Fish-Hawk.Net

My son, my dad, and I will be on Dog Lake next week - staying at a place known online as "Three Little Cottages". We're in the back of a bay at the southern end of the lake. The map project is a little sparse for this water. Any suggestions on where to start? We're mainly fishing for bass - although my son likes the toothy critters too. Should we bother crossing over to Cranberry?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Can't wait to get there.

Dog Lake is alot like Beverley. A very deep basin (actually 2 from C3-A5) and a very shallow one (southern area E3-F1,G2) seperated by a narrows. You have the same variety of options as Beverley. For LMB look for thick beds of coontail weed. It won't be any trouble because Dog is full of it. There is lot's of shallow slop/pad fishing too.

The 3 Cottages I'm certain are in the Shipyards/Gilmour Point area, C2,3 on the map. The Shipyards (boat ramp) is a shallow stumpy bay which is full of bass but gets hammered hard. Gilmour Point is where the beach is. Off the point are some deep weedbeds that have lots of LMB. Around the corner behind the point is a massive weed flat that is full of LMB.

For SMB try the the islands and shoals in this whole area from C3-A5. I'd try around Knapp Island, C5 in the narrows.

The southern part of the lake is very shallow. It's were I fish most often - G2. Mainly because its closest for me. As can be expected it is full of LMB. I get out alot and don't really care if I catch a ton of fish or not so I like to fish a topwater (Dying Flutter) over submerged weeds. That being said I do more than alright. So don't overlook the topwater baits!

My favourite lake around here - but having said that, today was my first time out on Dog for this season. Fishing was fairly tough, but we kind of expected that, with a thunder storm yesterday and a cold front last night - and forecast T&L storm for later today (but it does not look like that will happen)....

Most anglers do concentrate on the weeds, but there is lots of fairly clear deeper water, and I have caught hundreds of bass over the years along the shorelines - anywhere I can cast a jig or worm. For sure, the average size of the largemouth that I catch are smaller than the average fish that comes out of the weeds. But I do not like weed fishing, never have, always prefer light line and finesse presentations. Today I was using four pound test Fireline Crystal, with 1 lb test diameter, you gotta love it!

We spoke with a few boatloads of anglers from Ohio and New Jersey - they had been here since Saturday and fishing had been fairly slow for them - no doubt because of the unsettled weather we have had lately.

Today's colour (and it usually is) was black - black jigs, black grubs, black worms, black Gulp minnow worms. One smallie came in on a storm Wild Eye Jig in a silver/minnow colour. We caught nine or ten bass in four hours on the water, kept four for tonight's supper. No big bass at all today, largest was not even two pounds. The four fish I filleted were all VERY clean fish, no worms, very nice looking fillets.

Yes it is worthwhile to go into Cranberry Lake via Fiddler's Elbow. It is also worthwhile to go into Cranesnest Lake at the north end, west of Hogan's Camp Ground (go up the East side of Dog to the end, then go west). If you go into Cranesnest, go SLOW, and on your electric. There are a lot of stumps and such. We have never caught much in the water between Hogan's and the Cranesnest, but it does look like fishy water - maybe we never found the "secret lure" for the fish through that part of the lake........

And while I am talking about stumps and dead-heads, watch out for those in the Shipyards Bay too - I had a deadhead crease my hull in there once about ten years ago........

Lots of water there, more than enough to keep you occupied for a week.

Doug

Hey there. Id make the trip to cranberry for sure! I have a trailer in at brass point camp ground. Cranberry sure has some nice bass. The water is clearer than dog. so you have to go with a natural bait colour.

I enjoy fishing with a Top water lure just before dark. The average fish is a nice 2 - 3 lb range. I release most all of my fish. Most people fish the weed beds in cranberry and the lake is full of them. You need to find coontail weeds that are heathy not chocked with algea. Plastic worms or jig and pigs will put lots of fish in your boat.

Dont forget you can also fish white fish lake! Depending on the size of your boat. The swing bridge is open from 8am to 7pm. most smaller tin boats can slip under the bridge. I've even seen bass boats do it.

As for spots to fish. Im afraid you have to find your own little favorite.

maybe I'll see ya on the water. I'll be the guy in the legend boat with my yellow lab "skeet".

save some for me

back to ganman.........

To what map are you referring with thsoe coordinates C5, A3 and such?

Doug

Doug - GM is referring to the map of the lake in the Map Project section.

All - Thanks for the great replies. I appreciate all of the time you put into them. Hopefully, we get into them. I like fishing weeds, wood, etc., as I am typically fishing a rocky river.

Don't worry, we don't keep anything. Just take lots of pics.

I'm hoping (not for my sake, but my son's) that we'll get some pike too.

back to susquahannasmallmouth (hope I spelled that right )

Got the map, thanks a lot.

But why would we WORRY about you keeping a few fish for the table?

I am not one of those sanctimonious folks that thinks every fish has to go back into the water. Fish are FOOD, and really GOOD food too! If you keep some fish for the table, that is a good thing - otherwise we all could be painted with the PETA brush, that we only want to catch fish to make them suffer. Dog Lake is a prolific lake and can easily stand some catch and keep fishing.

And (burp) the largemouth fillets I had for supper were DELICIOUS!

As for pike, there is a deep hole beside an island on the west shore opposite the entrance to Fiddler's Elbow. Go to the west side of that small island, and stay in the 12 or 15 feet of water south of the visible shoal in there - I have not fished it this year, but most years, the gators are in there thick as thieves. We found this out too many times to count by getting bit off when we were jigging that hole for bass.

Doug

you guys picked a great lake to fish the largemouth fishing is excellent in almost any weedy bay but the largest ones hold the most and largest fish. smallies can be found around the deep basin part of the lake usually key on humps that top out at 15' to 20',you'll find some nice pike on some of these humps too.remember that the major baitfish in dog are shad so find the shad find the pike!

Doug - I just wanted to let you know that after all the advice you guys were giving me, I wouldn't be cleaning out all of these spots.