>>596400>WHERE to cast when lake fishingRule of thumb with bass fishing is to fish the shallows. When pros are out fishing tournaments on lakes they might never have fished before they don't have time to go up and down the lake with their depth finders, down-imaging, or whatever in search of structure hidden in the deeper parts of a lake. The local guys have the home-field advantage in that they probably know where billy bob tossed last year's christmas tree, or where the old riverbed ran before they damned it off to make the lake, or whatever.. So the rest are left to target visible structure in the shallow areas. This can be pitching lures under docks, between pilings/standing timber, along the edges of lily pads, near downed trees/branches, under overhanging brush, fan casting into shaded areas on bright/hot days, working lures over the tops of aquatic plants like hydrilla that have a foot or so of water above their tops...
It's a lot easier when you've got some sort of boat/kayak/inflatable to fish from. When you don't you need to look for places on shore with the features mentioned above. If you've got a nice flat of hydrilla straight ahead then it's worth casting straight out at different angles. When you don't you need to start looking for sticks, rock beds, surface scum and the sort along the banks. Make long casts parallel to the banks and hope something is holding to the water's edge as you retrieve.
The best thing I can recommend, if income permits and you've access to a pickup (or don't mind assembling one of those cheapo Harbor Freight boat trailers), is find a little jon boat on craigslist. Get a couple oars, a deep cycle marine battery (and charger) and a trolling motor. Altogether it should still cost less than a nice, new fishing kayak. If trucking/trailering isn't an option maybe look for a used kayak and get a roof rack to haul it. Either way it'll increase your access to a body of water which increases access to the fish in it.
