Rookie Question

[Lake Lover]

I have a question about time spent at any one spot. I realize this is probably just personal preference for most, but mine doesn't seem to be working well so thought i would see if anyone else has a recommendation that might make the little time i get on the water more productive. 

I typically can go out and get a few here or there, which is a huge improvement for me  ,  but this last time i was down, i was fishing in the Baxter to Campbell Point  area, and i marked more fish in more different area's than i think i have ever seen at any one time,  in several area's over the weekend,  yet out of 3 days, the last day is the only one i was able to get bit.  I threw jigs, drop shot, swim bait, Ned, all the normal stuff at them with no luck. 

Since i could see the fish and the shad on my graph i kept thinking, "dont leave fish to find fish" well, that didnt work out for me as i would spend a ton of time over and around them throwing different baits, different colors, different presentations etc. with no luck before i would move on, so i was thinking, (after the fact) maybe i shouldn't hang around so long and keep searching for them, as the last day i ran across a bunch that were more willing to play. 

My question is, what is your guy's limit on how much time you would spend and how many different things you would throw at a group of fish that you can see on your graph so you know they are there, before moving on?

[LD Fisher]

Great question, i have the same concern and am looking forward to the thoughts and suggestions from everyone.

[dwiebenga]

Here is my thoughts, and I am consistently on the lake 10 days a year.  I have a "milk run" of spots on the lake that produce fish for me.  However, I am not getting fish there everytime.  I have had times where I check the spot, throw a couple casts, and move on if I am not getting bit.  Then, I return later in the day and sometimes the fish are feeding again.  Overall, I think you have to be flexible and not focus on one area for long periods of time.  Stay mobile until you get bit.  Here is how I tend to fish a point or bluff end: aggressive bait first (jerkbait or topwater), then a more moderate subtle presentation ( swimbait, bigger jig, etc.), finally, I hit the Ned or finesse worm.  This approach has worked for me and I do okay in the Shell Knob area.  Just my personal thoughts and experiences.

[Guest]

one thing that you do not know for sure is if the fish you are marking are bass or something else.  next, do you see lots of bait in these areas?  any game fish is going to move around with the dinner table especially given the fact that table rock does not have the crawdad population it once had.  shad, like it or not, is the main forage now and many of the bass have become very nomadic and just follow the kitchen table around.

if what you are marking are bass, you just need to keep experimenting with getting them to trigger to your presentation.  i see you mention a host of different lures, but do not mention if you change whether you tried vertical fall verses horizontal.  how many different weights did you try?  these are all factors into getting an inactive bass to strike at your offering.  it is something that time on the water helps with.  and, time spent learning what you are actually looking at on your electronics helps also.  fish as much as you can, and learn each time you go.

bo

[Lake Lover]

1 hour ago, dwiebenga said:

Here is my thoughts, and I am consistently on the lake 10 days a year.  I have a "milk run" of spots on the lake that produce fish for me.  However, I am not getting fish there everytime.  I have had times where I check the spot, throw a couple casts, and move on if I am not getting bit.  Then, I return later in the day and sometimes the fish are feeding again.  Overall, I think you have to be flexible and not focus on one area for long periods of time.  Stay mobile until you get bit.  Here is how I tend to fish a point or bluff end: aggressive bait first (jerkbait or topwater), then a more moderate subtle presentation ( swimbait, bigger jig, etc.), finally, I hit the Ned or finesse worm.  This approach has worked for me and I do okay in the Shell Knob area.  Just my personal thoughts and experiences.

I do think part of my problem is i don't wander much from the spots i have caught them in the past so i am limiting myself for sure by doing that and not being flexible enough with locations.    

I will have to try your scenario of baits as well, as that sounds like that will either work or rule out a spot fairly quick.

Thanks!

[Lake Lover]

34 minutes ago, merc1997 said:

one thing that you do not know for sure is if the fish you are marking are bass or something else.  next, do you see lots of bait in these areas?  any game fish is going to move around with the dinner table especially given the fact that table rock does not have the crawdad population it once had.  shad, like it or not, is the main forage now and many of the bass have become very nomadic and just follow the kitchen table around.

if what you are marking are bass, you just need to keep experimenting with getting them to trigger to your presentation.  i see you mention a host of different lures, but do not mention if you change whether you tried vertical fall verses horizontal.  how many different weights did you try?  these are all factors into getting an inactive bass to strike at your offering.  it is something that time on the water helps with.  and, time spent learning what you are actually looking at on your electronics helps also.  fish as much as you can, and learn each time you go.

bo

Yes, you are very correct on the fish i have been marking, i am still trying to get a good feel for my electronics also, so i could be throwing my rig at anything and thinking it's bass.

