Learned a valuable fishing lesson today

[CybrSlydr]

Don't go fishing on a holiday weekend.  There are damned people EVERYWHERE. 

Went to check out some new lakes on some less traveled gravel roads in the AEP lands today and found 6 or 7 that were very nice - but no shore access.  They had boat ramps, but the shore all around was choked with chest-high and higher brush.  Nowhere to cast.

So we checked out our usual places - nothing but campers. 

Son of a *****. 

[Angry John]

tons of extra boats, jet ski's and huge crowds.  A good time to night fish as the normal feeding time will happen later in the summer and with all the traffic the fish will stay deep or close to cover.

[Gundog]

I got a couple of hours early in the morning to myself so I hit the river which doesn't get nearly as crowded as state park lakes. I've learned to stay away from the state parks during summer holidays. Its a zoo without all the civility and cages.

[CybrSlydr]

Well, we were going to go around sun-up but a buddy of mine has a Fishing Forecast app that he swears by that said the fish would be biting better around 11am-6pm ish.  So, we left around 11:30am.  Drove around for 2 hours and didn't get to fish at all.  Put about 65 miles on the car with nothing to show for it. 

[RAMBLER]

Unfortunately everybody has a right to use the water.  There are a whole lot of recreational users that spent a lot of money for their toys and they want to be on the water, too.  Since I've retired, I don't even try to get near a landing on the weekends or holidays.  Those are the best days for me to get some chores done.  Labor day is just that for me, a day for labor.

[lo n slo]

34 minutes ago, CybrSlydr said:

 a buddy of mine has a Fishing Forecast app 

forget that stuff

[papajoe222]

I fish a lake in SW Wisconsin that is no wake from 8:00PM-10:00AM. Picked up a 22in. LM the eve of July 4th.  The locals got this one right because everyone gets to enjoy the lake no matter what day it is.

[Senko lover]

I'd say it sounds like a great weekend for night fishing, am I right @A-Jay ?

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, Senko lover said:

I'd say it sounds like a great weekend for night fishing, am I right @A-Jay ?

Well, if you stand any chance at all when it's been busy during the day - Night Ops would be it.

But on this particular weekend, I bow out to the Recreational Humans.  This is their last chance to burn some gas so I let them have at it. 

No sense putting myself in the middle of all that crazy - the bite is rarely any good anyway.   When they ALL GO HOME later this week - I'll still be here.  Usually on Tuesday or Wednesday after the lake  & the bait has a chance to return to it's "usual daily routine", only then will I venture back looking to sore lip as many as Humanly Possible. 

The bite only gets better from here on out - as long as the weather is safe - I'm on the water.  Last Fall I had a few most memorable days.

A-Jay

[Buckeye Ron]

43 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Well, if you stand any chance at all when it's been busy during the day - Night Ops would be it.

But on this particular weekend, I bow out to the Recreational Humans.  This is their last chance to burn some gas so I let them have at it. 

No sense putting myself in the middle of all that crazy - the bite is rarely any good anyway.   When they ALL GO HOME later this week - I'll still be here.  Usually on Tuesday or Wednesday after the lake  & the bait has a chance to return to it's "usual daily routine", only then will I venture back looking to sore lip as many as Humanly Possible. 

The bite only gets better from here on out - as long as the weather is safe - I'm on the water.  Last Fall I had a few most memorable days.

A-Jay

Yes sir, this right here ^^^^^^^

 

[MassYak85]

4 hours ago, lo n slo said:

forget that stuff

x2 I've had some great days in what would be considered awful conditions (fish shouldn't be biting well). Hell, one of the better fish I caught this year was during the busiest weekend of the whole summer at a lake we fish a lot. Pleasure boats and jet skis everywhere, the lake looked like there were 30mph winds with all the boat waves. I also had my best couple days last year during bluebird sky's, hot as hell, middle of the summer, middle of the day. Fishing has too many variables for me to rely on an app to know when they should be biting. 

[flyfisher]

I'm heading out in the morning....of course it is an electric only lake that you need to get a permit for and rarely has any boat traffic anyways.  My last chance to get out before the school year starts and i'll be damned if i am staying home lol 

[Further North]

River for me this weekend...one that's too small to put a boat bigger than a canoe on...

[Airman4754]

Have no fear. This is the last real weekend they'll be out. 

[Further North]

I also become a real fan of pro football in September, October and November...it gets more people off the water and out of the woods on Sunday afternoons.

[Dschouest42]

Down here, every person who has a boat is out. Nine out of ten people don't know simple boating laws and regulations. They cut in front of you at the ramp, blast passed my kayak, and swarm my spot when I get on a good fish bite. I let them have Labor Day: instead Im gonna go look at appartments with the girlfriend, smoke a cigar, and drink a few brews. Either Sweetwater or Bud Lite.

[Incarcerated Otter]

Holidays are the worst for boating

[Oufb90]

The weekends before and after are generally the best ones to plan a trip. 

[BassnChris]

We left the boat ramp around 05:30 Saturday....still dark.....fished til about 10:30....out before the majority of the lake lice were awake. ?

[gim]

23 hours ago, Further North said:

River for me this weekend...one that's too small to put a boat bigger than a canoe on...

I hit a river this morning for a few hours too.  You really can't launch anything much bigger than a canoe, kayak, or small jon boat out there and we floated along with the current.  Never saw another person for 5 hours because they were all presumably out on the lakes for the holiday.  Caught 23 smallmouth bass and 3 pike too

[NYWayfarer]

I avoided my favorite spots on Labor Day weekend. I was able to get on the lake Thursday though and it was great. The holiday crowd had yet to arrive. I went shopping for fishing gear on Sunday and Monday instead.

Now that they are gone it should be peaceful fishing from now until Columbus Day.

[jesse.seybold]

i just went pond hopping on the yak... figured the lakes would be attrocious

[Further North]

On 9/4/2016 at 7:55 PM, Further North said:

River for me this weekend...one that's too small to put a boat bigger than a canoe on...

18 hours ago, gimruis said:

I hit a river this morning for a few hours too.  You really can't launch anything much bigger than a canoe, kayak, or small jon boat out there and we floated along with the current.  Never saw another person for 5 hours because they were all presumably out on the lakes for the holiday.  Caught 23 smallmouth bass and 3 pike too

A friend and spent about 6 hours on a stretch of River east and a little north of here...I was throwing flies (Mostly poppers), he was throwing topwater lures on spinning gear...he caught way more fish...that's how it is some days.

We don't count fish...but we caught a lot of smallies, nothing with teeth which was kind of a bummer.

Saw no one else all day.

 

[iiTzChunky]

I feel yuh, I drove 30 min to find kids jumping Into my spot and nothing but drunks on rafts. Bad weekend to fish 

[Onvacation]

I was doing really well fishing some grass and working my way to within about fifteen feet of the shore where a guy had just finished working his hunting dog and kenneling it in his truck.  I made two or three casts, and as he was picking up his gear, he saw me and launched a duck into the water near my boat.  I'm thinking I don't understand, and then he got the dog out of the truck who of course made a beeline for the decoy.  Dog and decoy leave the water, jump into the truck along with the driver and the all leave.  Guess he was proving some kind of point to me about his right to train his dog.