Another successful trip in the books!  I learn a little bit more about that lake every time!  So fishing was pretty good, the water was so low that i couldnt get far enough back in the dunes to fish.  We tried to trolling motor around back there but it was taking forever to get back so we just hit up the rocky dam and Lind coulee.  caught 90% of the fish on drop shots at like 15-20' deep.  most of them were small but i did catch (1) 4 lb smallie!!! the only fish hitting topwater were dinks in the 3 to 5 inch range!! There was a jet boat club there as well so the lake was total chaos and so noisy!  pretty cool watching boats do 120mph though!  Thanks for the info its always helpful to get some tips there cause that place is so big and confusing!

Beaver huts=fish magnets back in the dunes.  Just...be careful.  You could easily beach your boat if you don't know the area.  Use your trolling motor WELL before you get to the first dune you see and you'll be fine.  You CAN make it back there; it just takes persistence until you learn the routes.

And crab creek doesn't stay deep very far!  Once you get to that first bend, shut 'er down and get on that trolling motor until you learn the area.  It looks wide and deep...it's not!  And if the water is low enough, there's big dune just under the water right at the entrance.  You have to go to one side or the other to get in.

Again...use the trolling motor for awhile until you get the lay of the land, and you'll be fine.

bassparagus wrote on 09/05/12 at 06:32:29:


That's exactly how I used to fish Potholes in my little boat like 10 years ago.  I once spent 5 days at Mar Don alone and threw a ton of topwater.  Wake up EARLY, cause like Dan said that bite dies off fast.  Fish late in the evening too.  

The water was down I think 20 ft or more so goin back in the dunes wasn't a very good option for me.  I wanted to and tried but Just couldn't make it back that far. I don't really have a good knowledge of the dunes cause I usually don't get a chance to fish it when the water is high. Crab creek also has a deep channel that should be good.  We also gotta few outta lind coulee. Buzzbait, black is the only color that ever mattered to me.

I like to hit the outer dunes and focus on the Pencil Reeds where there in clearer water and skip senkos into the reeds or spinnerbaits on the edges...a breeze determines if I throw the Spinnerbait more.

cool thanks!  did you try the dunes at all in sept??  I was planning on hitting the dunes one day and the dam side the next day...

Buzzbait the face of the dam (rip rap) in the Early AM hold on tite! move fast make lotsa casts cover lotsa water, you'll catch big largies n smallies. That's how I got em last time I was there in sept. but the bite stopped as soon as the sun started to beat down good luck.

Im heading back to potholes this weekend for the last trip of my summer.  Has anyone been out there lately or have any insider tips for tackling this place in early sept???

Thanks!