest and gets progressively colder the deeper it becomes. The 'middle' layer has a rapid lowering of temperature as the depth increases. (This portion is known as the 'thermocline' and the process termed 'stratification'.)
It is in this thermocline that the rainbow trout abounds, while brook trout will seek the cooling depths adjacent to a spring hole or near inlet streams. During the early spring, trout and salmon are generally feeding near the surface, and fishing with lures and flies just under the water's surface will account for most strikes. Deep fishing is the order of the day only during the hot summer months.
