How Many Fish Do You Catch?

[mjseverson24]

I typically fish from 8-12 hrs a day, and an average outing is between 40-50 bass. some lakes I target larger fish so maybe 20-25 fish is average on those, and others I just want to catch a bunch of fish so 65-100 is pretty common on these lakes. 

 

Mitch

[Heron]

Well, I shall continue my efforts, and Im sure I'll fine other means to improve my numbers, eventually.   But, based on the responses here so far, Im becoming inclined to think that I might be on a crap lake.

 

I have seen a couple different people do well from a boat, not from shore.

 

I'll just have to press on.

[Team9nine]

The last really detailed tracking I did from a couple years ago for the entire year showed:

 

Trips: 82
Hours fished: 260
Average trip: 3 hrs, 10 mins
Bass caught: 2,305
Average # bass/hr: 8.86 

Average # bass/trip: 28
# of trips with >50 bass: 17

 

-T9

[Raul]

Are you kiddin me? Is it still like that? Do you have a guest room?

No more, down here back in those years ppl kept everything they caught, another insanity was 100 qt coolers filled with bass fillets, it took them a few years to leave the lake pretty much dead.

[Raul]

Well, I shall continue my efforts, and Im sure I'll fine other means to improve my numbers, eventually.   But, based on the responses here so far, Im becoming inclined to think that I might be on a crap lake.

 

I have seen a couple different people do well from a boat, not from shore.

 

I'll just have to press on.

The problem fishing from shore is that you may be fishing pretty improductive water, it depends a lot on the contour and bottom contour of the lake, "flat" lakes can be quite sad when it comes to catching, lakes with more contour above and below offer better opportunities. In my everyday lake if you don't fish the rock covered dam or very close or on top of the "potreros" you gotta be ready for a really lousy day. My recomendation is if you can't get a boat you can always purchase a belly boat for a few dollars.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

The lake your fishing makes a big difference.  Some lakes may have an over-abundance of fish whereas others may only have a very small population.  You say there isn't much boating activity on your lake but that doesn't mean that it doesn't get slammed from the shores and thus the fish are still pressured.  And also I'm assuming a lot of people here have boats.  It's hard to compare someone bank fishing with someone fishing from a boat.  A lot of the lakes I fish only have so many accessible spots for bank fisherman.  Some maybe only 1/4 of the shoreline of even less.  Someone in a boat with access to the entire lake has the advantage of being able to hit every hump and hole and laydown and weed line and brush pile so they can develop a pattern and go where the fish are.  If your fishing from the bank and the fish aren't there, then your S.O.L.  That being said, I fish from the bank and most of my outings are about 3-4 hours.  If I catch one fish I'm happy.  If I catch 2-3, I consider it a good day.  More than 3 and I'm freaking ecstatic.  I target bass but if there's a pickerel, bluegill, or crappie thrown into the mix, it's all good.  Just remember, a bad day fishing beats a good day at work any day of the week.

[Ratherbfishing]

It just varies from lake to lake and from season to season and even day to day.  Lately, with more limited access, my numbers (and size) have dropped considerably.  The last pond I was at, in two hours of fishing I caught 2 bass which I considered an accomplishment.  But other lakes (in previous years, anyway) usually promised 4 or 5 fish an hour.  Even that was subject to the mercy of King Neptune.  Only rarely do I have 40 plus fish days.

[Heron]

Update:   I recently went to a different lake in a different state, and caught 5 fish in 3 outings + a personal best.    Now Im REALLY thinking there is something wrong this lake here.

 

And I was able to do that with only a handful of select baits, and a temporary rod that Ive never used before.  Not my preferred setup. 

 

So its not like I kicked butt by any means, but to fish a new lake, with some unproven gear, and still do better than how I do on my home waters...really says something to me. 

[Heron]

The lake your fishing makes a big difference.  Some lakes may have an over-abundance of fish whereas others may only have a very small population.  You say there isn't much boating activity on your lake but that doesn't mean that it doesn't get slammed from the shores and thus the fish are still pressured.  And also I'm assuming a lot of people here have boats.  It's hard to compare someone bank fishing with someone fishing from a boat.  A lot of the lakes I fish only have so many accessible spots for bank fisherman.  Some maybe only 1/4 of the shoreline of even less.  Someone in a boat with access to the entire lake has the advantage of being able to hit every hump and hole and laydown and weed line and brush pile so they can develop a pattern and go where the fish are.  If your fishing from the bank and the fish aren't there, then your S.O.L.  That being said, I fish from the bank and most of my outings are about 3-4 hours.  If I catch one fish I'm happy.  If I catch 2-3, I consider it a good day.  More than 3 and I'm freaking ecstatic.  I target bass but if there's a pickerel, bluegill, or crappie thrown into the mix, it's all good.  Just remember, a bad day fishing beats a good day at work any day of the week.

