Do you normally see fish?

[BillNye]

My cousin and I were out in the canoe today in a spot that produced the largest bass caught in the state.  I have always had bad luck here but usually chalk it up to high pressure.  This pond is actually a river that a portion of was damed more than a 100 years ago so the area is long and not very wide in most areas.

 

Anyway the water was very clear and we could easily see the bottom in most places.  There was lots of stumps, rocks and downed trees interspersed with mud flats.  We had a bad day catching one tiny pickerel.  We eventually just floated the canoe without paddling to see if we could spot anything.  We ended up not even seeing one bait fish.  Is this normal or do you typically see fish often when out.

[ww2farmer]

They will see you before you see them and take off, unless they are on beds. And even then, some will still get spooked and high tail it.

 

Most fish are hard wired to be weary to threats from above.

[WRB]

First and foremost you need polarized sunglasses and a wide brim hat to shade your face.

Look for all types of fish like bluegill and other small fish, they are there.

After you have learned what a fish looks like in it’s environment, how they move, then look for telltale signs of predator fish like bass. Unless the bass is spooked or otherwise excited they glide slowly along the shaded breaks or weed edges. LMB have a distinct dark lateral line and light colored belly dark backs, they look very thin do to light refraction from a distance. You usually don’t see the whole fish outline at first, just movement.

Good luck,

Tom

[BillNye]

I always wear polarized glasses and a hat.  Most of the areas we fish are fairly murky so its hard to see anything.  This area was no more than 6 feet deep at any point and in many of the areas it would have been extremely obvious to see anything moving.  We didnt see any small fish at all.  Some other placed we fish that are murkier we will see smaller in the shallows but its hard to see anything beyond that.

[frosty]

I fish some small lakes that are extremely clear, even with polarized glasses it can be hard to spot a fish that isn’t moving. They are green on top for a reason  

[FishDewd]

I don't have polarized lenses, not even sure how they work, but I doubt there is any strong enough for my chocolate mud water around here.

[WRB]

Polarized sunglasses cut the glare or shine off the water surface and protect your eyes from UV, should always wear eye protection when fishing.

I believe most anglers don't look for bass or baitfish, they focus on casting to a target where bass are suppose to be hiding under. This belief comes from decades of experience bass fishing with various partners, I am always pointing out bass following their lure or just missing it or in the water nearby and the response is they need to get better sunglasses. Better glasses isn't the problem, they haven't taken the time to look.

Bass anglers look for bass beds with bass in or nearby during the spawn then put away looking into the water the balance of the year.

LOOK, bass are very curious fish often follow your lure or another bass that is hooked and baitfish are often only a few feet under the surface. You would be surprised what you are missing.

Tom

[Sam]

No, not while in the boat and if I do it is usually when they are on their beds.

 

Sometimes when on a pond's bank if I am quiet and do not spill my shadow on the water.

 

This does not include seeing the bass hit the surface striking at a topwater prey.

[FishDewd]

22 minutes ago, WRB said:

Polarized sunglasses cut the glare or shine off the water surface and protect your eyes from UV, should always wear eye protection when fishing.

I believe most anglers don't look for bass or baitfish, they focus on casting to a target where bass are suppose to be hiding under. This belief comes from decades of experience bass fishing with various partners, I am always pointing out bass following their lure or just missing it or in the water nearby and the response is they need to get better sunglasses. Better glasses isn't the problem, they haven't taken the time to look.

Bass anglers look for bass beds with bass in or nearby during the spawn then put away looking into the water the balance of the year.

LOOK, bass are very curious fish often follow your lure or another bass that is hooked and baitfish are often only a few feet under the surface. You would be surprised what you are missing.

Tom

I see, thanks for the info. I wear a hat but so far thats the extent of my protection. That's pretty much what I do when locating. I learn a body of water and by trial/error figure out where the fish are. I do look for signs of activity though: ripples, splashing, jumping, etc. In the ponds I fish the bass are mostly in cover along the banks, sometimes venturing out a bit to hunt. Those are the ones I like to get. I don't intentionally bed fish though cause I feel like it messes with the population. Videos have proven that the bass don't always return to protect the nest.

[the reel ess]

When they're shallow, I see them. When they aren't I don't. But the water's not very clear here.

[jbmaine]

Around here water clarity can go from 3 ft to 10 ft depending on body of water. We almost always see perch, sunnys etc. Fishing shallows or weeds we often see pickerel and bass.

[Further North]

Sometimes...sometimes not...look for their shadows on the bottom...their natural camouflage can't hide that...

[OCdockskipper]

7 hours ago, WRB said:

...bass are very curious fish often follow your lure or another bass that is hooked and baitfish are often only a few feet under the surface...

I just had an experience that follows a few things Tom has said. 

