One Fish Spots

[RDB]

41 minutes ago, Catt said:

@RDB in my opinion It's hard to say if it solely weather related because there's nothing to compare it to. 

 

Since that weather event Texas has exploded with huge bass everywhere. I'm sure you're aware of the 15.47 that won the Bass Champs Big Bass Tournament on Rayburn last weekend.

I am aware of the fish but it was caught at Fork...MLF was at Rayburn.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, RDB said:

I am aware of the fish but it was caught at Fork...MLF was at Rayburn.

 

Brain fart! ?

 

My brain is in overload keeping up with the the fish being caught recently.

 

I guess you heard of the 15.44 caught on Tyler East on the same day as the 15.47.

 

How many anglers you know target Tyler East for big bass?

 

@Captain Phil Sorry didn't mean to high jack your thread!

[E-rude dude]

14 hours ago, RDB said:

My experience is that as soon as you start applying rules to a creature that doesn’t follow rules, you limit yourself.  I have seen shallow water cover hold many fish, just like I have seen it hold 1 fish.  Remember, if you can see a bass, a bass can see you.  As far as mid depth, this past Friday I fished a clear, highly vegetated lake and found the fish relating to rock/gravel spots the size of a car surrounded by weeds in 7-10’ of water.  I could toss a drop shot to the bare spots and catch anywhere from 1 to 10 fish off a single spot.  I probably caught 40 bass running that pattern.  I often find groups of bass in 4-12’ of water.

 

And yes, the majority of bass move in and out of these environments.  While every lake likely has a population of “resident” fish, the majority of fish in a reasonably sized body will transition throughout the year in a wider range than would be considered resident.

I think the biggest issue when topics like this are discussed is lake location. We all have our lakes that we fish with the methods that we use. Then a general topic like this about bass behavior or catching methods comes up and everyone applies their experiences to the discussion. 
You may catch a 100 fish in a day on your lake at mid depth with a drop shot. I may try the exact same method on my lake and get skunked.

weW all have to remember that shared experiences is knowledge and no one fisherman is 100% correct about everything 100% of the time there are to many variables. Hence my reply of “my experience in WI”.
 

[Captain Phil]

Great discussion.  Every lake is different.  Every angler is different. Our lakes average 6-8 feet deep. There is very little offshore cover or structure. In the spring, there are 2-3 tournaments each weekend. Some have over 100 boats.  If you are going to consistently bring five fish to the scales, you either find fish where others aren't fishing or you need a long list of one fish spots.  I once won a tournament on the Harris Chain with two fish.  I only got two strikes that day, one 9 pounds and one six.  I burnt up a lot of gas.  The pattern that day was "run and gun".  

[RDB]

5 hours ago, E-rude dude said:

I think the biggest issue when topics like this are discussed is lake location. We all have our lakes that we fish with the methods that we use. Then a general topic like this about bass behavior or catching methods comes up and everyone applies their experiences to the discussion. 
You may catch a 100 fish in a day on your lake at mid depth with a drop shot. I may try the exact same method on my lake and get skunked.

weW all have to remember that shared experiences is knowledge and no one fisherman is 100% correct about everything 100% of the time there are to many variables. Hence my reply of “my experience in WI”.
 

I agree...I was just making the point that bass group up at all depths and thinking that groups of fish in the 4-12’ range are mostly pan fish is missing potential opportunities.  It wasn’t about being 100% correct.  It was just about bass behavior.

[RDB]

12 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Brain fart! ?

 

My brain is in overload keeping up with the the fish being caught recently.

 

I guess you heard of the 15.44 caught on Tyler East on the same day as the 15.47.

 

How many anglers you know target Tyler East for big bass?

 

@Captain Phil Sorry didn't mean to high jack your thread!

