Pressured fish

[MerderInc]

I don't know if there's been a good thread before on the subject, but I didn't see one.  Can you guys help me understand pressured fish more?  It seems like the smaller the body of water that I fish, the less often particular baits work or the fish get wise to them.  Does this mean the fish are getting pressured?  

[rejesterd]

Pressured fish exist in waters where LOTS of people fish in the same spots constantly.  The way I identify pressured fish is using the finder.  If I'm consistently seeing fish on the finder in spots where people were just fishing, to me, that means they're pressured.

 

But it's not something I think about a lot, because it really doesn't affect my strategy.  If you know the fish are there and they're not biting, you need to try something different.  The technical reason why they're not biting is irrelevant imo.

[Black Hawk Basser]

I don't really consider pressured fish when I'm fishing, because there are so many factors that determine whether they are going to bite or not.  On your end, it could be bait depth control, profile, action, speed, vibration, color.  Variables out of your control, for example, would be weather/barometer, water clarity, pressured fish...if I'm not having success, it's hard for me to pin down why.  One of the last things I'd consider is pressure from other anglers.  I feel like I'm a good enough angler to overcome that.

[Scott F]

Pressured fish is one of the reasons I often travel long distances to fish.  If I catch a bunch of fish in an area, and I go back and fish the same spots again soon after, I never catch as many as I did earlier. Every time I go back in the next few days, I get less than the time before. So I often fish lakes and rivers that see very little angling pressure from bass fishermen. I’ve been on lakes where by 9 am, 5 boats have already hit the same places I intend to fish. I seldom do well in situations like that. I’m lucky I have the ability to choose places that give me the opportunity to fish for fish that haven’t seen a lot of lures or have been caught recently. 

[MrFrost]

My local honey hole, is by definition very pressured.  It's more of a pond, than a lake, and very rarely am I on the bank alone.  I don't necessarily know the baits most of these other anglers are throwing, but I do know that I notice that very rarely will they change their presentation when they're getting no bite.  They will usually walk the bank around the pond.  So when I get there, I will ask if they're having any luck and what they're throwing.  9 times out of 10 it's a wacky rig or t-rig, and if they're not getting bit I go topwater & frog.  If they are, I will find an empty spot and fan cast my t-rig.  

[scaleface]

There are usually several lures that will work well in the cover or structure being targeted. Keep switching up and maybe get lucky . 

[Black Hawk Basser]

My suggestion is to use much more aggressive and large baits than the general populace is using.  Perhaps the bass aren't as conditioned to oversized lures.  You may only score a fish or two, but they will probably be bigger!

[MerderInc]

1 hour ago, Pickle_Power said:

My suggestion is to use much more aggressive and large baits than the general populace is using.  Perhaps the bass aren't as conditioned to oversized lures.  You may only score a fish or two, but they will probably be bigger!

The fish tend to be very finicky there.  I've never had topwater success and if I bring a new bait into the mix it's often only successful catching a couple fish in a small amount of time before the bite goes away.  Drop shot and finesse work very well, last year zoom lizards worked great and even the bluegill were biting them.  This year, I haven't caught anything on lizards.  Crankbaits rarely, if ever, will get a bite.  Spinner baits and chatter baits will get some attention in the very early spring and then will drop off sharply.

[CrankFate]

 

I don’t think fishing pressure is the detetmining factor. It’s really the ecosystem that determines fishability.

 

There are a lot of heavily fished small ponds that consistently produce for reasons that can’t be explained by fishing pressure. 

[Glaucus]

I don't consider pressure when I fish. They're there, and they'll bite when you get it right. Every place I fish could be considered pressured. Just today I was at a small river at a known Smallmouth site. Got there and 2 people were already fishing and another showed up soon after. Threw the Ned Rig and caught 40+ Smallies. 

[TnRiver46]

southeatern US: the fishing pressure capital of the world!  Every red blooded American man has a bass boat and a pick up truck Around here! Therefore the fish are smart. I like to take a diving mask and swim where I fish. There’s always a whole bunch of big fish that ingnore dozens of people lures everyday. I also guide for trout at a catch and release only private stream that is tiny and if you don’t believe in Fishing pressure you should try Fishing there one day........

[CrankFate]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

southeatern US: the fishing pressure capital of the world!  Every red blooded American man has a bass boat and a pick up truck Around here! Therefore the fish are smart. I like to take a diving mask and swim where I fish. There’s always a whole bunch of big fish that ingnore dozens of people lures everyday. I also guide for trout at a catch and release only private stream that is tiny and if you don’t believe in Fishing pressure you should try Fishing there one day........

Makes you wonder if catch and release is a good idea. Kill them as soon as they’re keepers and they’ll never get smarter.

 

I’m just kidding.  I don’t like to kill fish. But sometimes I wonder.

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, CrankFate said:

Makes you wonder if catch and release is a good idea. Kill them as soon as they’re keepers and they’ll never get smarter.

 

I’m just kidding.  I don’t like to kill fish. But sometimes I wonder.

I know you were kidding, but the problem with that strategy (remove all keepers) is that it lowers the population and competition for food.  If there is a ton of forage & the bass has few brethren trying to eat it, he has no motivation to eat it first.  In those situations, I find you have to do the difficult combination of placing a reaction bait right at the end of his nose because they fish usually aren't hungry and typically will not chase.

[Black Hawk Basser]

No doubt fishing pressure is a real phenomenon.  But how can one tell if that is the determining factor in why you arent catching?  I find it much easier to blame it on myself and what I could do better/differently.

 

I consciously choose places that receive little pressure, mostly to avoid other people.  The better fishing is just a bonus. ?

[sfpalatka]

I fish St. Johns river which seems to have tournament after tournament. I have learned to try and fish lures that maybe strange in color. Or color you would not fish yourself. My son fished a color on a lizard bait that looked like it was made in an accidental lab experiment. He caught several bass that day as I watched scratching my head. TRY ANYTHING!!!!! 

[WRB]

I think lake Castaic in SoCal might be one the highest pressured bass fisheries in the country. Castaic is located 30 miles north of down town Los Angeles, 1 mile east of interstate 5, a major fwy connecting north-south. Castaic is about 2 miles long and approx 2000 acres, deep Rocky structure without cover and a famous bass fishery attracting local and out of state fisherman. Club tournement and local trail tournaments of over 100 boats nearly every weekend and open 7 days a week 12 months a year for recreational use, water contact sports and fishing. Finesse bass fishing may have been born at Castiac out of need to catch bass.

Yet Castaic without any help from management remains a good bass fishery for those who know how to fish this lake.

Tom

 

[CrankFate]

On 7/30/2018 at 11:10 PM, OCdockskipper said:

I know you were kidding, but the problem with that strategy (remove all keepers) is that it lowers the population and competition for food.  If there is a ton of forage & the bass has few brethren trying to eat it, he has no motivation to eat it first.  In those situations, I find you have to do the difficult combination of placing a reaction bait right at the end of his nose because they fish usually aren't hungry and typically will not chase.

I know the usually aren’t hungry and typically won’t chase Problem all too well.....