“Highly pressured”

[soflabasser]

On 5/19/2020 at 4:50 PM, Russ E said:

The extra pressure has forced me to look for new spots on the local lakes. If you look hard enough it is surprising how many spots get overlooked. I am fishing spots I would have just driven by in the past.

A lot of places are overlooked since people tend to fish places that they see other people fishing in. That is one of the reasons I like to explore new places and it has helped me find many awesome places to fish.

[DitchPanda]

On 5/20/2020 at 12:11 PM, WRB said:

Big difference between unskilled and skilled fishing pressure. People getting out of the house have little skill will not harm the bass populations. With today’s  C & R practice skilled anglers will not harm the bass populations. Stop wining about people enjoying being out and enjoy the fact you are able to fish.

My lake is closed to entry, no fishing.

Tom

I agree with this. I've been seeing a lot of non skilled people fishing my normal spots...they aren't doing much damage from what I've seen and heard. A few of my buddies are fishing but they are catch and release for bass unless they hurt one on accident so no harm there.I'm just exploring other areas and spots I've never fished or haven't fished for years and still getting some quality fish. I'm just happy I haven't lost my job..yet any ways..and that the governor still let's me even leave my house.

[JediAmoeba]

On 5/20/2020 at 1:11 PM, WRB said:

Big difference between unskilled and skilled fishing pressure. People getting out of the house have little skill will not harm the bass populations. With today’s  C & R practice skilled anglers will not harm the bass populations. Stop wining about people enjoying being out and enjoy the fact you are able to fish.

My lake is closed to entry, no fishing.

Tom

I do enjoy getting out, my problem with most unskilled anglers is they all mostly use live bait and don't pay attention which results in a lot of dead fish.  Also, live bait catches no matter the skill level...

[WRB]

39 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

I do enjoy getting out, my problem with most unskilled anglers is they all mostly use live bait and don't pay attention which results in a lot of dead fish.  Also, live bait catches no matter the skill level...

Live bait doesn't locate bass regardless of the skill.

I understand anglers wanting to have every bass returned alive and healthy, it's the current thing anglers do.

I was very active in the 60's and early 70's  trying to educate bass anglers to release the fish they caught and very few did. Stringers of 10 to 15 bass per angler per day was allowed in tournaments and anglers kept every legal bass they caught. Fish fries were common following tournemnts in lieu of hamburgers and hot dogs served today. Boats had ice boxes not livewells.

I learned over decades that bass are a renewable resource and very profic fish that will servive this years extra fishing pressure.

Every California public lake has fish cleaning stations with running water for anglers to clean the fish caught by the public anglers. We have about 500 anglers on any given weekend day during the summer on lakes less then 2,000 acres.

This is Memorial Day Holiday weekend, sit back and enjoy your beautiful family.

Tom

[RoLo]

 

Having lived in the same 50s to 80s era as Tom, I know where he's coming from.

Back in the 60s, if you had the insane notion of actually releasing a fish you just cranked to the boat,

you'd better hope that no one witnesses that unseemly event (They'd likely call the men in White Coats).

That's in wild contrast to what we have today, which underscores the power of contemporary sentiment.

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

[BrianMDTX]

On 5/22/2020 at 9:00 PM, RoLo said:

 

Having lived in the same 50s to 80s era as Tom, I know where he's coming from.

Back in the 60s, if you had the insane notion of actually releasing a fish you just cranked to the boat,

you'd better hope that no one witnesses that unseemly event (They'd likely call the men in White Coats).

That's in wild contrast to what we have today, which underscores the power of contemporary sentiment.

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

I was a kid in the 60s and a teen in the 70s. C&R was basically unheard of, and if someone caught a 5 lb bass and let it go, other anglers would have thought they were insane. When I think back to all the 12”-14” bass my family, friends and I kept back then, I shake my head. 
 

A lot of things have changed in bass fishing since I was young. But I’d say the overall acceptance of C&R is probably the best change that has come about. You get the challenge of the strike and the catch, take a pic, weigh and measure it, and maybe someone else catches it when it’s a bit bigger. What a great concept. 

[Craig P]

My local lake receives a lot of pressure, with COVID, it is insane the amount of boats, kayakers, paddle boarders and even swimmers now. I’m not talking beach swimmers, I’m talking people who swim miles with balloons tied to their back so boaters see them. Not to mention the tandem swimmers who are swimming on something that looks like the ending scene of Jaws.

