04-07-09, 03:44 PM | #1 |
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Beating the Crowds
Everyday our waters are getting more and more pressure. Anglers are becoming more and more knowledgeable about fishing different conditions and patterns. Anglers are also becoming more versatile and capable of fishing a wide variety of baits with skill. As our lakes become more crowded one must work harder to beat the crowds.
When fishing in an area with other competitors you might try and get a glimpse of what colors they are throwing and what size baits they are using. Say you are fishing back in a creek and you notice that everyone is throwing a white or a chart spinnerbait with some good size blades on it.The best thing you can do sometimes is just give the fish something that they haven't seen before. In this situation you might pick up a black spinnerbait with black blades in order to give the fish a different look. You can also downsize or up size your bait to give the fish a different presentation. It's also important that you pay close attention to the angle that other fisherman are approaching the cover. They might be making straight casts to the bank instead of paralleling it. It pays off sometime to position your boat differently in order to present your bait at a different angle. You want to try and give the fish something that they haven't seen over and over again. When going down the bank almost everyone I've fished with tries to make their cast as close to the cover as possible. They want to flip their jig right to the stump or the lay down. Sometimes it pays off to make your cast a little out in front or behind the stump. The fish can get conditioned to having the bait dropping right on their head. Don't forget to mix it up. Downsizing your line is another great way to get a couple more bites than anglers fishing in front of you. Your bait will fall more natural and get a little deeper than those who are using the heavy line. I always try and use the lightest line I can get away with in any situation. It often is the difference in getting one or two more bites a day. That can be the difference in cashing a check or going home empty handed. One last thing you want to keep in your mind is that a lot of anglers are lazy when it comes to fishing around cover and going the extra mile to get back in some of the thick stuff. They don't want to scratch up their nice boats. The fish a lot of times move back behind docks under cables or back in some of the tightest cover to get away from angling pressure. Those fish don't get as many baits dropped on their heads as the fish on the front of the docks or on the stumps that are within easy casting distance. Success in anything in life is a lot of times dependent on how hard you work. It's the same in fishing. If you can sacrifice a couple of extra scratches to your boat and if your willing to loose a couple more lures you will catch more bass. Keep these ideas in your mind the next time you find yourself fishing in the crowds and I am sure you will see the benefits. |
04-07-09, 04:13 PM | #2 |
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Truman, I agree with you...mostly. The census bureau of the U.S. fish & wildlife tracks the number of licenses purchased every year and since the late 90's the number of people fishing is on a steady decline. I personally fish all over New England and places that we would normally have 50-70 boats fishing a tourney are lucky to get 30... I believe a lot of it has to do with the age that we are living in, kids are more interested in cell phones, facebook, playstation and MTV than learning anything about the outdoors...I don't think it's the parents fault, everyone is so busy and let's face it getting licenses and gear for a small family outing can get expensive.... just my .02 cents
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04-07-09, 04:47 PM | #3 |
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Jason,
I don't think he is saying that the added pressure is comming from additional anglers. He is pointing out that we as anglers are expanding our arsenals. There was a time when you knew that "John" would throw a black plastic worm all day while "Bill" would stick to spinner baits. We are now carrying more rods with more things tied on. We make more casts to a particular spot than we might have done before. I may be way off on this, but that is how I read it.
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04-07-09, 04:58 PM | #4 |
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I agree. I think I'm furtunate enough to fish lakes where I'm the only person or one of a few who are out. Although most of these lakes are 1000 or less acres. But I do know what you're talking about. The Maumee River, which runs right through Toledo, OH is so freaking busy right now during the walleye run its not even funny. my dad and I gave up a few years ago when we got access to a section of the river where a builder friend of my dad's was building a house. It was a very long walk from the nearest public parking place. We got down to the river and there was a guy every 30 ft on both sides of the river. I couldn't even image a place near public parking.
BB
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04-07-09, 06:10 PM | #5 |
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cass. i don't throw a black worm pal.i throw a grape worm,hahahahhaha. kidding pal.
i agree with a lot of what your saing there bub. nice read.
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04-07-09, 06:45 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
alot of guys use a 21 foot boat which is like driving a city bus with a troller.. a small 16-17.5 foot ride which turns on a dime will get you in the tight spots easier there for you will catch more fish.. i tend to fish at night alot. i normally am loading the boat by 10-11am in most cases during the summer.. zooker
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04-07-09, 06:50 PM | #7 |
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You make a lot of good points Truman, and I can really relate to this. The lakes nearby that I often fish are small. Under 100 acres. Still, I used to be able to get out and have a great time because most of the guys fishing out there with me were fishing for panfish, and the ones that were bass fishing really didn't know what they were doing. So for 25 years I pretty much had my way with the lakes here. Nowdays, that has changed. I find myself getting out as early as possible just to beat the new breed of anglers who come out now. Many anglers now do seem to be much more knowlegable. Even though the lake I most often fish is electric motor only, you see these guys in their bass boats all the time using their electric motor to fish the lake, using techniques I always only found myself using. I now have competition I have never had before. And it really ticks me off. I know that sounds bad, but there are many larger bodies of water that they can use which would be much more to their advantage with their 20 foot bass boats and big engines. Launching those boats in my small 64 acre lake to me isn't right. It's the same guys every weekend I go out. Guys like me who use a small jonboat need waters like this to fish simply because we can't cover large expanses of water like the guys with bass boats can. I really wish they would keep to the larger lakes. Thanks for letting me vent, lol.
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04-07-09, 07:06 PM | #8 |
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Obviously the internet and bassfishing or even fishin forums are to blame for it all of these new angler's bringing skill to the lake. Back in my day..........
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04-07-09, 07:09 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
what you just rowed your log out and chunked a baited bone?? zooker
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04-07-09, 08:04 PM | #10 |
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No, the gear was good, the skill is still up for debate
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04-07-09, 09:49 PM | #11 |
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I don't mind fishing pressured water. Kinda like the challenge really. What I don't like is fishing waters where the fish are being kept so much that i'm dealing with limited numbers. I like trying to get that hard bite, I hate trying to catch the only fish in the pond if you know what I mean.
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04-07-09, 09:54 PM | #12 |
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I think the internet has a large effect on the number of fishermen that learn new techniques, ten years ago a basser had to pick up new tricks in a book or magazine, now they can just log on and search for tips and techniques on you tube.
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04-08-09, 01:34 AM | #13 |
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The reality is knowing a technique and fishing a technique are totally different. I had this debate with my tournement fisherman partner time and again, he hated I showed them what I was using. Fact, never beat on the same technique even if we did not win we got 1st/3rd in 11 straight on the same technique. Reading about it, buying the lure ect. does not replace real on the water results. I've spent 10 years working on a technique passed on to me from an early 80's angler. Its different from the norm for the bait and it works, showing them the bait and explaining a little bit about how I use it will not replace 10 years of on the water knowledge of how to fish the technique. I fished pressure lakes and always caught fish on lures not used by most at the time on that lake. The poster is right, fish your strengths and focus on what catches you fish on a consistant bacis, and scratch the hell out of your boat finding new water.
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