It’s easy to get mixed up when the tournaments were happening pretty much at the same time.  And yes, there have been some big fish being caught in Texas this year.  As you know, there are a ton of bigs caught in Texas that are never reported and you only see on social media or message boards without info on where they were caught.  So many anglers here don’t want that info to get out because you have a situation like Ivie where the ramp becomes a parking lot and you have to play bumper boats.  I’m sure it happens everywhere but it’s funny to see how many people lose their minds when it does.

 

If you get a chance, read that link I attached...I would be interested in getting your thoughts.  I will admit that it has occupied my thoughts for some time and I plan on exploring more this year.

[E-rude dude]

1 hour ago, RDB said:

I agree...I was just making the point that bass group up at all depths and thinking that groups of fish in the 4-12’ range are mostly pan fish is missing potential opportunities.  It wasn’t about being 100% correct.  It was just about bass behavior.

I mostly fish the 12’ and under depths. 4-12 is great square bill crank bait fishing for me any bluegill color I can find. 

[Catt]

@RDB I've read & heard a lot about John Hope, I've also read & heard a lot about Mark Pack. For years there was no internet so we had to glean what we could from any source.

 

I've spent 50 years on Toledo Bend with the vast majority of that time offshore & at night. When I say "offshore" I'm not necessarily talking the main lake but I ain't nowhere near a bank. 

[RDB]

36 minutes ago, Catt said:

@RDB I've read & heard a lot about John Hope, I've also read & heard a lot about Mark Pack. For years there was no internet so we had to glean what we could from any source.

 

I've spent 50 years on Toledo Bend with the vast majority of that time offshore & at night. When I say "offshore" I'm not necessarily talking the main lake but I ain't nowhere near a bank. 

Got it...I guess I was talking more about the interview section with Josh Jones.  He has become very popular online and has created a lot of buzz with his approach.  I do wonder whether anglers would have the patience to do what he is doing.  But he is getting big dollars to teach Livescope.

 

Edit:  Guess I should clarify as I spend a lot of time offshore as well.  The talk is more around the approach and his success and patience in finding these difficult to find spots that hold big fish.

[TnRiver46]

13 hours ago, E-rude dude said:

You may catch a 100 fish in a day 

 

[RDB]

12 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I don’t think he was suggesting catching 100 fish a day but was using to make a bigger point in reply to me.  At least that was my take and I agree with the point he was making.

 

And I am going to steal your GIF...I can see it coming in handy. ?

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, RDB said:

I don’t think he was suggesting catching 100 fish a day but was using to make a bigger point in reply to me.  At least that was my take and I agree with the point he was making.

 

And I am going to steal your GIF...I can see it coming in handy. ?

You’re welcome! I was just saying I’m not going to catch 100 in a day haha. I’m sure some people do, but not me. I might could get it done with bluegill if I had a 5 gallon bucket full of night crawlers 

[Catt]

45 minutes ago, RDB said:

 I do wonder whether anglers would have the patience to do what he is doing.

 

Mark Pack was famous for targeting big offshore bass suspended at 30-35+ with a 7" Super Fluke & then with his M-Pack Shad. He held his boat in place without Spot-Lock or GPS. He caught multiple 50# sacks using that technique. Mark wasn't the only one doing it, he was the most publicized.

 

What Josh is doing is not new or unique, what is new is Live Scope.

[lo n slo]

On 4/3/2021 at 12:01 PM, Jaderose said:

I know the little lake I fish most like the back of my hand.  I bet I have 20 of these spots all over the lake.  Those spots you KNOW hold fish.  Might be a large brush pile you can sit at for an hour and pull them in or it might be one twig sticking out of the water that holds a single.  Just gotta find em.

this is kinda the same situation for me. funny thing about it though, is that i’ve had some places just stop giving up fish. not necessarily an older brush pile, but an actual piece of structure. another complication is the advent of spotted bass in our local waters. i’ve had to re-learn some things that i once thought i had figured out.

[RDB]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Mark Pack was famous for targeting big offshore bass suspended at 30-35+ with a 7" Super Fluke & then with his M-Pack Shad. He held his boat in place without Spot-Lock or GPS. He caught multiple 50# sacks using that technique. Mark wasn't the only one doing it, he was the most publicized.

