Do bass learn your fishing schedule?

[Great White Fisherman]

I fish just about every day when I get home in the morning (I work nights). Usually it's a couple hours, 8-10 or so. I've noticed recently that the activity on the pond has changed at these times. Used to be, there were blowups here and there, the fish were doing their thing and sometimes I'd catch one. Now at this time every day the pond is quiet and I catch nothing. So have they just learned to hunker down during this time because they know or what? I walk up softly and silently as far from the water as possible, cast to the point where I'll be standing before I approach, all the normal stealthy stuff to keep from spooking them. 

[Glaucus]

Yes. While you're gone they practice incoming human drills. Similar to fire, tornado, and intruder drills in school. They sit quietly in the middle of the pond holding leaves over their heads so lures don't fall on them.

[WRB]

Does your location change to day light savings time? Bass can't tell time or read calendars. They can tell the differences in depth of light as the sun raises above the horizon and water temperature increasing.

Tom

[Scott F]

A friend of mine used to have a pond on his property. He used to feed the fish there after work everyday. He had an electric bug zapper and he’d use the bugs collected and other “fish chow”. They could hear him come to the edge of the pond and be there waiting for him. I can imagine that someone fishing for them, hooking them, and taking them out of the water, might have the opposite effect and cause the fish to hunker down and hide every time you get to the pond especially if you do it every day.  Give the fish a few days between days you fish, or feed them frequently to get them to be active when you are there.

[Sam]

Texas = Hot.

 

The bass are right above the thermocline keeping cool.

 

Go a little deeper, but off the bottom, with your presentations.

 

Hit all wood on the bottom and all over the place.

 

Try a buzzbait all day just in case a few bass want to kill or eat it.

 

Spinnerbaits about 2 feet under the surface can work wonders.

 

Keep acting like a ghost, too.

 

Good luck.

3 hours ago, Scott F said:

A friend of mine used to have a pond on his property. He used to feed the fish there after work everyday. He had an electric bug zapper and he’d use the bugs collected and other “fish chow”. They could hear him come to the edge of the pond and be there waiting for him. I can imagine that someone fishing for them, hooking them, and taking them out of the water, might have the opposite effect and cause the fish to hunker down and hide every time you get to the pond especially if you do it every day.  Give the fish a few days between days you fish, or feed them frequently to get them to be active when you are there.

Scott, at my double secret pond on a friend's farm, the catfish love to eat dog food.

 

They also like to follow you around the pond.

 

If you throw out dog food to see the feeding frenzy in the morning the catfish will follow you all day long around the pond.

 

Since we consider them as pets we don't fish for them.

 

There is (was) one albino catfish so you could tell where the school was along the shoreline. I have not seen him this year. Hope he is OK.

[Catt]

Do bass learn your fishing schedule?

 

Yes sir & they avoid it like the plague ?

[Great White Fisherman]

Alright, makes sense. As a side question, do they communicate? Do they "tell" the other fish to do the same thing and lay low? Because there are some recently introduced fish in the pond, as in last week, and even they weren't biting.

[Sphynx]

With the recent high temperatures it is very possible that the fish simply aren't eating, I don't think that bass communicate the way people do, it is also possible that whatever presentations you were using were not what they wanted assuming they were feeding at all, I typically find that when it is disgusting hot out like southern summer gets, very early morning and just at sunset are the most productive times, what were you fishing with? 

[Dirtyeggroll]

They seem to always know my schedule and readily greet me.

[Great White Fisherman]

Bubblegum trick worm (most productive), minnow fluke, topwater black frog, and took a shot at a white chatterbait just because I had a catch on it once before in the pond

[LadiMopar]

15 minutes ago, Great White Fisherman said:

Alright, makes sense. As a side question, do they communicate? Do they "tell" the other fish to do the same thing and lay low? Because there are some recently introduced fish in the pond, as in last week, and even they weren't biting.

There are many studies on this subject, "fish communication" and it only makes sense imho that just like other species ( fur, feather etc.)use calls or scent to send info through the neighborhood, why not bass?

 

Here's one recent article (2017) on fish communication.

https://www.the-scientist.com/features/fish-use-a-variety-of-sounds-to-communicate-31950

 

There is also an older thread here at BR on the subject:

 

[Harold Scoggins]

On ‎8‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 10:07 AM, Great White Fisherman said:

So have they just learned to hunker down during this time because they know or what?

I sure hope not! I do good just trying to keep the old woman in the dark. (Just kidding.)

[reb67]

I don't know about learning our fishing schedule but I'm convinced them don't read the same magazines  articles and watch the same videos we do.  

[hawgenvy]

I think they do, and for many of them Saturday is a day of fasting. 

