[wanttofish]

Went to New Croton reservoir on the east side today. 1st time on a boat there. Had a Garmin striker 4 plus with clear view on the transom of my Jon boat. I thought the water would be clearer in visibility just looking at it. Probably did about mile of shoreline and noticed whole lot of weeds. I think it's hydrilla down to 15' or 16' off the bank. As thick as a carpet. I lost a 8" dink on a 4" paddle tail. I give him credit but too big for him. Lol. I threw top water. Soft plastics. Finesse worms. Beaver Bates. Shaky head. Whopper plopper. Then just started playing with the bluegills with some worms I brought. So what's the deal with this reservoir other then the obvious.. it's August and the water is 80ﾟ at the surface? I know it's a very big reservoir and I only did a small portion of it. I did notice that the banks drop off fairly steep at most places I saw very little if any submerged structure. Only a few drop offs other than the bank. No rocks that I saw or submerged logs other than the few lay downs that fell off the bank. It seems like a very flat bottom reservoir. Thoughts / opinions? Just curious? Very few fish but a was a very good day..

 

[Gregg]

All I can tell you is keep at it. New Croton is huge and there is plenty of structure to be found. Also 80ﾟ at the surface IMHO fish go deep.

 

[JOHN G]

wantto: there is plenty of structural changes on the bottom of Croton, especially on the Eastern portion that you fished, when you get offshore.

you need a side view/down view type of finder to see these things....trust me, they are there.....never a guarantee that they will hit on those places, but they are abundant.

The sonar you described is not sufficient for exploring the bottoms of these reservoirs.....

 

[wanttofish]

Thanks for the reply. This was my first time there so I probably covered 1/10,000 of the reservoir...lol. My garmin does have down view so I'm hoping with time I will map a larger part of the bottom and understand what I'm seeing on my scope. First time with a sonar. I did clearly see the weeds amazingly clear. Thanks again.

 

[JOHN G]

down view is very helpful, most of the time I use the split screen on my Humminbird with 2d on one side and downscan on the other....

however, the best way to plot out off shore stone walls is with the side view....it can enable you to stay right on a wall easily.....

 

[wanttofish]

I wish I could get side scan. I was lucky to get Garmin chirp 2D with 2 frequencies and down view 2 frequencies. Thank you.

 

[hominamad]

Went to New Croton reservoir on the east side today. 1st time on a boat there. Had a Garmin striker 4 plus with clear view on the transom of my Jon boat. I thought the water would be clearer in visibility just looking at it. Probably did about mile of shoreline and noticed whole lot of weeds. I think it's hydrilla down to 15' or 16' off the bank. As thick as a carpet. I lost a 8" dink on a 4" paddle tail. I give him credit but too big for him. Lol. I threw top water. Soft plastics. Finesse worms. Beaver Bates. Shaky head. Whopper plopper. Then just started playing with the bluegills with some worms I brought. So what's the deal with this reservoir other then the obvious.. it's August and the water is 80ﾟ at the surface? I know it's a very big reservoir and I only did a small portion of it. I did notice that the banks drop off fairly steep at most places I saw very little if any submerged structure. Only a few drop offs other than the bank. No rocks that I saw or submerged logs other than the few lay downs that fell off the bank. It seems like a very flat bottom reservoir. Thoughts / opinions? Just curious? Very few fish but a was a very good day..

Hey there, I was also out there this weekend. Also recently put a boat in. Which site are you at? We're at 22. This was our third time out since getting the boat. My son and I haven't gotten a bite yet, nor seen any signs of life whatsoever. Tried a combination of lures, different areas, depths, etc. We don't have a fish finder, so going a bit blind. I'm new to the sport so I'm not sure what I would do with the fish finder anyways!

I also noticed a ton of what I guess is algae in the water? The water throughout the reservoir was completely green and had visible particles floating everywhere. How does this affect the fish behavior? Does the city treat the water at all for this or just let it run its natural course?

If anyone has any tips to share around site 22, I would love to hear. My son is starting to get a bit discouraged, as am I!

 

[JOHN G]

Hominadad: Don't get discouraged! First of all, this has been one of the toughest summers ever in the history of these waters for catching fish: far too many of us long timers have been stumped also.....

But I can't emphasize this fact enough: without a side finding sonar, and a good contour map of the water, used in conjunction with each other, you will have little to no chance of catching fish in the Fall......

for example, almost directly across from your boat location , there is a weed hump, and there is a stone wall that emerges from that weed hump that runs almost all the way towards your location.....impossible to locate without side scan.....although not a guarantee, this is the type of example of structural and cover elements that one must look for in the fall, as fish go gradually deeper and deeper.

I must strongly suggest two things to you, and our original poster:

1. try to get a hold of a copy of an out of print book called: SPOONPLUGGING by the late Buck Perry: this is the BIBLE of offshore fishing and gives one a great understanding of bass movements and migration paths. In that book you will also learn the all important distinction between cover and structure in Bass Fishing

2. make it a MUST to get a side finding sonar and learn how to use it....come on here with questions, someone will always eventually answer......

 

[hominamad]

Hominadad: Don't get discouraged! First of all, this has been one of the toughest summers ever in the history of these waters for catching fish: far too many of us long timers have been stumped also.....

