Rotating Spots vs. Not Fishing The Same Spot Twice

[conroekro88]

Do you guys tend to fish the same spots multiple times a day, or do you fish a different spot every time you move? Here's what I mean in more detail: say you have 15 spots that you have confidence in. Would you fish the 5 spots that you feel are the best 2-3 times during the day, or would you fish all 15 spots only one time? I caught a 6 pounder a few days ago at 9:00 in the morning, but I didn't get another bite the other 2 or 3 times I fished the same spot. However, I fished the same spot multiple times a week before, and I didn't catch a fish until around noon. Obviously, fish have fins and can move. I was just wondering if anyone has had better results doing one or the other.

[OddChase]

If fishing has taught me anything, it's that no two days are alike. Each day you might spend more time trying to find fish than actually catching. However, when it comes to fishing week by week, I might be able to locate fish and for a few days they may be in the same spot or nearby. Consistently catching fish in a handful of locations throughout a season however, is unlikely. 

[blckshirt98]

As a shore guy I'll fish a location and whether or not I catch anything or not, will move to another location to give the area time to 'reset".  I may or may not come back to fish the area again depending on my success in other spots, and what those other spots are telling me.  If there's a grassline that's usually a guaranteed fish that's giving me nothing that day, and I move on and I'm not cathcing fish at other grasslines, but I catch a couple of fish out deeper by some rocks 10 feet farther out, I won't go back to the first grassline.  By the same token if other grasslines are showing me fish, I'll most likely go back to that original spot at some point again.

[geo g]

I fish from both the boat, and bank fish 5 days a week.  When bank fishing I never fish the same area twice in a row.  I'm sure I could catch fish in the same spot but I'm blessed with so many little lakes surrounding my home I like to change up on different spots.

It makes the fishing more interesting for me, and that's what it's all about.  I'm sure fish are constantly changing spots throughout the day so new fish are always present.  Try to find spots with a little current present.  Culvert pipes, funnel points, and deep water drop offs are key spots especially in the heat of the summer.

The changes I make are more for the fisherman not the fish.

 

[BadContrakt]

When fishing on the bank, I never hit the same spot twice in the same day. I even try to resist going back to the same spot for ~3 days to let it settle down completely. I find that if I fish the same shore-line (on the Mississippi River) two days in a row, the bite will be substantially less on the second day.

Pressure is a big deal to fish. If you batter them with lures every day they won't have time to relax and get comfortable.

Now if I'm in my boat on a lake, I will indeed hit the same spot 2 times in a day if I have to (if the lake is small or if the bite isn't good in other areas etc etc) and generally have decent luck the second time around as long as I'm using a different presentation.

[N Florida Mike]

I fish my home lake the most.I almost never fish the same area more than once a day.This doesnt include my backyard.

[fishwizzard]

When bank fishing I always make a point to make my last cast of the day to the exact same spot as I got my first hit of the day.  Now, rarely does this result in a fish, but the few times when it works it makes me stupidly happy.

But in general when fishing small ponds or short bits of shoreline, I tend to make a few passes in a day, starting with "subtle" lures like weightless plastics and ending the day throwing firetiger rattling cranks.  I figure in a small pond, the fish are already spooked, I might as well try to make them mad enough to bite. 

[JPascavage52]

It's hard to give a concrete answer to this, as it can change so much based on the day, conditions, boat traffic, fishing pressure, etc. 

I also think it's worth separating your spots into a few categories: Primary spots, secondary spots, and numbers spots. 

Primary spots are the spots you have the most confidence in, and where you feel the most comfortable fishing and catching based on your preferred techniques.

Secondary spots are hit or miss areas which you may check, or areas where you may just throw a search bait looking for those loner fish that are spread out.

Numbers spots are the spots you'll go if you just want to catch some, even if you have to weed through dinks. To me, these are rocky flats and shorelines. I used to only go to these areas when looking to fill a limit at the end of the day, however now they are among my first stops, as I'm looking to catch a limit early on, get my confidence up, and set the tone for the rest of the day. 

[BiteFiend]

Just like many things in fishing, it depends. Many of the lakes in my area are smaller, so I end up fishing some of the same locations that make sense based on seasonal patterns because there is no "new" water to fish. 

Sometimes these locations will "reset". This is especially true if I notice some fish suspended in an area that I am catching other more active fish from. I find in those instances that many times if I come back in a few hours, those suspended fish will now be active. Sometimes the same bait I was catching them on works best, other times a slightly different bait works best.

Also, I have learned that when I find a school of fish in deeper water to not try to catch every fish in the school. By leaving a few fish uncaught, the school will reform a lot of times. It takes some discipline to do (especially if they are bigger fish), but I find that it pays off more often than not when I come back to that area in a few hours and re-fish it. When I re-fish the school, I will try to catch every fish in the school. I will use slower moving baits or more subtle baits once I have caught all that I am going to on say, a crankbait.

[conroekro88]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I should add that many of the spots I fish/have confidence in are primarily feeding areas: humps, points, rocky banks, etc. that are 5-10 feet deep but are a cast distance away from 15-20 feet of water. I would think that since these types of areas by nature will not have fish on them at all times (or at least a large portion of the day like a deep brush pile or a creek channel ledge would) it would make sense to fish them multiple times throughout the day since you never know when a fish or a group of fish are going to pull up and get active. Or at least that's my take on it.

[Catt]

What ya gonna find is the bite moves...not the bass!

Are they biting in the morning?

Are they biting midday?

Are they biting in the evening?

Are they biting at night?

If I fish a "spot" & it doesn't produce I'll be back!

[Josh Smith]

On rivers I tend to stay in the same general area because I'm usually going after smallies. Lakes, I move around a bit.

Josh

[papajoe222]

What Catt said. Plus, even if the spot produced I'll return to it later. With shallow water fish, it may take a day or more for another fish to take up residence on a piece of cover, but with fish relating to structure, they can move on off a spot multiple times. Especially if conditions change.

[WRB]

The myth that bass migrate distances daily is just that....a myth.

Bass stay near their food souce and have learned by experience where there next meal is located. No reason to travel distances when the prey source comes to them. No reason to expend a lot of energy chasing prey when the prey is close bye.

bass are active about 20% of the time any 24 hour period, active are catchable, inactive are not.

If you know bass are in the area re visit it about every 2-4 hours to determine when those bass are active feeding. Spend time fishing where the are.

Tom

 

 

[Catt]

This myth that bass do not travel distances daily is just that a myth!

Bass are opportunistic predators & will wait to ambush prey but they will not starve waiting!

The distances traveled is what remains a mystery.

Unlike pre-spawn or the spawn you will not see a mass exodus to feeding grounds.

When the individual bass becomes hungry it starts hunting right where it is & does not stop until it's full.

[WRB]

We tend to lump all bass into the same group when discussing behavior we should also remember they are individuals with unique behavior traits. As group behavior Smallmouth tend to roam more then Largemouth and should keep that in mind when we discuss bass behavior. 

Large reservoir bass behave differently than a small lake or pond because more deverse prey types, structure and cover.

Try to determine a pattern and then determine the active period timing. This means revisiting areas with bass.

Tom

[Catt]

All bass move

How far they is unknown

Obviously bass in smaller waters move less than bass in larger waters.

With an understanding of structure, breaks, & breaklines one can follow bass from summer haunts to spring feeding areas and back.

What makes you think I cannot follow em to summer feeding flats?