Finding Fish On Foreign Waters

5 time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier, David Walker has a unique formula for locating Bass on unfamiliar waters.  As a tour pro, he often is faced with water ways that he has never seen before.  He has qualified for next week's BASS Open Championship on Toledo Bend and has confessed that it is a body of water that he has very little experience on.

"To tell you the truth, I have been on that lake one time for a tour stop so I don't have any real idea of what to expect."  He stated recently.  "I fished a BASS Top 150 (Tour Event)in 2001 and caught about 18 pounds over three days, I finished 83rd.  I don't have much experience on this lake."

ProBassAnglers.com recently asked how he will prepare for the upcoming event, particularly with only an allowable three days of prefishing.

"The most important thing to do is to fall back on your knowledge of seasonal patterns.  Dock talk, the stuff you hear around the diner or tackle shop is not reliable, especially when you only have three days, it can really send you off on a wild goose chase.  I have a formula that has helped me:"

• "1st-I establish what of water I am going to be fishing, river system, tidal impoundment, highland reservoir, lowland reservoir, man-made or natural.-Each of these bodies of water will have their own characteristics.  Toledo Bend is a highland reservoir, it is man-made, so I know that dropoffs and ledges will be a factor.  The banks are basically going to be steep and fish will use that structure orient themselves.

• 2nd-I want to establish what kind of forage is the key part of the food chain.  At Toledo Bend, shad is the main dietary staple.

• 3rd-This is a late Fall tournament so forage will be the key and at this time of the year, the shad should be in the creek channels and moving.  I will target river arms during prefish that have bait and will ignore those that do not.  Birds and my electronics will be important things to key in on when I am looking for possible spots to fish.

• Finally, map study is very important, I can do that well before I ever get to the lake.  With a map, I can zero in on 6 or 7 creek arms or areas that I think might hold fish and look at them each day."

"By the time the tournament gets started, I will have a good idea of what I need to do.  It takes approaching the prefish with a good plan of attack.  I think it is also important to note that if I have a bad day prefishing, lets say I don't even get a bite, this also helps me to eliminate water and perhaps the techniques I have been fishing.  It all has to go into that computer upstairs called your brain."

Perhaps the most important thing that Walker mentions is his approach to a fishless day.  Many anglers would be down on themselves and negative.  Walker's approach to a fishless day is just that he eliminated water. 

We have the unique opportunity to watch Walker's formula in action.  He will fish the Open Championship December 4-7 and we will watch him especially to see if his formula......well, you know....holds water.                 How Did He Do?