# Alum Creek - Anatomy of a Point



## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

My favorite fishing structure on Alum Creek is the point. I consider a good point as one that has fairly deep (15’) channels on both sides and extends well out into the lake to a depth of at least 20 - 25. This structure of a point allows me to fish the sides where the depth change is rather quick. Fishing out the point into the lake gives me a more gradual depth change.

In pre-front and frontal conditions (cloudy / west wind / good chop on the water) I generally find more fish feeding on the top of the point where it more gradually slopes into the lake. In post-front conditions (blue bird skies / north or east wind) I find the fish more along the edges of the point where it drops more quickly into deeper water. If I have a wind coming across the point I like fishing the down-wind edge where the mud line forms from the wind coming across the top of the point near the shoreline.

The point just north of the Hollenback launch ramp (south of dog swimming beach) is a good example of a point that meets these conditions. If you look at a map or aerial photo of it you will see what I mean.

Now it's your turn to share your favorite structure!


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Cool post FF, I like fishing points in lakes also, and I'm sure a lot a guys here also do the same, it's cool to read how different anglers like to break it down into different techniques , thanks for sharing your knowledge on fishing them!


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

As for me I love finding submerged humps in Deepwater. I'll cross over it several times at different angles, finding and marking the steep sides or slow drop off sides of the hump, I especially like finding a "saddle" in the hump, or if it's a large hump, I'll mark any kind of " flat" area on top . I think fishing these humps and drop offs with drop shot rigged live bait is a lot of fun and produces several species of fish!


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## Rangerman12 (Mar 29, 2015)

That's a very neat picture of lake on the drawdown. If you don't mind where did you find that picture


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

I took them. I take my fishing seriously!


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

Flats with deep water nearby.. extra special with mud lines during the day or after dark. On any lake. Not just alum


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

Wow fishin finatic is still the man! The last few years I have taken to fishing what I call bowl areas. Areas where two points come out and basically form a "reverse point". These areas are baitfish funnels and give opportunities for various styles of fishing. What ff said about lake conditions and where fish relate is spot on. If you get wind especially blowing into a bowl area the back can be excellent. Other times all around the u shaped rim on the slope or even the ditch can be great. Try it some time if you only fish the point you may be missing out. There are several areas like this in various lakes that produce all the time


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## ski (May 13, 2004)

Great stuff!! I love those pics at low water. I need to find more.
Ski


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

I like fishing drain areas. They seem to funnel a lot of fish.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Alum Creek has just about every type of structure that a fisherman could ask for. And throughout the year I fish different types according to the season. These are the types that have been most productive for me. 
In the Spring I like large flats that taper slowly to deeper water. Also secondary points inside coves.

In the Summer I like banks that come out anywhere from 5' to 10' and drop off into deep water. Last summer Alum had a lot more weeds than most would've thought! These drop off areas had lots of weeds on them and I was able to catch fish off them all summer long. Fishing the old creek channels also provided a lot of action.

In the Fall you can almost revert back to spring tactics. I like the flats closer to deep water. And ditches that come up onto flats. Old road beds also seem to produce better in the fall. Points are good almost year round!

In the Winter I pretty much stay in the comfort of my warm home! I used to do the ice fishing and hit some spillways, but I'm not a big fan of really cold weather any more! Lol!

Alum has truly become a great fishing lake! And it has excellent populations of all species! A lot of it boils down to which type of species you want to target. If you take the time to put the work in, like Fishin Finatic says, you can find whatever type of structure that suits your style of fishing and you can find some real honey holes!


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

Agrees completely with polebender. Except for the spring spawning season the seasonal change is dictated by the location of the forage. Find what they eat and they won't be far away. The weeds provide a good hiding place for the forage. Hope they don't drop the lake 10' again soon and kill all the weeds.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

What a great thread guys,thankyou,all!
It really is amazing how many points,flats,ledges,bowls,culverts there are at alum. Not the mention the islands on the tips of alot of points that have eroded away over time. I remember when the island right across from new galena ramp used to be above the water. Nice little ditches between those areas that hold fish.


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

Polebender & Saugeyefisher mentioned roadbeds. There is Old Africa Road that runs from the dam to Cheshire on the east side of the south pool. Then old South Old State Road from the campground launch and crosses the mouth of Big Run. All coves drain through culverts under the road. Super place for fish to hold all summer and fall. Here is what it looks like.


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

Gary, thanks so much as always for sharing! Can you share your process once you get to the point to find the fish? Do you just pass by with side imaging to first identify if there are even fish holding there or do you zigzag with regular sonar? 

Once you find them do you go jigging blades first and then go more finesse if they don't react? Sometimes when finding schools of fish they just don't bite. Not sure if just marking shad or I need to switch the presentation up more....