 

While out today, I found that the last wave (probably) of spawners had moved up.  Midday, I came across a large female positioned in front of a bed, with the male on the bed.  I pitched a small jig between the two & the female noticed it.  She turned and as she began to move towards the lure, a 2nd smaller female shot in & grabbed it.  Since I was focused on the larger fish, I never noticed the smaller one until she inhaled the jig.

 

So I set the hook and as I brought the hooked bass closer, the large female showed her curiosity and followed the hooked bass to the boat.  I had the hooked bass boatside with the larger fish directly underneath her, just checking out what was going on.  She was over 20" long, probably in the 5-6 lb range, calm and curious.  I grabbed a second rod and dropped a plastic worm in front of her, but she was more interested in what was going on with her sister.

 

She returned to her position in front of the bed, but knowing I was there, showed no interest in future offerings.  I returned back two more times, but her focus was on her future boyfriend, so I'll just have to catch her sometime when she is done spawning & in an eating mood. 

[Choporoz]

On 4/21/2018 at 7:05 PM, BillNye said:

Do you normally see fish?

Like @Further Northsaid, 'sometimes'.  Sometimes it is more than just clarity and light levels/angles.  There are days when there just isn't a lot of movement and you are much more likely to see them when they're moving.  Time of year affects how much baitfish you saw.  Size and numbers are going to be lower now than in a few months.  I was on a good bass lake month that was extremely clear and I didn't see so much as a minnow for the first several hours. 

[Bassun]

I'm with Tom.  A: Get some sunglasses.  Polarized with 100% UV protection.  They can be cheap, they can be expensive... it doesn't matter just get something.  Long term, it's well worth it.  You only get one set of eyes, once you screw them up ur done.  I've taken a few shots over the years that hit my glasses.  Maybe I would have lost an eye, maybe not... I'd much rather NOT find out.

 

As for seeing fish, if it's clear - you can see them if you are not spooking them (usually seeing the spooked ones is easier), and are looking for the right things.  BUT, often if you can clearly see them, even if they don't spook off, they are more than aware of you and much tighter lipped (minus spawning).  Seeing a stationary bass (or any fish) can be hard unless they are in the middle or top of the water column and off structure.  It's amazing what you see if you snorkle somewhere you have fished.  I've looked over a spot from the deck, and saw 1 single bluegill.  But after slipping in the water, found a slew of bass and gills hiding in shadows and cover.  Sometimes its the angle, and they are just protected from your line of site...sometimes its just how good their camo is.  Trout and Smallmouth, to me, are some of the best at hiding in rocks.  If they don't move, you almost cannot see them.

 

I think the real question is do you "catch" fish you see?  To that, I say sometimes.  But more often, I'm picked up by a fish that I didn't see until just before the strike...at best.

[Bluebasser86]

If the water is fairly clear, I will spot quite a few. I did yesterday, and as usual, very few of the fish I could see were willing to bite. 

[Catt]

Y'all ever notice the similarities between bass fishing & deer hunting?

 

When looking for deer I aint looking to see the whole deer!

 

You'll hear, "that buck just suddenly appeared in that clearing!"

 

Oh yeah! He was there the whole time!

 

Many anglers look for bass only during spawn, they are there all year.

 

I fish shallow water marshes (2-4') that are crystal clear. You can see bass, cast passed them, & catch em.

 

Like @WRB mentioned look for movement, many times you'll see reeds, pads, or brush move when there's no wind or current.

 

Glasses, I prefer a medium dark amber lens for color contrast.

 

Hats? I always got a hat on ?

[Ratherbfishing]

Except in the Spring when the bass are spawning it's pretty rare for me to see them.  The exception is when they are just "chillin'" (cruising around listlessly) and then it's purt near impossible to get them to bite.  I don't even bother with them anymore.

[fissure_man]

In addition to all of the above, the OP being low to the water in a canoe is a huge disadvantage vs. standing on the deck of a bass boat when it comes to spotting fish.

 

Up here, sight fishing for shallow smallmouth is a pretty reliable and fun way to catch them on certain lakes (I’m not talking bed fishing).  I drift or run the TM around on shallow structure in clear water casting a jerkbait, looking for followers, cruisers, or spooked fish.  Then hit spot lock when I hook one or see a good one (or a group). Even if spooked, if you back off they’ll calm down before long and don’t usually go too far.  If I’m not seeing (or catching) fish, I’m moving around until I do.

 

I agree with the post above that most of the time if you see them, they see you (and are less likely to bite).  I’ll see loads of fish close to the boat some days, but most bites will still come in the first 1/3 of a long cast.  Groups of smaller bass on sunny days will sometimes even hang out in the shadow of the boat! (Erie smallies are dumb).  

[optimator]

Glasses are good for more than just UV protection. My buddies Dad lost an eye jerking on a snagged line. He took a 3/4 oz chunk of lead right into his eye. Bad things can happen fast.