what makes such good spots turn off

[BASSTRACKER]

as i was fishing saturday i wandered what had happened to morgans to kill the bite there that had once been so epic, how a nearly featurless mud bottom on a barely existing point at bbp had become the "goto" spot for such action. some spots disappear with time, trees or grasslines. some with the water level or time of year,perhaps the proximity of shad schools. there was one point that used to have huge schools of fish and id catch 5 or 6 fish in a matter of a half hour almost guarenteed, but over the past few year its produced nothing and relatively little has changed on it, it looks the same now as when it had tons of fish on it.southfork and northfork both had thier days as awesome fisheries both now sqeak out a few here and there but nothing like they were, i guess the water level and lack of cover after the salvinia cleansing maybe did them in,kinda hoping they make a comeback if the water stays up for awhile.

[Ca_Bass]

I think at wilson water quality probably has something to do with it...ie oxygen levels and what not. I bet fish are usually trying to find suitable water quality. There is virtually no aquatic vegetaion and vegitation is a key factor to producing oxygen as well as a place for prey fish to hide and predators to ambush. The salvinia wasn't good for the lake but I'm sure there is some sort of aquatic vegitation that would be like cattails, tulles or bullrushes(picturing myself flipping them as I type). Maybe even hyrilla I dunno. Sticks and logs are great for cover but don't add anything as far as water quality goes...I for one would vote for zebra mussels

Another theory I have is there aren't any places at wilson that can give a fish everything it needs on a year round basis. So you probably don't have any "resident" fish in one location. What I mean by that is when it's hold or cold fish normally go deep..once it starts to warm up fish start looking for spawing locations. So when the "seasons" change the fish fish have to travel a good distance to find what they need. A bass typically needs a hard bottom in about 3 to 6 ft of water to spawn...there aren't really any places like that. That's why I think spots are hot one year and not the next.

Probably the best area for resident fish would be around miki point and the little cove
before you get to the point then they also have BSI right there as well. There they have access to shallow and deep water in a relatively small area. Another area that is similar is kemoo island and the point near by.

I would also bet that the constantly fluctuating water levels have the fish moving around quite a bit as well.

My go to area the last year and half I was in Hawaii was condo cliffs, I could always get at least one there...and during the fall/winter I caught a lot of 3lbers in that area and a couple 4's on jigs and plastic worms. Kincaids was pretty good to me as well, just not as many big fish...did get one that was 3lbs10oz in march I believe.

This is why I enjoy fishing so much...its like a never ending puzzel that doesn't get old

Has anyone actually ever seen spawning largemouth at wilson? I know I haven't! But I did think I found an area where they do spawn...the cove past miki flats..not the really shallow area with the long mud point but the rocky area portion of the cove.

[roadwarriorsvt]

Good info Alec. I've never seen a LMB nest nor has anyone I've spoken with. Lake Wilson does need vegitation IMO, but I'm sure that Dole and/or DLNR would $h!T if we went out and started planting. I suspect that the erratic water levels would have a negative affect on plant life as well. My mainland fisheries biologist suspected there may be a need for aeration as well. Without a professional to come in and conduct the appropriate testing to identify the problem, suggesting solutions at this point is just a shot in the dark.

[marcusn]

lets just dig a giant hole and make our own lake with prime habitat for largemouth haha

[BASSTRACKER]

havent ever seen a nest, but i have caught bass much smaller than the hatchery bass are when released. not in the numbers one would hope to see in order for a healthy fishery but they must be spawning in some small number. for a long time the rumor was the hatchery fish were sterilized and couldnt spawn.aeration was probobly much better when the sewage outfall was on the surface and making all that disturbance.the weed issue well be careful what one wishs for! the salvinia and hyacinth invasions were a good example. alot of the grasses will easily take over a lake in a very short time. i fished a lake with hydrilla in it once and it was a mess trying to get lures threw that stuff, couldnt throw much if it wasnt weedless, almost limited to exclusively soft plastics, no cranks or anything with exposed hooks. our lakes a bit deeper so maybe it couldnt grow very deep but are we willing to risk it.

[Ca_Bass]

The lake I have been fishing here has hydrilla...and the KVD 1.5 and 2.5 come through it pretty good! When you feel it on there you can usually give it a hard pop like you do with a jerk bait and it comes off. Not 100% on this, but I don't think hydrilla usually grows to the surface...Personally..I like it! Especially if there is some wood cover of some sort mixed in. Soft plastic jerkbaits fished over Hydrilla beds is a good technique!

Though, I don't recommend anybody introduce it to Lake Wilson. I think an issue with aquatic vegetation at lake wilson is there isn't a harsh enough winter to kill any of it off! Hyrdrilla grows in temps from 68-81 degrees and its max temp is 86 you can trust me, I just looked it up ...maybe you might get a summer kill..i dunno.

[roadwarriorsvt]

I'm guessing "legally" introducing any type of vegitation into our lake would be next to impossible.

