Fishing Pressure On The Rock This Year

[Quillback]

More pressure on The Rock this year? Seems like it to me.

[Sprint21fter]

The last three weeks with big tournaments has made an impact. However, the tournaments will slowly dwindle down as the summer heat wears on.

[Cajunangler]

_{I would say there has been more fishing pressure on lakes and rivers over the past several years. I catch far more fish that have obvious signs of being hooked recently than I did when I first moved to the Ozarks. I'm guessing the "advertising machine" that encourages people to buy boats and fishing equipment is working its magic. It also seems obvious that not all of the increased pressure is coming from seasoned anglers but rather newcomers to the sport that are just looking for a new hobby. Whether or not this will impact fishing a positive or negative manner will only be determined over time.}

[Feathers and Fins]

Quill, there was a report on the news not long ago that NWA had surpassed 500,000 people. As population increases so does pressure on the resource. I see many new boats on Beaver each weekend, use to be I could pick out the same people and pretty much new where they were going to go and for what. It is a double edge sword... More pressure can mean tougher to catch but also means more voices to support the resource. The biggest boost IMO is Yaks its allowing people who cant afford a boat payment or want one and its upkeep to get on the water, I think its pretty cool seeing them on the water especially with those massive wakes they throw and blasting music pulling 6 kids in tubes without life vest

[fishingaddiction]

I agree QB. In the last 3 weeks the fishing pressure in the KC area has been crazy. At times it seemed you had to take a number to get in or around any spawning pocket.

[Alex Heitman]

Pressure has been hard lately on the lake. That's why I just fish nothing looking banks that have t been fished and have done well

[willyfish]

I agree with you Alex, I just fish new water now. With the amount of pressure on the lake I try to fish the stuff that doesn't "look" good. I think it makes you a better fisherman in the long run and allows you to use your imagination more by thinking about what's under the water.

[Bill Babler]

I'm noticing it in the fish that I catch along with the numbers of fishermen I am seeing. I do not fish a single day that I do not catch fish with hook sores in their mouths. Usually at least a dozen fish a day will have been caught previously. Speaks great volumes of our catch and release position on the Rock here as most all of us are returning them to be caught multiple times and they are being caught over and over.

Fished yesterday on Bull Shoals with Phil Lilley. By the end of the day we had caught and released well over 50 probably closer to 75 bass and none of them had a hook mark in them. All fat clean and clear. The SM. were much heaver than those on the rock and had a deeper dark green tiger stripe. They were completely full across the backs and for the length much heaver than our fish here. Just a completely different eco-system down there and a different world.

[merc1997 Bo]

I'm noticing it in the fish that I catch along with the numbers of fishermen I am seeing. I do not fish a single day that I do not catch fish with hook sores in their mouths. Usually at least a dozen fish a day will have been caught previously. Speaks great volumes of our catch and release position on the Rock here as most all of us are returning them to be caught multiple times and they are being caught over and over.

Fished yesterday on Bull Shoals with Phil Lilley. By the end of the day we had caught and released well over 50 probably closer to 75 bass and none of them had a hook mark in them. All fat clean and clear. The SM. were much heaver than those on the rock and had a deeper dark green tiger stripe. They were completely full across the backs and for the length much heaver than our fish here. Just a completely different eco-system down there and a different world.

sure is bill. for one thing they do not have all the houses on the lake and that means less sewer going into the water. since bull shoals is further to get to from metro areas, they do not have all the big boat traffic that table rock has. and, less fishing pressure.

bo

[dtrs5kprs]

I'm noticing it in the fish that I catch along with the numbers of fishermen I am seeing. I do not fish a single day that I do not catch fish with hook sores in their mouths. Usually at least a dozen fish a day will have been caught previously. Speaks great volumes of our catch and release position on the Rock here as most all of us are returning them to be caught multiple times and they are being caught over and over.Fished yesterday on Bull Shoals with Phil Lilley. By the end of the day we had caught and released well over 50 probably closer to 75 bass and none of them had a hook mark in them. All fat clean and clear. The SM. were much heaver than those on the rock and had a deeper dark green tiger stripe. They were completely full across the backs and for the length much heaver than our fish here. Just a completely different eco-system down there and a different world.

Now that would make a nice report on the Bull forum.

Pressure always seems a little worse at power pool and below than at 918 or higher also. Just plain fishes smaller. BASS has brought a lot of publicity to the area lately as well.