But I can't emphasize this fact enough: without a side finding sonar, and a good contour map of the water, used in conjunction with each other, you will have little to no chance of catching fish in the Fall......

for example, almost directly across from your boat location , there is a weed hump, and there is a stone wall that emerges from that weed hump that runs almost all the way towards your location.....impossible to locate without side scan.....although not a guarantee, this is the type of example of structural and cover elements that one must look for in the fall, as fish go gradually deeper and deeper.

I must strongly suggest two things to you, and our original poster:

1. try to get a hold of a copy of an out of print book called: SPOONPLUGGING by the late Buck Perry: this is the BIBLE of offshore fishing and gives one a great understanding of bass movements and migration paths. In that book you will also learn the all important distinction between cover and structure in Bass Fishing

2. make it a MUST to get a side finding sonar and learn how to use it....come on here with questions, someone will always eventually answer......

Thanks! This is a bit encouraging. I'm curious why these reservoirs are so tricky for catching fish? I've been to other lakes and small ponds where it's almost too easy to catch fish! I would think the reservoir would be a haven for all kinds of fish - especially since it's so protected. I don't really understand.

Also I'm curious about the algae and weeds. How do they affect the bass behavior? Do the bass like to hang out by the shore weeds during summer at all? And does the city treat the water at all to manage the weeds and algae?

Finally, what sonar system do you recommend for our purposes?

Thanks again for your encouraging words.

 

[NYCAngler]

I would think the reservoir would be a haven for all kinds of fish - especially since it's so protected. I don't really understand.

Also I'm curious about the algae and weeds. How do they affect the bass behavior? Do the bass like to hang out by the shore weeds during summer at all? And does the city treat the water at all to manage the weeds and algae?

Finally, what sonar system do you recommend for our purposes?

1.Protected......Many believe the reasons for the difficult fishing has to do with poaching and lack of enforcement in regard to the rules when it comes to keeping fish.

2. In general the weeds are good for the bass, they should hang out in weeds that run deep, the key is finding where those deep weeds and the thermocline meet, but in recent years , even when you find deep weeds and thermocline or structure the fish are not there(hence the poaching issue).

3.I would look at Humminbird Helix 5 with side imaging.

Good luck out there and if you see anyone out on the water that you are suspicious of , call NYC DEC police at 1 844 332 3267, DEP Police are good too, but DEC is better at identifying fish being illegally harvested.

 

[JOHN G]

thanks John, for responding to him....everything he said, plus: The humminbird 5 is the lowest cost alternative to what you have: if you can afford it, the bigger screen of the 7 is nicer to look at.....

 

[Nynick89]

I'm also new to New Croton and have caught a few fish here and there. My boat is at NC23 but I went out with my buddys on their boat at 22 and got this nice 1 a few weeks back.

 

[JOHN G]

the people, such as yourself, Nick, can attest to just how difficult the fishing has been....

 

[hominamad]

Thanks again guys. I showed my son your photo, Nick, and it gave him some hope!

Assuming we're not ready to drop a few hundred $$$ on the fish finder just yet, any general tips of what to try? i.e. this time of year, if we're out around sunset, should we stick to the shorelines right outside the weeds? Or deeper waters? For lures, we tried a number of things, but statistically speaking, what type seem to be most successful around now?

 

[JOHN G]

without a sonar at all, the best you could do is use the visible weed edges as a starting point, fish them, then systematically fish a certain distance farther and farther from them......

Check to see if they'll hit a moving bait, like a crankbait, if not, stick to bottom bouncers....again, it's tough enough WITH a sonar, if not the right one, without one altogether, if it's not the springtime, it gets very difficult.....When the fish are setting up to spawn, they are all closer to shore and you could get away without a sonar then, but now, it's just going to make life much harder for you.

 

[Nynick89]

I think I'm ready to invest in a sonar, any suggestions in the 3-400 range. I'm 100% addicted to fishing the reservoir and I feel like I'm just rolling dice blind folded. As for whats worked for me, finesse fishing. Texas rig and ned rig 2 great options I alway get bites on.

 

[wanttofish]

The boat we used is at spot 25. I've learned to bring night crawlers/worms with me. Because if the bass aren't hitting we could always catch sunnies. They are pretty easy to catch.

 

[wanttofish]

I'm relatively new to bass fishing too. My teenage son is addicted to fishing which in turn is very good for me. One thing I have learned is that it's fishing and not catching. Very rare will you go out and catch a ton of fish. I remember as a kid 40 years ago the old timers would say.... kid you gotta put in your time and then you start learnin in catchin. This is a new body of water for me so im the new kid on the block and I have to learn my area and that only comes with time. I don't have the answers because I learning too. that's why I've been posting on here recently. Thank you everyone for your tips.

 

[JOHN G]

here you go, a fully loaded Humminbird: https://www.hodgesmarine.com/hum410230-1-humminbird-helix-5-g2-chirp-si-gps-combo.html


this is the helix 5 series: only thing the big boys have on this is the size of the screen, but in terms of features, it would give you the very latest technology, and the screen resolution is excellent, as well as much improved vision of the screen in sunlight.

 

[jakerubo]

NC has been rough this season for sure. Most of my honey holes have produced 0 fish and my only sustained success was the spring SMB bite.

I think the recommendation to research offshore techniques is a good one(and one I need to do as well). Growing up beating the banks from shore definitely biases you towards fishing laydowns and shore structure which becomes difficult/impossible fishing in summer.

Good luck!