For those of you that are fairly knowledgeable about fishing, there is a term called “spot on the spot”.

Before we get too far into this I’d like to point out that just because you FIND a “spot on the spot”, it does NOT mean there is even a fish there. It’s just a great looking spot that MAY hold fish at some point….may NEVER hold fish….OR it has fish on it constantly. Only fishing them will tell you the answer, and there’s NO guarantee.

For that matter….there may be fish there….but they aren’t hungry when you fish it.

I’ve seen various descriptions of what the term means, so I am including the results of a search on Yahoo about it for those of you that would like to get on the ‘Net and read more

Search results for "Spot on the Spot"

 

That being said, I have my own “description” of what this means.

For me, a “spot on the spot” entails a combination of structure, cover AND bottom content…and it can be ANY combination of these, including items from the same category (like lilypads and a single stump, which are both in the “cover” category, or an area of gravel in the middle of a sandy bottom area).

 

You can even go so far as to say that current, wind and tides and weather in general can help create an “occasional” “Spot on a Spot”. A school of walleyes along a windblown island dropoff is a good example of that. Chances are the bait fish are there because the wind has blown food into the area….and the walleyes followed. If the wind hadn’t blown in just the right direction, the fish would be somewhere else.

Lake maps CAN be limited in the information given in the sense that the lake just doesn’t have features that stand out to you as being a “spot on the spot”. Take this example map I drew up….there’s hundred’s of lakes around the country that won’t show much more than this. This is not much help for us fisher-folks.

 

 

At the same time though....time on a lake like this COULD reveal other things about the lake such as this.....

 

 

 

 

NOW ....since you took the time to "be observent"....you have seen a good MANY "spot on the spot" areas.

 

A good many lakes have much MORE structure than this...so I will address that in upcoming posts.

 

Feel free to make comments on this subject.....as I intend it to be a discussion.

 

And as I said...I will have more info coming in the next few days.

 

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

Looks like you did some research. Good job. I liked your tip.

Thanks Yano....I hope the tip helps you.

 

I did this Topic a couple of years ago....but it was basically wiped out by the software change back in Nov '07.

 

Here's my next thought on this subject. SOME lakes and reservoirs have underwater islands in them...A few have a LOT of them.

 

So how would you tell if ONE was any more special than another?

 

By exploring it.

 

Let's say that you found this 10 ft depth island / hump on a map....

 

 

 

Looking in the general area....there ARE other good spots around.

 

But let's say you actually go and FISH this hump...and before you leave the area....you are able to see this stuff....

 

 

THESE things SHOULD tell you that this is truly a "spot on the spot". A combination of depths, bottom content AND cover. Chances are that there is a dominant BIG fish in this area...and with the various "attractors"...SHOULD have fish in the area from early Spring through late Fall....even maybe in winter...depending on th part of the country.

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

Then you have lakes like this, so full of great structure that it can be dang difficult to find a few TRULY special “spots”. This can be a good example of where wind, time of year and even baitfish patterns can influence and even create the “occasional spots” I mentioned a little bit ago.

 

 

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

You have a bunch of great tips, and know a bunch about fishing in general. Have you ever thought about starting your own guide service? I know this isn't the hot seat, but I think you would do a great job as a guide.
Lifer since 05/08....Ky....Fred

Thanks for the kind words Fred....and I MAY give that a go locally in a couple of years. But at this point I don't know enough waters intimately enough to be good at it.

 

It's easier for me to be able to point folks to certain spots on a body of water...and give reasons WHY it should have fish.

 

Here's an example from the map above.

 

Like I said....with all the structure in this lake.....finding a truly good spot can be tough. But here's one I picked out.

 

 

 

If you compare this to my previous map, you will see that this little bay is on the upper west side of the lake.

 

Here's why I consider this area a "spot on the spot".

 

1. Small area.....bay is about 1300 ft by 1300 ft in size. Easily patrolled by a dominant fish.

 

2. Deep water (40+ ft) available just off the point...with a couple of small "step-type" flats just off the point.

 

3. Heavy vegetation at the south end of the bay...with a fairly steep drop into 20 ft of water.

 

4. A 14 ft hump in the 20-30 ft slope.

 

5. Another small point on the west side of the bay.

 

All in all....this little bay has just about everything needed to not only attract fish....but enough things to have bait-fish...AND a BIG fish in the area.

 

Last but not least. THis lake is in central Minnesota...and with the bay situated the way it is (west side of the lake)....SHOULD warm up first...and have good activity in the early part of the year.

