mud flats ?

[delta hunter]

a couple of us are coming up to the big pond the last weekend of the month and are looking at fishing the mud flats. We are bring a perm house and i am just wondering if people are catching eyes right by the drop offs or more on the basin of the flats during low light and overnight? Thanks

[ldbbeck]

Stayed overnight 3 times this year. first two nights had 3-4 bites from 9:00pm-10:30 then nothing untill morning. the last time got back from bar at 11:000pm had no bites. We were off the edge 28-29 feet.

[gregg52]

you need to find a point or somthing on those flats

something different then sit so you are able to fish the edges

just finding the drop off on a flat isnt always going to put you on fish

[delta hunter]

Thanks for the info. I just didn't know if the eyes were relating to the edge of the drop off of were more spread out on top of the flats.

[Mr_Iceman]

Also heading to Mud Flats this Thurs - Sat. Planing on working several different flats on the West side off of Terry's most likely. If your intersted, email me your phone # and we can trade info.

[Sir_Sumo]

you need to find a point or somthing on those flats

something different then sit so you are able to fish the edges

just finding the drop off on a flat isnt always going to put you on fish

well when you say sit and fish the edges, what do you mean? I've been up there 3 times this year all times on the flats. Ok, if we can imagine a building as a flat, when you say fish the edges do you mean the roof or the street? If anyone can answer that, I would like to try it out this weekend when i go back up. Thanks.

[gogophers]

Right where the building meets the street, the sidewalk I guess.

[gregg52]

fish the roof till you fall off.............

then when you come to fish the gutter!!!!!

[Sir_Sumo]

thanks guys, guess i will try to do that then. Kind of have been doing that this whole time since getting a gps. Wish I had a camera though to know what I am fishing rather than just having the flasher mark unknown fish.

[chris63]

One thing I would like to toss into the pot.Just because they are called mud flats doesn't mean their all mud.Bring a 50'tape measure and "feel"the bottom when you drill.Won't be long and you'll get the knack of finding transition areas or the "spot"on the spot.Good luck and don't fall in!c63

[BrdHunter01]

A 50ft tape measure to feel the bottom? Now Ive heard it all!! Haha

[gregg52]

lol

ya that would be a fast way to find transition areas.....in this

day of modern technology...lol

there are harder spots on some of those flats but they are few and far between and if you just going to go probing good luck on finding them

i cant say i ever really did any better on those....as i said before

there are points and turns on those flats that hold fish and areas that dont...if you are not marking fish....MOVE

remember as a general rule about 10% of any given lake actually holds fish

[chris63]

Never tried the tape.Does work well.I know it's old school but it does save energy!U know save the planet and all.c63

[chris63]

Never tried the tape either eh?I have to respectfully disagree that the hard/gravel/mud/rock transition areas are that few and far between around the flats.There are many areas that people miss with the "new technology".c63

[Pat Burch]

Interesting way of finding tranistions area, However I would recommend using your electronics to identify these areas, it is much quicker. Unless you do not have a graph. I use a vexilar and the bottom compostion is really easy to determine especially harder bottoms on the mud flats.

[hart0670]

Pat, I just purchased my first flasher and am curious what I should look for when trying to find changes in the bottom composition, such as harder spots on a mud flat. I'll be taking it out on Mille Lacs this weekend to test it out. Will it show a dark red line if the bottom is harder as opposed to a line that may have more yellow or green if the bottom is softer (mud)? Is there anything else that should be noted?

Thanks!

[korn_fish]

hart - on flats, a wider bottom echo means harder bottom vs. a thinner red line indicates softer bottom. Either will be red.

On break lines, it is tougher to distinguish as the slope actually causes the red line to be wider as well.

[gregg52]

grave and rock on the flats ????/

i wasnt aware of any om the middle flats

afew on the west shore have some rock and gravel

but 7-8-9....shermans.....squichi...boot... etc etc

maybe some harder spots

[Pat Burch]

Hart it depends on what type of electronics you bought. I can only speak about what I use which is the vexilar during the winter and the lowrance graphs in the summer. The soft bottom mud flats on a vexilar will show up red with allot of red echo behind them as the sonar is reading through the silt trying to determine the actual bottom. Sometimes with a vexilar when you use the bottom 6ft zoom feature on the mud flats you will not even get to look at 6 feet of the bottom maybe only 3-4 feet, when this happens you know you have a really soft bottom. Harder bottoms will be a crisp definite bottom line on the vexilar with not allot of echo behind it and the echo that is there will be more yellows and greens. In the summer on a lowrance graph that is set correctly your muddy areas will be more red and blue, your hard bottom areas will be yellow. Good luck fishing, I am betting you will never fish without a graph the rest of your life now that you bought one.