Venture off the beaten path... If you have a day, a weekend or more, throw on a backpack and find your nearest trail and start walking. You will pass some of the most pristine waters that the fish have never seen a artificial bait. might not bring one home for the table, but a memory for the photo album. Who knows,you might even catch the fish of a lifetime....

Or if nothing else, maybe you be able to enjoy a little solitude. It is amazing how much more one can sometimes see and feel in that situation.

I love fishing water that many people don't even know exist. I have done a lot of hiking in chest waders and found some lakes FAR off the beaten path, and some that are very accessible, just well hidden.

TOTALLY agree about this!

You can use either the Google Satellite map feature...or Google Earth to help you find areas that are hard to see on regular maps etc...although the USGS maps many times will show older trails and such 

Some even still exist that show river valleys BEFORE they were turned into reservoirs

I agree, when I am doing pre-trip planning I always research the general area I want to go and get as much information on it as I can, including, wildlife, plants, animmals that inhabit the area, and so on.....it makes for a better and safer trip

i like to look on my phones gps to find lakes in the middle of no where and hike out to them alot of the time you find lakes that no one realy ever fishes. its also nice because of little to no people around you get to see some real cool stuff like last year i got to see a bald eagle fishing on the same lake