 

At the SAME time....the deeper water available should also allow fish to be around well into fall...and it wouldn't surprise me to see ice houses out in this area in the winter too.

 

Any thoughts or comments?

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

On a lake like above with ALL that great structure, the easiest thing to do is to break the lake down in “sections” like I have here with these marked maps.

 

On them I have marked...

 

{1} Necked down areas

{2} Long points with inside turns close by

{3} Fresh water inlet

{4} Underwater island with deep water nearby

{5} Large flat with deep water nearby

{6} Deep water close by

 

I would fish each area but deliberately look for things that can make ANY of them even more special, like a rockpile, perhaps a single laydown close to deep water, changes in bottom content / weed types, maybe a spot with a few stumps (or submerged Christmas trees) etc…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This 3rd map pic of the northeast corner of the lake has even MORE types of structure to explore, and if I had a whole day to fish, I’d probably fish this area, or perhaps the 1st 2. Of course, if I was catching fish, I MAY just hang around the area for a while.

 

 

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

Thanks for taking the time Dave! A spot on the spot I would recomend is bridge piers. Many times anglers go by them.  A pier can be a good spot by itself, but add in the debris that builds up on them and you got a spot in a spot. Also, they usually have scour holes at the tail end so definattly a spot on spot to check out!
Southeast PA

Good tips Scott. Add in a little riprap and a few weeds....and it's prime....and even has shade in hot water.

 

Structure-type “spots” you can USUALLY see on a regular map of a lake…but the good majority of spots are found using a variety of ways, and maybe even more than one before a “spot” is actually discovered. Here’s a list of some ways to help find “spots”:

1. Lake map.

2. Aerial / satellite map.

3. Depth finder.

4. Visual observation.

5. Underwater camera.

6. Snorkeling / scuba diving / swimming.

7. Getting your lure snagged and taking the time to retrieve it.

 

Here's a few things that you may see using the tactics above....

 

 

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

I couldn't even guess at how many "spots" I've marked from my paper and e-maps, and from just sampling a great looking area of a lake with sonar recorded several hours to be reviewed on the PC later.  I would get home and discover amazing spots that just had to be checked out again. All that definitely narrows the search area, especially when no fish show up where I'd most expect them.

An example of one of my productive spots is a lump of 5 trees forming at tee-pee cover on the end of a mid lake hump averaging 8' deep, covering about 1/4 acre. I figure someone cut standing trees while the lake was down years ago to create a crappie heaven. I saw bands of yellow and red on bottom around the trees, so called it a prime spot. When I got out there on it, sure enough the yellow was crappie, but I began picking up red streaks on sonar. It was hard to pass on those big crappie, but I began checking out the dart lines. From one spot up from the tree pile cover was a big stump. I spent a lot of time just watching it about 12 feet down. When I consistently saw signs of a big fish at that stump I began fishing it, and caught a few bass in the 4-6# range.  Each trip out there the bass always came from the stump, crappie from the tree pile. That stump was my bass spot-on-the-spot.

A whole bay on the lake might qualify as a "spot", but to me a bass spot exists only when bass frequent some part of it on a consistent basis. For me a spot-on-the-spot must have a bass replenishment cycle, assuring that although it is fished for keepers, you can count on a bass occupying a specific spot within the larger general spot area. I liken that to when I visit friends I am drawn to a particular chair I'd like to sit in. I just like to sit where I can see the front door. Weird. The other chairs would be fine, but wherever I go I seem to have a preferred favorite spot to be in, even in doctor's offices 

For whatever reason I am convinced the most mature bass around will command a tiny spot that's attractive to all bass. Maybe it's the ultimate ambush setup trumping all others within a few hundred feet radius. When I locate those little 8' X 8' special spots where the bass generally hang out over a whole quarter acre I then mark each as another secret spot using the anchor icon on the GPS.  Regardless what it all looks like on map or sonar screen, if the spot quits producing I erase the spot on the spot, but might occasionally check the general spot in case a new pod of baitfish has moved in and cranked it back up. I suppose like I've marked some favorite restaurants off my list out of boredom, bass get tired of spots I'd like to see last forever. One thing I know, there's no way to coax bass to use the spots I choose for them.

Jim

Lets not forget that a spot on a spot could be a break or a edge that comes in contact with structure . So now you found a great spot, dissect it and try to find as many variables as you can on that spot.  Example wind blowing against a island created a current break and a water clarity break , that side of the island could become a spot on a spot temporarily untell the wind changes direction. But there may be other key factors on that side of the island  that makes it even a better spot on the spot .
The more  variables that come into play the better the spot becomes.