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

I guess my 40 years of fishing Alum tells me where to look for the fish and what lures to use. 

But if I go to a lake I don't know well I would start with a good topo map. I would look for structure ... points, roadbeds. culverts, constrictions (where lake narrows and then opens up like the bridges at Alum). When I got to the lake I would note the weather and wind direction. I like a steady breeze of 8-20 mph. The wind tells me where to concentrate first. I generally like the downwind side of structure.

If it wasn't spawning season I would look for feeding areas close to deep (12'+) water. I would use my sonar to look for bait fish not necessarily the fish I'm trying to catch. I will try top water and crank baits in water less than 10' unless I find wood and then try a texas rigged worm or lizard. I like using drop shot in water up to 9 - 15' and blades or spoons for deeper. The lure is just a tool for getting your hook near the fish and enticing him to hit it.

Right now there are schools of shad being busted by white bass but bass and eyes are under the white bass waiting for injured shad to drop by. The weeds are finally growing in Alum and the eyes are beginning to relate to them. They will be too shallow for a sonar to help so just fish the edges with a small jig and twister or Joshy.

Remember that 1 fish isn't a pattern and 2 is getting warm. If you catch 3 or more in an area with same or similar presentation you may have a pattern. Go to similar places on the lake to test it out.

Hope this helps a little.


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

Appreciate it, Gary! I've been fishing Alum from the boat since 2010 and feel I've gotten better over time but have plateaued a bit the last year. Need to go to the lake with a game plan around points and stick with it instead of reverting back to the same old spots and casting vibes. Thanks again!


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## eyes1501 (Feb 26, 2013)

Good stuff. I like the old road beds on hot days like yesterday and today. Most of my luck with any fish on alum is a semi shallow flat near deeper water. Especially with some rock piles near by. Not always but if I'm in a flat and I see balls of shad there is saugeye following them around. If I start catching white bass typically saugeye will come into play. For me this is always from Bank or wading. I am not a boat owner. Now after reading all this I have to come up with an excuse to leave work.


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## Brownfish89 (Feb 27, 2012)

One thing about a point is there is always something ON that point that makes it GOOD
A few stumps,a rock pile,a little depresion or rise.
Something on that point holds the fish.
It may be the size of a truck or the size of a trash can lid.


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## docman90 (Apr 13, 2018)

This is a cool thread guys. The information and tactics are great!!


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Saddles, I love me a good saddle. Alum has a few but one really sticks out in my mind. It's right next to ..... oh, well I don't want to be too specific. I discovered one shortly after getting my first boat. I would scour every inch of that thing. I could spend an all nighter working all the edges, top, point and saddle. There were specific root systems on it that the fish would get under in some conditions... tiny sharp turns and points on the point. Some of my most memorable fishing excursions ever from that spot. Alum, what a fishery! (I do miss the weeds and lack of people though).


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I like the flats, a good shallow flat covered with rocks and rubble is great for saugeye especially if there is a good breeze blowing into it. Muskies like them to, but I usually find a bit further out.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

For Bass - The back of coves - Lake Points & Rocky Points.
For Crappie - Structure in about 8-15ft of water.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Glad this thread was brought back... can learn a lot from the op


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## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

Riprap, flats and sand. I like it when I find all 3 together.


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## AKlo (Apr 19, 2016)

I have to say, as a recent first-time poster, this is one of the best threads I've seen especially for new boat fishermen. Pure excellence.

I don't have onboard electronics yet, but here is my contribution - a zoomable detailed underwater topo map of Alum. A lot of those humps, trenches, and points are really visible when you zoom here.
http://fishing-app.gpsnauticalchart...charts-navigation.html#12.45/40.2216/-82.9455


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## Deerehunter03 (Sep 7, 2006)

I am taking my family there this summer (first time on this lake). This thread has helped take a large lake and helped take away alot of would be unproductive water. Something else you can do to get a good visual of the lake is go to Navionics web site. On their main page click Chartviewer (at the very top of the page.) zoom in to Alum Creek and it will show you all the road beds and Culverts on the lake to give you a better idea where they are. Then go to Google satellite view toggle back and forth between pages to get an even better grasp of live landmarks (ei... powerlines Rocky banks, grassy vs wooded shore line.) it will help you having those visual land marks from satellite when you are actually on the water. I do this for every new body of water I fish. Puts you way ahead of just going out there. 

PS if you are in satellite view on google maps, Right click with your mouse then select whats here when the menu pops up. It will give you GPS coordinates to that spot. Easy to plug in you GPS unit on the boat and takes you close to where you wanna go.


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## Buckeye Hunter (Mar 14, 2018)

Its going on midnight and I can not stop reading and learning! Thank you. I fish three points only a couple times a year. Now I understand why the fish are there and am excited to explore new spots.


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