[djverve05]

Wilson has plenty of vegetation gentlemen. The fact there are so many fish competing with each other for food doesn't help. Wilson is a very small body of water for so many different species of fish to compete with one another. I can give you guys some good tips on catching Largemouth that I have learned on the mainland. Largemouth love shaded areas. Most of the LM I have caught out of Wilson have been under shaded cover. Working plastics slowly through those areas should help out. Keep throwing at one spot a couple of times. Sometimes you have to piss the LM off to get the bite. Catching Tucs on the other hand I haven't quite grasped yet. Been fishing the lake for 2 years now, and I learn something new everytime I go. Another thing that Wilson doesn't have is current. Its always nice to have some flowing current especially over the areas like BBP or Morgans Point.

[BASSTRACKER]

plenty of vegetation yes, for now its in the water. maybe someone smarter than me or more well read can explain if our particular form of grass adds oxygen to the water or since most of the leafy green is above does it add to the air, im thinking air. as for current there isnt a major amount but there is a very good one thats wind driven over places at times, especially certain points, as a matter of fact i suspect that bbp is driven largely by a current, hence the bite being on largely after the wind picks up in the afteroon. my theory is they school out over the deep chasing the wee shad during the calm and pull into the point after the wind starts pushing the water down over bbp, of course the place is also seasonal, late summer to early fall at its best. seems the water temp helps some too. guess it really dosent matter after all its no secret the fish are there so go get em! hahahaha

[Ca_Bass]

I think you have a sound theory there about BBP! I don't know if the grass oxygenates the water..probably a little...doesn't that stuff start dying off after it's been in the water awhile? I also think the wind tunnel that is kincaids(sp) is turned on by the wind. There have been a few times that when I started there there was nothing going on, and as soon as the wind picked up so did the bite. Also why I think tuc bay is called tuc bay..I would imagine fish load up back there because the blows all sorts of small particles and what not in there that get attract baitfish and then attract predator fish.

Wilson has plenty of vegetation gentlemen....Another thing that Wilson doesn't have is current. Its always nice to have some flowing current especially over the areas like BBP or Morgans Point.

I'm not trying to pick a fight or be rude or anything but there is no longer any "aquatic" vegetation at lake Wilson. Besides the shoreline grass have you ever snagged or caught anything submerged other than sticks, leaves and logs? There is terrestrial vegetation along the shore but that grass will grow without a constant source of water. What we mean by vegetation is aquatic vegetation that actually grows from beneath the surface, like hyrdrilla, milfoil, cattails, tules, bullrushes, lilly pads ext... that provides a near year round source of cover. And there actually is current at lake Wilson (not like a river but it's there) from a few different sources. First, you have the two streams that feed the lake, although that doesn't provide much current to the main lake it does to the upper ends. (sometimes when it's hot with no wind and fishing on the main lake sucks..run up to the north fork and it can be very productive). Second, you have the trade winds..and when they're blowing 15 to 20mph I guarantee they create a good deal of current either at the surface and maybe down to a couple feet. It doesn't take much current to turn bass on either. A slight breeze in hot weather is often enough to add oxygenate the water and increase the activity of predators. Third, there is the dam..if they are letting more water out than usual, this will draw a current for the entire lake.

And yes most of the bass at wilson will come from wood..that is mostly what the lake offers for cover. In the cool and hot months fishing the steep rock bank is another good technique. During the brightest times of the day bass will usually be in shaded or deep areas as they don't have eyelids to block the sun. But if there is wind they can come out into unshaded areas...having a chop on the reduces light penetration by something like 200% from what I remember.

Welp gotta go catch some bass I will let you guys know how it goes

[skunked]

[/quote]I'm not trying to pick a fight or be rude or anything but there is no longer any "aquatic" vegetation at lake Wilson. [/quote]
I messed up on the quote function, but I also agree with this statement. The california grass and other weeds are not aquatic vegetation. I think the flooded grass actually robs the lake of oxygen once it starts to decay.

[BASSTRACKER]

agree with skunked, the weedline bite deteriorates after the weeds under the water start to die off, just look at now with the water dropping, the first 2 ft of grass edge are brown from being under water for months and the bonanza of fish that were holding in the grass is over. although they may still use it for ambush cover and feeding , they dont seem to be in there in the numbers they were back in appril/may for sure.

[roadwarriorsvt]

I was gonna make the correction on aquatic vegitation but you guys are on it already. Since Lake Wilson's original function was an irragation resevoir, I doubt little to nothing was done when the lake was constructed to create habitat, provide aquatic vegitation, etc. like how the newer lakes were built. But don't dispair, I hear the HFFA is looking in to ways our Lake can be improved. A little birdie just told me!

[Basshead]

Your insight of this lake is correct. Just like any body of water. Certain conditions will position the fish. Experience will dictate what your approach will be. And they move a lot here. Like any fisheries, throughout the country, its all about timing, presentations, angles and execution. A bass is a bass, just there habitat may differ. Good luck with your tourn. fishing in Texas.

[Ca_Bass]

Basshead, I don't think I truly grasped the importance of angles until about a year or two ago. I always knew/heard how important they were but it never sank in until a day at condo cliffs. I was fishing at Condo Cliffs starting from the BSI end around the point to where the bank becomes much less steep by kemoo isl without a bite. I had caught a whole bunch of bass there in the previous 2 weeks and wasn't convinced they had left. When the bank is to my port side I generally make 45 and 90 degree casts to the bank while fishing softplastics. Since I was not convinced there were no fish there I fished it back the other way making mostly 45 cast from the other direction and ended up catching 8 or so presenting my baits at the same structure but from the opposite angle.