How Many Fish For Hours,without A Strike?

[skeeter1980]

I fish the ponds and lakes,here in Delaware.I live five minutes from three ponds.These ponds are fished hard,by others.I also fish other ponds,that are fished hard.I mean tourmants with lots of boats,every weekend,and then during the week,people are always fishing them.Our ponds and lakes are small.Some have fallen trees in them,lilly pads,and full of weeds.I can fish the shoreline for hrs,without getting a strike.Move into deeper water,same thing.I throw chatterbaits,jigs,swimjigs,senkos,wacky worms,cranks,you name it,I use it.I've down sized the size of lures,but it doesn't help.Soon we'll be getting into the hot days of summer,i'll be night fishing a lot.Is there a way that I can combat these heavly  fished ponds?

[Catch and Grease]

Finesse is your friend when it comes to heavily pressured water!

[Felix77]

I do all the time.  Finesse is your friend indeed.  My go-to desperate situation setup is a 1/8oz mojo rig, a #1 or #1/0 hook and a robo-worm.  Like a little spaghetti for the fishies ...

[einscodek]

I fish the ponds and lakes,here in Delaware.I live five minutes from three ponds.These ponds are fished hard,by others.I also fish other ponds,that are fished hard.I mean tourmants with lots of boats,every weekend,and then during the week,people are always fishing them.Our ponds and lakes are small.Some have fallen trees in them,lilly pads,and full of weeds.I can fish the shoreline for hrs,without getting a strike.Move into deeper water,same thing.I throw chatterbaits,jigs,swimjigs,senkos,wacky worms,cranks,you name it,I use it.I've down sized the size of lures,but it doesn't help.Soon we'll be getting into the hot days of summer,i'll be night fishing a lot.Is there a way that I can combat these heavly  fished ponds?

Yea.. night fishin like you said

[A-Jay]

 Fishing a night may provide better results - I actually do it quite a bit and prefer the night bite too.

 

Perhaps your problem is access - meaning it's too easy.  It may be worth your while to search out a few bodies of water that might not get that kind of pressure.  Usually places with less access fall into this category. 

 

And then go fish them at night.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[Big Fish Rice]

Night fishing will open your heavily pressured lakes/ponds into an entirely different experience! It's a whole new world at night and the fish know it. To start, try and fish at night when you have a fairly good amount of moonlight. Fish will feed very heavy in these conditions.

Also, don't put much thought into color. Black and blue jigs, plastics and swimbaits will help you from packing too much. Go with a few rods, be organized and always use safety precautions. Have a buddy go with you if possible.

Most of all, have fun because you'll be addicted once you start catching night bass

[Teal]

Night fishing.

[fishva]

Do what other people aren't.

For example: I don't tournament fish, but from what I've seen of tournament anglers is they like to fish fast and cover lots of water. If you observe the same thing, fish slow. Observe what others are doing and do something drastically different.

It's no guarantee, but at least you know your presentation is different.

[skeeter1980]

Before I stopped fishing in the 80's,I did do a lot of night fishing.It was great.The ponds that don't get fish much,you need a small boat.My skeeter doesn't fit the bill.

[nepabassfishing]

Fully agree with the finesse and night fishing tactics!  Also try something unconventional.  Just read an article that some pros are going back to old baits because there are generations of fish that haven't seen them, thus making the old new again.  Examples they provided were floating Rapala minnows, Jitterbugs, older crankbaits, and soft plastics from 20-30 years ago.  I know at the lake I fish everyone and their brother throw Senkos.  That's the last soft plastic I throw and if I do throw a Senko I won't fish it wacky style like everyone else.

[Paul Roberts]

If these are such popular waters then people are catching fish. Time to do some homework. Read all you can. Contact your DNR about these waters: forage species, depth usage, and see if maps are available. Consider joining a bass club, or keep your eyes open for successful anglers to buddy up with.

 

To answer the topic question: As many as it takes. I don't know an angler who hasn't.

[everythingthatswims]

If you can sight fish, try weightless finesse worms with super light line (4-6lb fluoro)

[Nashua Nev]

agreed , night fish.  full moon , black broken tail jitterbugs with rattle balls inside the body.  I use smaller and up to 3 1/2 inch.   try slow and fast retrieve.   also 1 hour before sunrise.    up here in NH we talk about the 1 am bite ... but I don't fish the 1 am bite.      I do however do the night bite as the sun goes down.  and the 4:30 am bite before the sun comes up.     its a small window of time.  usually about 1 or 1 1/2 hours tops.  move around to different areas till you find them.   after you find a few target the area for a bit then move to a little different area till you find more fish.   dont forget some good light to help you with removing hooks

 

 

I also agree that throwing something different that what others are throw if you can figure out what everyone is using. 

 

wacky rigging?  weightless  rage craw ?   try different colors.    lake fork baby ring worm wacky and just shake it up and down for 5 minutes.

[Smokinal]

Answer to topic question: everyone on this forum has at least once

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Today one hour before storm 8 bass. Storms for 20 minutes then sun comes out not a nibble the next three hours.

Most of the lakes around here close sunset or 10pm so no night fishing them.

[Catch and Grease]

Before a storm comes through it causes the air pressure to be low causing bass to feed, when the Strom passes its high pressure and the bass won't feed as much... That's always what I've thought.

[CalebJ]

i would say a wacky rig during the day and a black spinner bait with a big blade at night so the fish can feed off of vibration 

[RAMBLER]

But, I watched an otter, flock of turkeys, herons arguing over a fishing hole, osprey catching fish, maybe a manatee bumped the bottom of the boat, I and my maker had a good conversation.  No bites?  Well, that is just a small part of a good day.

[Bankbeater]

Hours without a strike isn't that bad.  Last year I went a month without one bite.

[FrogTosser88]

I have the same problem with the river in my town... you gotta put in alot of hours per fish... but I did land a big bass a cpl weeks ago on a topwater frog..... Sometimes I drive 45mins to the CA delta area amd the fishing is much better there... good luck

[*Hootie]

Fished one day a couple of weeks ago, from 7:00 am till 4:00 pm and caught 8 bass. Caught all of them between noon and 2:30 pm.

Hootie

[Zach Dunham]

I've had days in the past fishing for 12 hours without a bite. That hasn't happened in awhile so maybe I've gotten a lot better. I would still do it, though!

[David D.]

My local pond is pretty heavily pressured, but I generally am always able to catch a couple fish when I'm out there (though I have gone hours without a bite).

The best thing that you can do is to keep your presentation different from what the fish are used to seeing. Around me everyone and their mother fishes with wacky-rigged Senkos, jigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and hollow body frogs.

I generally throw a ribbon tail worm (RT Cut-R), swimming fluke, jerk bait, and a topwater pencil bait. I also do throw hollow body frogs and am successful with them; but that is more because I am willing to cast into the weeds and brush and most others are not.

[HeavyDluxe]

Just a 'hello' from a former Delawarean neighbor... Grew up in Harrington, my father's family were in Milford all their life.  

 

Tight lines, bro.

[CDobber]

Hours without a strike isn't that bad.  Last year I went a month without one bite.

Ditto.