How Long Do You Fish A Spot Before Moving?

[Don't Tell The Wife]

This is something I want to try to get better at. I would like to quit fishing history and use conditions and let the structure and breaks under water guide me more than what I see visually.

[Khan of the Res]

i make a point to thoroughly fish every spot. I start a few feet from the edge of the water and then work my way forward until I am wading about balls deep in the water before giving up on the spot. 

[EvanT123]

So me and a co worker fish alot of ponds and canals. I'll work a spot a long time. He will make 2-3 casts and move along. How do you guys approach this?

Easy. He's already working out another pattern for you.

[Sam]

Joedodge, let me add my two cents.

 

There are many philosophies about the time factor in bass fishing and they are split into two parts.

 

The first is tournament fishing where sometimes you want to cover a lot of water and other times when you want to throw to a target 15 to 20 times before moving along.

 

The second is fun fishing, along the bank or in a boat.

 

So what do guys do when fishing canals, streams, lakes and ponds from the shore? A lot of different things of which all are correct.

 

If........

1.  you feel some structure on the bottom you stay and fish that structure from three or four angles with two or three different baits.

2.  you feel nothing when bringing your search bait to you then you can move on looking for better spots where the bass should be.

3.  you feel something on the retrieve you fish that area as in 1 above.

4.  you see a stickup or some structure in the water you fish it hard from a lot of angles and with different baits, casting to the target at least 15 times with the same bait.

5.  you want to be different, throw a topwater at every target you see. Hit it with a Cavitron, frog, toad, unweighted Zoom trick worm, wacky rigged Senko or YUM stick bait.

6.  you want to be patient.

 

One of the secrets to successful pond and bank fishing is to be quiet. This means walking as far from the bank as you can when changing spots. And standing back from the bank so the bass cannot see or sense you are there. Plus don't throw your shadow on the water you are fishing.

 

Be cognizant of your surroundings at all time and look for creatures that may crawl or slither where you are walking or stopping to fish.

 

Don't think you have to bring 100 crankbaits and 50 pounds of plastics with you.  Learn the waters and scale down in colors and baits that you know work best.

 

Always have a flipping and pitching stick with you rigged and ready to go at all times so you can flip and pitch from 10 to 15 feet from the bank. Any finesse bait or jig and pig you want to throw has to be ready just in case you spot a bass sunning themselves or just swimming along the bank, enjoying the day.

 

As in most of my posts, I like to remind guys and gals to leave a note at home as to where you will be and when you are to return. Wear your PFD if the bank is steep or rocky. Don't forget your needle nose pliers. Wear the highest level of sun block you can. And have some fun trying to figure out what those little green devils want to eat.

 

Good luck. Post some pics and let us know how you do.

[WRB]

Your buddy is willing to be alligator bait, let him lead the way. If your buddy sticks a bass and moves on, follow up, there is usually more than one bass in a good area.

Tom

[matuka]

Unfortunately too long.......

[Khan of the Res]

Unfortunately too long.......

Just one more cast and then i'll go home... we've all been there haha

[Big C]

I leave after I'm done fishing it. 

[Crank Bait Nut]

If I'm Fishing From My Boat , I Pay A Lot Of Attention To My SI / DI Depending To The Depth Of Water , If I See Something I'll Fish That Place A Little Longer.

 

If I'm Fishing From The Shore , I Just Wing It.

 

Mike

[J McRae]

I'll make three to five casts and then move along. I've had great success by doing this at different ponds. Had a guy ask me where I was going as he stayed in the same spot with no results... I caught the first fish and he decided it was time to relocate as well.

[BasshunterJGH]

Depends on whether or not I'm getting bites. If I don't get bit on something that should be working after about a dozen casts I move on.

[Paul Roberts]

Sometimes changing lures can buy more bites from a spot. Sometimes changing angles on a spot can open things up. Sometimes you have to fiddle with retrieves before you start getting bit. Sometimes just getting one bite can trigger more fish in the group to start biting. Sometimes I decide to fish a certain way and go find water that will support that. If no go, I'll start adjusting. I'll usually have several rods rigged with GoTo's waiting for conditions to favor them. In the warmer months I often have a buzzbait rigged and ready. All that's needed is a breeze. Typical summer rigs will often include a buzzbait (or tandem SB) and a jigworm, ready to fly. Exactly what's rigged and ready varies with season and water, with a range that covers expected conditions.

 

It's nice when the bass are just there and biting what you throw. I call those 51%er days -when the fish meet you more than half way. A 100%er day is when the bass jump out of the water and rummage through your box. I've not seen that -yet.