More on shallow lakes

[waterflogger_no_more]

I'm staying on Lake Butte de Morts in Wisconsin, a lake adjacent to Lake Winnebago. I meant to fish Winnebago but it takes my boat about 50 minutes to get to the best structure on the close side of the lake, and when I get there, the structure is pretty well covered with boats anchored in position and waiting for fish. Usually they're anchored just over the bottom of the structure so I can't troll by them like I planned without getting too close.

In any case, that has left me fishing Butte de Morts more than I planned. I wonder what Buck would have made of this body of water. Flat, featureless bottom pretty much everywhere, 9 feet deep at the deepest, with no real breakline or definable change in the bottom to indicate a place for fish to hold, or move to. I caught a few fish along a weedline that's in four feet of water, figuring on the weedline to be structure, but short of that, can't get a handle on how to approach this thing. There's a river channel at each end leading to the lakes on either side that could be productive. A few little islands exist with gradual change in depth but no dramatic structure there either.

The one good thing it has going for it is dark, dark water, cypress color is how Buck would probably characterize it. That's why it isn't covered up in weeds everywhere.

I do remember a story about how Buck first took his protege fishing and took him out to the middle of a shallow Florida lake where there was a slight depression at 11 feet, the deepest place in the lake, and that's where the fish were. If I could find such a place that would be a no-brainer.

I would consider this a lake to avoid, generally, as it has fish but there's no obvious place to look for them. I do see a few people fishing in the middle of this lake, anchored, probably over some kind of fish attractor somebody put in the water. Today there was a boat with five lines out trolling the mud bottom. I thought of doing that but it felt like I would be aimlessly trolling along without any real reason other than chance to expect to catch anything.

Thought I would share this experience and solicit any thoughts about it. Some lakes aren't worth the effort, maybe this is one of them, but I'm open to any feedback.

Thanks --

Harold

[Bink]

Look for hard spots. I was stuck on a similar lake in Wisconsin a couple years ago. Once I found the hard areas fishing got much better. The river inlets will definitely be worth spending some time. If you have side imaging look for fish cribs too.

[joseph radunz]

Not knowing anything about these lakes and going strictly of the navionics maps I’d be spending all my time around the highway 41 bridge and fox river channel that dumps into Winnebago.

Joe

[Team9nine]

Agree with the guys above - the 41 bridge and causeway road, the Fox R leading into and out of the lake, and the point and bay just NW of the 41 bridge, plus any hard spots and breaks you can find. Looks like a 500/400 type of lake except for the few noted holes.

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[joseph radunz]

Not sure if these are pilings or what, or if the actually exist but I’d say they are worth checking out too, they lead from a cut in the river channel all the way to the shallows.

Joe

[Hal Standish]

Good stuff Guys Its helping

Hal