"NH" wrote in message
...
I'm going about halfway up the lower peninsula of Michigan the next to
last
week of August. I'll have everyday access to a 100-120 acre, natural lake
that gets relatively little bass fishing pressure. In the past the water
has been clear, with visibility anywhere from 10-20 feet. I don't know
the
average depth of the lake, but I do know it has flats around about 75% of
the shore perimeter that extend about 50-100 feet. Then there is a
substantial dropoff from that point into the depths of the lake.
Substantial lily pads mirror the dropoff all the way around the lake.

The southeast arm of the lake is a relatively shallow cove (about 10-15
feet
deep), with lots of submerged vegetation (I don't remember what kind,
sorry - I think it was relatively grassy?). I've caught a number of fish
on
texas rigged worms in this section. I also have had success in the
evening
with topwater lures in this corner.

The west corner of the lake is visually unremarkable, but I always seem to
catch the most fish there, using texas-rigged worms and flatfish lures,
working them back toward the center of the lake. There are also a nice
number of perch up to 10 or 11 inches in this corner.

The northwest side of the lake has flats that are about 100 feet wide, and
then it drops off into a system of (visible) humps until it gets too deep
to
see. I have never had too much success fishing there, though I've seen
some
giant snapper turtles swimming there (up to nearly 3 feet wide across the
back!).

I have had similar success with worms and flatfish on parts of the east
side
of the lake in terms of bass fishing.

My question is - what techniques and lures would be best on a lake like
this? I do not have access to electronics, so I'm fishing blind. I know
it
's hard to tell me from my meager description of the lake, but :-) ..

Fishing blind like you are isn't necessarily the detriment that you think.
Anglers were fishing without electronics far longer than with, and somehow
they managed to catch fish.

Going with a very simplistic approach, it would be fairly simple to use a
"search" lure like a 3/8th oz. Secret Weapon spinnerbait. I would get three
colors, firetiger (which mimics a perch quite well), a bleeding shad and a
midnight snack. Work the edges of the weeds, as well as any pockets that
you can, firing out casts and working the spinnerbait over the tops of the
weeds, letting it flutter at the deeper water edge. This allows you to
cover a fair amount of water in a relatively short period of time, catching
the actively feeding bass.

When you do make contact and catch the active bass, now is the time to pick
up a rod rigged with a soft plastic jerk bait like the Bass Assassin, Zoom
Fluke or Lunker City Sluggo/FinS Minnow. Rig the minnow Texas Style, with a
3/0 to 5/0 hook, depending on the lure's size. Go back through the areas
that you found the active fish on the spinnerbaits and pick up the less
aggressive fish on the soft plastics.

It's a method that I use when fishing new water.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com