Calling It Quits

[LWD]

I have a lake like this in my area.  I fished there for 3 months with nothing to show for it.  One day I was relaxing in my kayak deadsticking a senko, then it hit.  I still get skunked plenty times going to that lake.  But once in a blue moon they bite, and when they do its not uncommon to catch more than one.  And the fish coming out of it are much bigger than the stocked lake fish nearby.  

[Big-O]

I like this thread as well     And I too am reminded of a lake I fished when I was much younger and my Dad was still living. He had fished it with me the first couple of times and we seemed to struggle to find a dependable pattern during those outings... I told him that I was disappointed and didn't like fishing it as much as other more productive waters we regularly visited. 

 

He chuckled and said that if I just wanted to be a fish catcher, we could go to those other lakes and leave that one alone. But if I wanted to be a fish finder, I should continue my efforts on that particular lake... As it turned out, that lake had many off shore changes with good numbers of hungry fish and it helped me to understand mid lake fishing much better than the other lakes where the close to shoreline fishing was much easier. I caught a few bigger than average fish there as well but the biggest plus on that lake turned out to be the mid summer night bite, it was GREAT.  

 

If you decide to try it a few more times, the warmer water should help things alot and from your description of it, chances are the shorelines are pressured more so that mid lake areas and the christmas tree sets are possibly good targets for you seek out. But don't just look for those, search out other changes both natural and/or man made that aren't as obvious to the masses... Electronics would be a must, a topo map or google map could be a big asset as well.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide and the main thing is Have FUN or Don't do it

[Felix77]

If you know there is fish in there then take it as a challenge.  I have a lake very close to home which gets a ton of pressure.  It's less than 10 minutes from home so it's convenient to run over there and get a good hour or 2 of fishing when I want after work.  When I walk out of there having caught fish I feel like a champ!  When I get skunked I make sure and learn something to apply the next time.

[MARSH MASTER]

Go to the other lakes catch those fish and release them in that lake closest to you. eventualy you will catch those fish again.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Two hours from Elizabethtown to the dam at KY/Barkley.

 

No brainer for weekends or when it's more than just to wet a line. As for the ponds, I typically go BIG in places like that mostly because very few, if any, other people do it.

[Bass Junkie]

Ike said it best 

 

 

[Silas]

What did Einstein say......Crazy is doing the same thing time after time expecting different results.    I don't think it is "failure" on your part to "give up" on a certain body of water.

 

   Simply  choose another body of water.....life is too short to beat the dead horse.  Don't let your pride get in the way of success. 

[bassguytom]

If you have thrown a senko all around the lake and have not caught anything give up there are no bass in there. You could also try getting off the bank with a kayak or canoe. Good luck.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Study your depth finder looking for fish. Sit in a promising looking spot, park the boat and look for bass activity. Look for the fish food ( are there frogs,Cray fish, shinners, shad, bluegilld ECT.) When all else doesn't fails drive around and talk to other boaters. Drive around and see what the other fishermen are doing. Don't steal their spot but try to imitate it in a similar spot.

My 0.02

Jay-

[Nashua Nev]

find the structure (ambush spot) , find the bait fish (food) , find the oxygen (green growing anything) you find the bass and other predator fish.  Pickerel  etc...

[Nitrofreak]

There is a level of success here that does not include fish, the question is though, did you learn anything from not catching any fish?

 

High pressured bodies of water with no cover to speak of other than a brush pile or two, usually equates to a very slow day, if you know there are fish in there for sure, then you need to slow way down, high pressured waters are nothing more than a mindset in my opinion, you have to approach these waters very differently, fish spook really easily, so stealth may be a factor, slow moving baits with a more natural look like jigs may be what you need, small baits may be in order here, it really depends on the forage this lake has to offer, you should take a step back and talk to the local game and fisheries and see if any kind of bait fish are stocked and if so decide your colors and size based on some of that info, figure out the bait fish habits and concentrate on that pattern, generally hard to fish or high pressured waters are great learning curves for days on your favorite lakes when the fish that often bite for some reason or another do not bite on a given day.

 

If you are looking to be successful, be successful by learning the lake, the fish will be an added bonus.

[senile1]

Big O Stated:

 

He chuckled and said that if I just wanted to be a fish catcher, we could go to those other lakes and leave that one alone. But if I wanted to be a fish finder, I should continue my efforts on that particular lake... As it turned out, that lake had many off shore changes with good numbers of hungry fish and it helped me to understand mid lake fishing much better than the other lakes where the close to shoreline fishing was much easier.

 

 

 

Your Dad was a very wise man, Big O.

[South FLA]

I fished small waters almost exclusively as a kid and into college. In all the ponds, my best fish came fishing offshore not nearshore spots.  Nevertheless, if you can talk to your local wildlife officer sometimes they will electroshock local park ponds and they can relay the results.  What most of them find, at least from my experience, is lots of small fish with SOME HAWGS sprinkled in.