Im gonna have to agree with you Joe.  Certainly shore fisherman cannot always expect large returns like the guys in the boats do.  Im also beginning to think that the shoreline must be getting slammed by other fisherman.  Its taken me a while to consider this, because I never really encounter any other fisherman while Im out there, except on brief occassion.  But, I do often see the crap they leave behind, whether it be beer cans, empty crawler containers, or  discarded wads of line on the ground, in the trees, and in the water.   I see new remnants of other anglers each time I go down there.  

 

Thankfully though.  I have a lot of shoreline available to me to fish from, either by public access, or I trailblaze through  the woods to get there.  Often I get to be mobile by using my car to quickly drive from site to site, as I bop around the lake. So Im confident that Im not particularly SOL in that aspect.  

[deep]

Certainly shore fisherman cannot always expect large returns like the guys in the boats do.

 

LOL what? You can catch plenty of fish from the bank and some big ones too if you know what you're doing. Just gotta pick the right lake where you can reach outside structure from the bank.

[Catch and Grease]

LOL what? You can catch plenty of fish from the bank and some big ones too if you know what you're doing. Just gotta pick the right lake where you can reach outside structure from the bank.

 

What he said is true IMO. Shore fishermen cant ALWAYS expect as much as a person fishing from a boat. can they do just as good on some days? Of course they can but in a boat if somewhere isn't producing you can just pack up and head to the next spot but when bank fishing your options are limited and not all spots are accessible.

[Driftb]

On an slow to average day with spinning gear I like to see my clients catch twenty to thirty bass each at a minimum.  On a good day they will catch upwards of forty legal smallmouth each.  I have a few hundred fish days per year, and the highest number was two hundred smallmouth in a day for two anglers.  They also caught trout, walleyes and panfish that day. All were caught and released on artificials.

 

Fly fishing is a different matter entirely.  A few fish per day is average.  On a great day, fly fishing I have had up to twenty five fish per man.  The high numbers for both fly and spinning are very unusual and I don't  usually come close to either. 

 

Numbers are not the priority for most anglers that I take fishing. They are out to unwind, take in the scenery, maybe see a bald eagle or two, get away from the roads, motors, telephones, and work. Catching fish is a bonus.

[deep]

Seriously, I don't find myself handicapped when fishing from the banks. That is not because I'm KVD or something, it's because I pick reservoirs where I can hit outside structure with my casts. If the fish can't see your bait, you won't catch them. I can guarantee that. If you can reach the fish, but can't catch them, you need to work on your fishing skills.

 

If I did have a boat. and fished the same res, I'd have fished the same spots. It's because I fish spots that hold fish. The only significant advantage being on a boat would give me is ability to fish different angles, and sometimes that's crucial. I guess having a fishfinder would help me predict the depth I might catch bass at, but that's something I can find out with a little trial and error.

[Slade House]

When i first started fishing the lake I fish now, I literally went 38 days without catching a single fish, while other guys were catching 10-20 a day.  Now if i get 5 a day, thats a great day for me , but most of my friends get double or triple that on a good day.  I don't usually count the number of fish , i usually calculate how much my bag of 5 is (when i get one).  That being said, I haven't caught a fish under 3 lbs in the past 2 months.  

[Slade House]

Seriously, I don't find myself handicapped when fishing from the banks. That is not because I'm KVD or something, it's because I pick reservoirs where I can hit outside structure with my casts. If the fish can't see your bait, you won't catch them. I can guarantee that. If you can reach the fish, but can't catch them, you need to work on your fishing skills.

 

If I did have a boat. and fished the same res, I'd have fished the same spots. It's because I fish spots that hold fish. The only significant advantage being on a boat would give me is ability to fish different angles, and sometimes that's crucial. I guess having a fishfinder would help me predict the depth I might catch bass at, but that's something I can find out with a little trial and error.

Some of the best fishermen at my lake fish from the banks