®
Fall 2019
page
32
are showing you, and what constitutes a rise or a hill, and what makes a ditch versus a creek channel, and then you can start to put together a plan.”
MAKE IT 3D – ON LAND
Davis said that the biggest difficulty he sees from anglers is that they tend to get lost in their minds once they leave the bank.
“For whatever reason, a lot of anglers have a hard time being able to see what the maps are telling them,” he said. “When I was learning, I came to the realization that what is under the water, used to be above it – especially in the case of reservoirs, so I looked to the land to try and visualize what was under water.”
If he saw a sloping hill that dumped into a ravine, then the likelihood of that type of topography continuing under the surface of the water was high. If he looked at a large pasture that bordered a creek bed, then he would begin to visualize a flat next to a creek channel offshore, and he was able to start visualizing similarities under the water.
He said it helped him early on.
“I was able to begin to see the lakebed in my mind, and that made translating what I was seeing on my screens easier,” he said. “Then, I was able to begin searching for fish more effectively.”
TRY NEW THINGS
Davis said that he always tries to keep his approach fresh, and he also reported trying to stay away from the crowds as much as possible – but not too far away.
“Those flotillas on the water will help point you in the direction of the fish,” he said. “However, I don’t want to be the guy that is fighting for the same bites as the rest of the boats out there; I want to find something that is slightly different.”
One of the freshwater lakes that he gets to exercise his skills on each year is Lake Erie out of Buffalo. Davis is a part of a contingent that meets at the Greater Niagara Area Fishing Media Event, and he routinely produces some of the biggest catches – after finding a little something different on Lakes Erie and Ontario.
One of the first places that Lake Erie’s smallmouth bass begin to show up from their wintering haunts is a place known locally as Deep Snug. Deep Snug is approximately a five to seven-mile run south from the Buffalo Harbor on Lake Erie’s Northeastern shore. There, an angler can find a hill that tops out at 12-feet with gently sloping sides that taper off into 38- to 42-feet on the sides. This is the type of area that Davis likes to refine his approach on.
“When the fish first move up in the pre spawn on Deep Snug, they are often resting in the mud to the side of the
hill, and most anglers
will overlook them,” he
said. “They will show up
on the screen as a little
bump that is a different
color than the rest of the
bottom, and there is a
reason for that.”
Davis believes that
fish choose not to rest on
the hard, rocky or shell bed
bottoms. Instead, he thinks
that they tend to rest in
the mud off the high spots
where the bottom is more
comfortable.
“I don’t believe that the
big fish of Lake Erie - or other lakes with strong offshore fishing – make their first move to feed,” he said. “I think that they are moving up to begin their migration. They will eat, but that’s if something shows up in front of them, they are looking to move up without being harassed.”
What he does, is locate the high spot, and make a quick scan of the area with his electronics.
“I will look at the hard-bottomed high spots, and I may see a few fish up there suspended slightly off the bottom, those are feeding fish,” he said. “But everyone is going to find those, and before long, an entire group is posted up battling for fish that will quickly shut down because of pressure.”
Davis tends to slide off to the side, and looks for subtle, off color bumps on the bottom, then presents his lures.
“These are the fish that tend to be the big ones,” he said. “I may find one or two, but if I make a waypoint each time, I catch a fish, before long, I may be able to see where I have identified the edge of a pathway that the fish are using.”
TIPS TO CATCH MORE
The South Carolina angler said that he works very hard to keep his mind fresh, whether he is fishing a bass lake, or filming for his Big Water Adventures television show.
“I delete my tracks every day to keep myself from getting stagnant,” he said. “I want to start each day with the basic framework of a plan, but not so structured that I overlook things I need to see.”
Other than that, Davis recommends that fish – no matter the species or water type – all have the same needs.
“I travel from Alaska to Australia every year filming my show, and all fish need the same three things,” he said. “They want to eat, avoid being eaten, and make babies. If you can find the areas where they feel comfortable to eat and avoid being eaten, with nearby access for them to make their babies, then you’ve found an area to target.
“Most of those areas are offshore, especially early and late in the year, and using your electronics, some training, and some visualization, they can be found every day; whether you’re in saltwater off the coast of Costa Rica, or on Clear lake, and you’ll catch more and bigger fish.” •