Heading out of 14 next week. Plan on base camping on Lynx. I have never fished a lake like this before. Looking at a topo map it looks like the whole lake drops off abruptly into deep water. I guess my plan would be to stick to the shoreline structure and not even fish any middle water. Am I on the right track. Going mostly for SMB and Northern. A walleye would be ok as well but would be a bonus for a lunch. Just not sure how to approach a lake like this. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks for any replies,

Tod

Have you read the dnr lake survey?
That would be a good place to start, I once fished for walleye on a lake that did not contain any. luckily I caught some lake trout, but I wont make that mistake again

Yes I have looked at the dnr lake survey. The lake contains the fish. I'm just not sure how to fish a lake that deep. Do fish suspend over 60 ft. of water, or do they pretty much relate to the shoreline given the topography of the lake.

Wind-swept shore line structure. They are in there. A fish locator will help.

The lake temp. will probably be the warmest of the year. The map shows a bunch of prime structure areas, from steep dropoffs to shallow, med., and deep flats. Chances are the predators will be relating to those areas, and as said previously, will most likely be a function of the wind. 2 keys will be depth of the prey, and light conditions, i.e., low light the prey will be shallower, brighter light the prey will be deeper. Find the depth of the prey, and fish steep drops at or slightly below that depth...find the depth of the prey, and fish flats that deep(with a keen eye on the electronics looking for rock piles or weedbeds). Fish fast and slow, the fish will tell you what they want. Depth, speed, location.

Congratulations on picking apart the structure well before hitting the lake...you will be a leg up on contacting the fish. Oh yea, if you get a gully-washer of a rain, go to the inflowing water!

Hammer the shoreline and immediate breaks. Don't waste your time in the deeper areas without electronics.

Start with the breaks, keep your eyes open for irregularities, weed lines, rocks, wood, bottom content change, etc. In a lake without much structure, it doesn't take much to hold fish. Sometimes trolling cranks over the top of the main basin can produce big pike and is usually worth a try anyway, I think.
I ain't never been there, though.

quote Neflatlander52: "Yes I have looked at the dnr lake survey. The lake contains the fish. I'm just not sure how to fish a lake that deep. Do fish suspend over 60 ft. of water, or do they pretty much relate to the shoreline given the topography of the lake."

I have seen some fish suspend in very deep water right off some sort of structure, usually at about the same depth of the structure or drop off , some times they are right on the structure slightly before or after. one thing I have noticed is that if you see fish supended like that if you drop a lure down to them they will usually hit it pretty agressively. This is where electronics come in very handy

There have been many times great looking structure has not produced for me in lakes like you are looking at. I can not count the times I have drifted across deep basins with no structure within a half mile and hammered large Walleyes. If all else fails, do not be afraid to try the deepest areas of the lake. I had a old Native guide tell me that big Walleyes got big by staying where fishermen do not go. It is the same with northerns, and probably bass as well.

Thanks for the advice. I am bringing a depth finder so hopefully it will pay off. I've always been a bank pounder and usually catch fish but I know there can be better fishing in other parts of the lake. I will have to change my ways and experiment with some deeper water.

Thanks, Tod

Look for the steepest drops into the basin, you can find these by looking on a topo map and seeing where the lines are closer together falling off into the depths. Look to the first break and s troll this to see if fish are holding on the sloping dropoff. One thing I like to do differently in this situation is stay shallow near the shore and cast out deep and bring in my retrieve in that direction towards shore, you would be surprised how this can make a major difference if your not catching fish. If you can tell the difference on your depthfinder, transition from sand to muck, muck to marl, marl to boulders are key areas to target, not only near the bottom but in the confined open water above it. Some fish like to make lateral movements exclusively while relating to deep water structure, that's why it's possible to catch smallies or other species on a very clear lake in the middle of the day on the brightest sunshine days.

Not familiar with the clarity on Lynx, but if it's clear you could pound the big walleyes at night trolling out over deep water in the fall. I've had that happen many times, sometimes by luck, sometimes by design, to not believe there's something more to it and worth trying.

quote 2old4U: "Not familiar with the clarity on Lynx, but if it's clear you could pound the big walleyes at night trolling out over deep water in the fall. I've had that happen many times, sometimes by luck, sometimes by design, to not believe there's something more to it and worth trying."

Night fishing is the best way to walleyes on superclear lakes.