How do I fish my favorite lake in my own backyard? What is the best way? THERE ISN'T A BEST WAY! Your favorite lake is for fun and family. Why should you even worry about catching a fish? Whether it's a stock dam just a few hundred yards from the farm house, huge Lake Erie or Michigan, Oahe Reservoir, Mille Lacs, or a host of others, it should be a place to go have fun with family and friends. Forget about catching fish. If that happens, it's a bonus. Your main purpose in being on the water isn't to win a tournament or fill the freezer.

You might "launch" the day with the idea of catching enough for a shore lunch, but if you don't, take the sirloins out of the cooler and start the grill. Boil water for a dozen ears of sweet corn. Sip on your favorite beverage; tell stories; take a nap; listen to the waves lapping against the side of your boat.

Home lakes may include the area closest to the nearest boat landing. Just because a body of water may be extensive in size, you can still enjoy a piece of home territory. Practically living on Lake Oahe and having Lake Sharpe flow about 20 yards from my back door has given me a unique opportunity to study home water. Most of my Lake Sharpe fishing was done from a lawn chair in the backyard with a rod or two out along the beach. With me were my son, daughters, wife and friends; and if we happened to get a bite, all the better.

There are some tips on fishing your home waters that should be remembered. I note these only because they apply to lakes that we know "too well." The old adage "familiarity breeds contempt" is true. You can know your own lake "too well." Because you've spent so much time in a lifetime on the lake, your angler, computer mind is probably overloaded with data. If you try to decide what to use, where to go with regard to wind, water temperature, sky, season, color... and the list goes on, you'll just overload. Don't even think about it is my advice. Just load up the boat, grab your kids or friends and go fishing.

Editors Note: This article is one of the 50 questions Mike McClelland answers in his new book Walleye Trouble-Shooting, click here to order.