 

Anyways.......I’m no bass expert. I’m only on my 3rd season of chasing them and the first season was just tinkering. BUT!!  I tried something this past weekend and was rewarded with some impressive success. I remember watching videos about mid-late summer bass tactics and sizing down after bass have been pressured so I tried it and it worked. So, not to give out my secrets, lol, try downsizing your jig / baits on these busy waterways, you might find a little more success. 

[Hammer 4]

30 minutes ago, Craig P said:

My local lake receives a lot of pressure, with COVID, it is insane the amount of boats, kayakers, paddle boarders and even swimmers now. I’m not talking beach swimmers, I’m talking people who swim miles with balloons tied to their back so boaters see them. Not to mention the tandem swimmers who are swimming on something that looks like the ending scene of Jaws.

 

Anyways.......I’m no bass expert. I’m only on my 3rd season of chasing them and the first season was just tinkering. BUT!!  I tried something this past weekend and was rewarded with some impressive success. I remember watching videos about mid-late summer bass tactics and sizing down after bass have been pressured so I tried it and it worked. So, not to give out my secrets, lol, try downsizing your jig / baits on these busy waterways, you might find a little more success. 

Hate to rain on your parade, but some of us have been doing that downsizing for about 40 years now..Nice that you figured out on your own..

[Craig P]

7 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Hate to rain on your parade, but some of us have been doing that downsizing for about 40 years now..Nice that you figured out on your own..

As mentioned, I’m still a rookie with Bass but I do enjoy figuring it out. 

[galyonj]

I've started to take some perverse joy in fishing public parks and other "highly pressured" bits of water. The fish I caught yesterday (posted in the latest catch pics thread) was the third or fourth I've pulled out of the water at that park in front of people that were whining about being skunked. One dude came off the trail there as I was getting the hook out and said "Really?! I've never seen anyone catch a fish here before." I will never get tired of hearing that.

[Logan S]

Local lake has always been popular, but now it's bordering on insane.  The kayak/canoe/paddleboard/inflatable crowd have descended on it like locusts.  Not meant to be a slight toward anyone, it's just the truth....Generally they are not fisherman and most probably just picked up their gear and are new to the water, so they are just not informed of the etiquette...I'm generally polite with them and wait it out, but man it's starting to wear on me.  Parking lot with 20 trailer spaces is usually completely full of cars without trailers, which is frustrating when trying to park since there is a huge lot of single spaces for cars just above the trailer lot.  This picture is from yesterday evening, a Wednesday, not a weekend . 

 

I can't wait for the virus situation to be resolved so all these people go back to doing whatever it is they were doing before...

 

 

[Bird]

I've had to change things up a bit just to get on the water......been going to bed earlier and sitting at the ramp at 5:00 am.

 

1st one on the water but when I left there was 37 boats " counted them " and 50 or so bank fishing.

 

Actually caught quite a few at daylight on whopper plopper but ran out by boat traffic by 10.

 

Um, this lake I'm referring to is 31 acres. ?

[NYWayfarer]

Memorial day weekend nearly cleared out the tackle sections of the two Walmart stores near my house. Almost no line on the shelves. Lots of popular lures were gone as well.

 

 

[plawren53202]

3 hours ago, Logan S said:

I can't wait for the virus situation to be resolved so all these people go back to doing whatever it is they were doing before...

 

This raises the question I have been wondering about throughout this...what did all these people do prior to coronavirus? I'm all for bringing in newcomers to the sport and recognize the value that it contributes, providing funds for conservation departments, incentive for manufacturers to develop new products, etc....BUT...do it responsibly. I have introduced several people to the sport over the last year, but when they go with me, not only do they hear suggestions about gear and tactics but also conservation, catch and release, fishing ethics, etc.

 

Case in point, my subdivision pond that has just been swarming with people since this started. Covered with litter, bait boxes, Yum and Zoom packages, wads of discarded line, and so on. I don't understand it because you don't need to be an experienced fisherman to know that littering is wrong, just need to not be a jerk. Now every trip to the pond, I come home with a wad of garbage in my bag; I almost never had to pick up litter pre-coronavirus. Thankfully it seems like the crowd is starting to die down just a little ever since Missouri started the reopening process.

 

The other problem is that publicly fishable waters in the St. Louis area were at or near the upper limits of sustainable traffic levels before Covid hit (and not managed well by conservation dept.). I'm sure this is the case in other places too.