Lake Mead Fishing Tips

[frankv702]

Hey what's up guys, so my wife finally broke down and let me get a boat. I went out on Saturday afternoon to get a feel for it. I installed a Lowrance elite 4 hdi with the down scan imaging next to the side console and used my old humminbird 143 on the casting deck in the front. I'm completely new to reading them so I wanted to see what they looked like on the water. I know time on the water is my best friend to get to know the lake but what do you guys look for when fishing from the boat? Are you reading the bottom structure or trying to identify fish on the finder and target them? I found a school of striper randomly in the middle of the lake about 20ft deep but they seemed spooked by me being there. I have a bunch of all types of gear from swimbaits to the larger and smaller strike king xd cranks to all different types of worms and jigs. I'm not targeting any specific types of fish just anything that'll take my bait. Any tips from boaters on how to get some fish in the boat would be appreciated! thanks guys.
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[Erawk]

If you're not above bait fishing, head out with some anchovies, sardines, shrimp, corn, worms or what have you. Cruise around and use your fishfinder to locate an area that relates to some sort of structure that is holding or would likely hold some fish (i.e. a drop off or channel). Start chumming very small pieces of bait while you soak bait on a hook. I like to add attractant of some sort to the bait I have on the hook so it stands out from the chum. If nothing happens in a half hour, look for another spot. Good luck!
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[vegaskid]

Lake Mead is daunting from a boat at first. It's such a large lake, but in reality it fishes pretty small. There are a lot of dead areas. Time on the water will help you solve the mystery. Follow the bait. Stripers follow the bait. Birds follow the bait. Fish structure and cover for bass. Sometimes they want reaction baits, sometimes slower baits. Sometimes they will eat anything you throw at them. Start locating fish and building some waypoints. Be safe out there. [fishin]
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