As far as bait, I would say probably about a 50/50 on if i see bait or not, and part of that might just be my inability or lack of being able to read the electronics correctly. I have a garmin on the front and a Lowrance on the dash, and sometimes when i check them both on one i can see fish/bait and other nothing or very little, so i definitely need too spruce up my knowledge on the electronics as well.

As far as presentation goes, your right, i should probably try different avenues on getting the bait in front of them too, as i sometimes just get in a rut of just vertical for the deep, i guess it just feels right knowing they are right below you to drop it on their head, so i am definitely missing some opportunity there.  The weights are something i have honestly never really experimented with, i know i have read on here in several posts that the rate of fall can make a difference, but i have not experimented with that much at all yet. I think i can be my own worse enemy at times with having limited time on the water and being bull headed about using what worked the last time i was down and not mixing it up more.

Your comment about time on the water is spot on, as a couple years ago i had even less of clue, ( if that's even possible) about how to go about things, and just the little bit of time i have been able to get out, along with all the great info and advice from you and all the OA guy's has definitely helped me a bunch.

Thanks for reply and tips i really appreciate it!     Thank You also to all the guy's on here that contribute info and tips as well so that beginners like myself can stand a chance! 

Counting down the last few years before i can retire and hopefully spend a lot more time on the water! 

 

 

[*T*]

One comment I saw recently, and maybe it was from Bo, if you've located fish and shad but can't get them to bite your vertical presentation, might be worth a try at moving off of them and casting back into them from a distance.  Slight change in presentation.

Also, if they are not biting right now, hit another spot for a bit and then come back for another try.  They may switch from no bite to a hot bite at any time for no apparent reason.  Just another rookie's thoughts here.

Good luck out there. 

[AR Huzgr]

43 minutes ago, Lake Lover said:

Yes, you are very correct on the fish i have been marking, i am still trying to get a good feel for my electronics also, so i could be throwing my rig at anything and thinking it's bass.

As far as bait, I would say probably about a 50/50 on if i see bait or not, and part of that might just be my inability or lack of being able to read the electronics correctly. I have a garmin on the front and a Lowrance on the dash, and sometimes when i check them both on one i can see fish/bait and other nothing or very little, so i definitely need too spruce up my knowledge on the electronics as well.

As far as presentation goes, your right, i should probably try different avenues on getting the bait in front of them too, as i sometimes just get in a rut of just vertical for the deep, i guess it just feels right knowing they are right below you to drop it on their head, so i am definitely missing some opportunity there.  The weights are something i have honestly never really experimented with, i know i have read on here in several posts that the rate of fall can make a difference, but i have not experimented with that much at all yet. I think i can be my own worse enemy at times with having limited time on the water and being bull headed about using what worked the last time i was down and not mixing it up more.

Your comment about time on the water is spot on, as a couple years ago i had even less of clue, ( if that's even possible) about how to go about things, and just the little bit of time i have been able to get out, along with all the great info and advice from you and all the OA guy's has definitely helped me a bunch.

Thanks for reply and tips i really appreciate it!     Thank You also to all the guy's on here that contribute info and tips as well so that beginners like myself can stand a chance! 

Counting down the last few years before i can retire and hopefully spend a lot more time on the water! 

 

 

Like you, I'm still learning how to fish these Ozark lakes.  Sounds like you have had about the same experience I had this week.  Threw everything at them with little success.  I guess I need to buy more arsenal!   I tried but to fish unless I saw fish on finder but even then, they weren't biting.   Am thinking I might have been seeing White's but who knows.   I need to keep practicing to learn how to fish deep water better.   Attached is a screenshot of non cooperating fish!

 

[Quillback]

One thing to remember is that it is August, and I know for me this is always the toughest month to fish.  

I'm a daytime fisherman, I like to get out first thing and fish until 1030 or so.  There is an early bite, at least there has been the last couple of times I was out, and I'll try different locations looking for fish.  I won't spend too much time on any one spot if I'm not seeing fish or not getting bites, there's just not enough prime fishing time in the AM to spend time beating unproductive water.  Keep an eye open for bass chasing shad on the surface too, I haven't seen a lot of that myself, but when I do it tells me where there are active fish, and they usually aren't loners this time of year.

Drop shot should work, I'd try finesse type worms, like Zoom Finesse worms, Robo worms, or GY Cut Tails.  I don't like fishing bait for bass, nothing against others doing it, but I might be tempted to send down a night crawler on a drop shot if I was seeing fish but not getting bites.  

Don't overlook docks either.  

 

 

[Quillback]

Seeing Bo's post reminds me of something else, if I am vertical fishing for bass, I try to keep my bait in front of the boat, or to put it another way, I try not to fish a spot after my boat has drifted over it.  I'm pretty convinced that the boat, or it's shadow, when passing over the fish, spooks them.