Fishing in March

[ctrout19]

Hello All,

I started striper fishing about a year and a half ago. I have put in my time studying and trying to learn the lake over the last year and a half and steadily expanding my tactics. I now feel confident catching my own bait. Planning a trip in mid March and have not fished this time of year much. I’m not looking for exact spots to fish. However I would like to discuss patterns and parts of the lake to focus on this time of year. I like pulling baits so that is what I mainly do. Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks

[westonhar00]

hey! water in shallower water should be warming up, quicker than the main lake stuff, shallow water gizzards should be a sure bet for you!

[Chasinshad]

Check out the “how to” section under striper fishing. There is a couple different posts about water temp and seasonal migrations.
I can tell you from my experience in March the fishing is good and planer boards will be your friend.
Also if you scroll back through the reports you can read past years reports based on dates you plan to be here and have a better understanding of the fish location, water temps and tactics.

Welcome to the forum!

[31Airborne]

welcome aboard! yep, tons of helpful info in the how-to section. i'd also spend some time reading thru reports from our frequent fliers - there's a ton of detail to be gleaned from those.

[herringbone]

+1 on 31’s note. Just flip through the pages of the striper reports section until you get to the desired time of year to match your timing. Lots of info. Good luck.

[coheasion]

I'll be fishing the biggest baits I can find on some of the shallowest flats I can find that have deep-water(20 + feet) nearby

[ctrout19]

At coheasion;

As general area would you focus on those places up either arm of the rivers or big flats on the lake in general?

[johnr]

Fish can be anywhere in the lake. The biggest baits will usually be in the upper half of each river arm.

I tend to fish spots that join up with either the main river channel or main creek channels. So clean rip rap banks/points/flats/snaggy banks/ that fall into the actual river or creek channel.

If it’s in the sun, even better. If it’s got wind blowing on it with sun, even better yet.

[coheasion]

Feb 9, 2021 10:33:50 GMT -5 ctrout19 said:

At coheasion;

As general area would you focus on those places up either arm of the rivers or big flats on the lake in general?

johnr's response above hits the high points.  That time of year fish could be moving way upriver as the water warms up or starting to move back down a bit as well - gonna be a bit weather dependent.  Water temps - clarity - sun/coulds etc but by and large fishing bigger baits up shallow will be the method most on here will be using.

[Wingnutt]

As the lake warms up, try free lining shad off a planer board over the shallower points right at day break. Use your trolling motor and use just enough speed to make the planer boards work. Don't be afraid to run 'em within a foot or three of the shore.

[BentRod]

Most have given good advice. I would add that it isn’t about location in the early spring as much as it is pattern. The fish are very much spread out and you can make a good pattern work in most locations throughout the lake. I really enjoy spring due to it not being as location specific as winter, summer, or even fall. Those times of year you can waste a ton of time trying to find fish - in the early spring, you can drop the trolling motor literally anywhere and probably find a fish within a few minutes, especially if there’s any (not necessarily a lot but ANY) forage nearby.