[WRB]

Bass are individual animals trying to survive in a world of survival of the fittest. What do you think a fish does, Communicate with each other like humans during a lunch break at the office? Here that angler comes agian lets fool him and not strike his lures.

Are you kidding me!

Tom 

[.ghoti.]

I fish when I can. My fishing schedule is erratic enough it would require a ouija board to tell the fish I’m on the way.

[J Francho]

2 hours ago, .ghoti. said:

My fishing schedule is erratic enough it would require a ouija board to tell the fish I’m on the way.

I thought those were for summoning the dead?

[Deleted account]

On 8/5/2019 at 9:20 AM, J Francho said:

I thought those were for summoning the dead?

So maybe they should be the next live well additive sponsor? ...

On 8/5/2019 at 1:41 AM, WRB said:

Bass are individual animals trying to survive in a world of survival of the fittest. What do you think a fish does, Communicate with each other like humans during a lunch break at the office? Here that angler comes agian lets fool him and not strike his lures.

Are you kidding me!

Tom 

It was probably more accidental, one bass was probably venting to his bud via email and accidentally hit reply all...

 

"Don't tell steve, that MFer dropped a ton of work on my desk this morning, knowing that I have plans this weekend, and besides, that project isn't a priority and isn't due until after the post spawn. (by the way, did you see that fatty sitting by the log on your way in? What a MILT!) 

Anyway, I'm not sure I can work for that slime much longer, hope he gets what he's got coming.

Oh, I almost forgot, don't go near any bait in the late afternoons, trust me."

[BIGfryFish]

On 8/3/2019 at 8:43 PM, Sam said:

Scott, at my double secret pond on a friend's farm, the catfish love to eat dog food.

 

They also like to follow you around the pond.

 

If you throw out dog food to see the feeding frenzy in the morning the catfish will follow you all day long around the pond.

 

Dog food hook should work in this case.

 

Cast out your hook with dog food.   Throw out some dog food in the same spot.   You're bound to get a strike.  :)

_________________________________________________

 

Can Bass figure out our fishing pattern?   It's possible.    But it's more likely they saw us coming.  

Check out this post about Trout, it applies here for Bass.

 

 

 

 

 

[justin apfel]

I'm surprised no one has asked this yet, but how big is the pond you're fishing? How deep does it get? Is there structure around the shoreline? Etc. 

 

As the days get hotter and the water temp gets high, it's likely these fish are holding tight to deep cover as Sam mentioned. Instead of looking for fish hitting the surface explore the bottom with jigs, carolina rigs, crankbaits, etc. to get an idea of where they might be laying low. 

 

If the pond is only a few acres, I would guess they could learn your schedule if you're literally fishing everyday around the same time, especially if you're using the same presentations every time. Change up your speeds, lures, retrieve style, etc. Also, try waking up at first light and see if they're hitting then. 

 

Tight lines.

[Great White Fisherman]

On 8/8/2019 at 10:40 AM, justin apfel said:

I'm surprised no one has asked this yet, but how big is the pond you're fishing? How deep does it get? Is there structure around the shoreline?

It's about a half acre and 24ft at the deepest. There's cattails and yes I've tried fishing them many times, never any bites. Of great importance is the that fact that the pond is choked with hydrilla.

 

On 8/8/2019 at 10:40 AM, justin apfel said:

As the days get hotter and the water temp gets high, it's likely these fish are holding tight to deep cover as Sam mentioned. Instead of looking for fish hitting the surface explore the bottom with jigs, carolina rigs, crankbaits, etc. to get an idea of where they might be laying low. 

Because of the hydrilla, my options are very limited. I've done punch rigs and heavy carolina rigs with no success yet. Any kind of treble hook bait or jig will certainly not work, I have to do t-rig with everything.

[Randy Price]

Along the same lines do you think a hooked fish scares others away from the area?  It seems (when bank fishing) that if I catch a fish and then release it that I will not catch anymore at that same spot.

[JediAmoeba]

On 8/9/2019 at 12:51 PM, Great White Fisherman said:

It's about a half acre and 24ft at the deepest.

So in about 110 feet across this pond gets to 24 feet deep?  That's a drastic hole and wouldn't hold much if that's the case.  And a pond that size you can easily cast to any spot from one location.  

[Paul Roberts]

I don't think so. They can anticipate, but I suspect (but do not know) what kind of duration we're talking. It may only be an immediate reaction to a stimulus -like an increase in current flow, a darkening of the sky. Any aquarium owner will see anticipation in fish, at feeding time. But fishing happens in a much more complex and inconsistent environment.

 

Bass can learn about fishing though. They go from naively stupid to difficult after being exposed to regular fishing.

 

Then there are conditions that might have changed, although morning is often a good time during summer.