What happens when you move? When you pick up your whole life and move across the country and don’t know where and how to fish, how do you figure it out? I’ll be the first to tell you, I am not an expert at learning new lakes or trying new baits, etc. but I can give some pointers and ideas on where to start. It’s been exactly a year and a half now since I moved from West Michigan to the DFW Metroplex in Texas. I went from having natural lakes, rivers, and streams galore to now trying to tackle monstrous reservoirs. I was used to fishing docks, weeds, and shallows and although I wouldn’t always get a huge fish, I always caught a lot. Now I’m facing huge bodies of water with hardly any docks, not a lot of vegetation, and quick drop-offs with not a lot of cover for fish in the limited shallow areas.  

At first, I wanted to know where I should even start to fish. I looked on the maps on my phone and was overwhelmed by the size of the lakes. I zoomed in and tried to find things I was used to. I looked for launches near docks or little coves I could fish in, but I wasn’t having any luck. I started to seek help and here is where my suggestions start:

• Do a google search, you’ll be surprised what you might find. Look for things like local guides and the fishing reports for different lakes. 
• Find your local kayak dealer, odds are the staff are into fishing and they will be well versed in the area and can point you in the right direction and what baits are working good. The same could be said for local bait shops.
• Go basically anywhere which sells fishing equipment. I had luck going to Bass Pro and Academy sports. I asked the employees there (the ones in the outdoors section who seemed knowledgeable) where I could find fish in the area.  
• Once you get somewhere, start asking other anglers on the water. Even though they might not give away their favorite spots, we’re all looking out for each other in the end. 
• My biggest tip, use social media! The number one way I have found areas to fish is by joining a local kayak fishing page (DFW Kayak Fishing (DFWKFG)) on Facebook. This allowed me to connect with other anglers in the area, including ones who have lived here all their lives. I joined local tournaments and was shown places I never would have found on my own. One of those places has produced more fish than anywhere else I have been since I have been here.

There are plenty of ways to get to know an area, and this is only a start; however, these are the things which helped me most and I hope you try them whether you’re moving or just starting out in fishing!

Tight lines, 

Sean Herp