 

What Josh is doing is not new or unique, what is new is Live Scope.

I met Mark but didn’t know him personally.  I have a number of friends that knew him well...he was a Fork legend.
 

And I agree that others have done it for years...we have heard stories from crappie fishermen forever.  What is unique is the video game aspect of it.  Live imaging has removed much work and expedited the learning process and results.  I am a little torn about that but I am a 360 user so maybe that’s hypocritical.

[Team9nine]

8 hours ago, RDB said:

I met Mark but didn’t know him personally.  I have a number of friends that knew him well...he was a Fork legend.
 

And I agree that others have done it for years...we have heard stories from crappie fishermen forever.  What is unique is the video game aspect of it.  Live imaging has removed much work and expedited the learning process and results.  I am a little torn about that but I am a 360 user so maybe that’s hypocritical.

 

You’re walking a fine line ? I hate what LS is doing to the sport, and more generally “the art” of angling, but all electronic technology is contributing. On the other hand, the learning is just incredible, which is where my “torn” comes in. Right now I refuse to add any of it as a matter of principle.

 

On Josh Jones and his “technique;” he’s the real deal. So is his “technique.” What makes it different from Pack and others (IMO) is the complete unreliance on structure, cover or baitfish. It is simply a game of ‘needle in the haystack.’ Launch the boat, turn on the LS, and start searching for a big bass (or crappie). Doesn’t matter if he’s in 6 ft of water or 60 ft., around cover or totally suspended in the open. Find it and throw at it. Yes, there’s some nuancing involved, but that’s what it basically comes down to. It’s kind of a hybrid/mishmash of all the big bass greats along with things like Hope’s tracking. You can see little pieces from all of it, but it’s taken the LS technology to be able to access that final frontier and bring all the pieces together - kind of a Grand Unified Theory on the last remaining untapped big bass universe. 

[Catt]

@Team9nine & @RDB

 

From my point of view Livescope takes the "hunt" out of the picture.

 

It's kinda like the ol boy that grabs his 30/30, a bottle whiskey, drives down a country road until he see a deer & shoots it.

 

The hunt for me is more gratifying than the kill

[Deleted account]

Rods, reels, lines, lures, boats, motors, electronics, sunscreen, nutrition bars, etc, they are just the tools of the trade. You pick and choose which you use. In recreational angling, one can decide what if any of it is used. In competitive angling, if you are not making full use of all of it, you are doing it wrong.

[Team9nine]

4 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

Rods, reels, lines, lures, boats, motors, electronics, sunscreen, nutrition bars, etc, they are just the tools of the trade. You pick and choose which you use. In recreational angling, one can decide what if any of it is used. In competitive angling, if you are not making full use of all of it, you are doing it wrong.

 

Which is a big part of the reason I got out of the tournament game after 25 years - its become a bit ridiculous. 

[E-rude dude]

Big expensive electronics are like shiny new lures. They catch more fishermen than fish.

 

Ive started buying used electronics off of eBay. (Beware of “head unit only sales”).

I currently have 2)899 & 2)898 at console and bow. Which cost me less than $2000. When I find a non-mega 360 I may buy that if the price is right. 
 

Electronics prices have gotten way to out of control. The pairing of TM’s with electronics has made them even more expensive. 
When I up graded my TM I bought the MG Tour pro because in the future I can put any transducer on it I wish without a problem.

 

Maybe I’ll upgrade to mega when the next guy decides he can’t live without the latest greatest and drops several thousands of dollars to get it. But that’s just me. I like shined new lures more?
 

 

 

[Big Hands]

1 hour ago, E-rude dude said:

Ive started buying used electronics off of eBay. (Beware of “head unit only sales”).

I currently have 2)899 & 2)898 at console and bow. Which cost me less than $2000. When I find a non-mega 360 I may buy that if the price is right. 
 

Electronics prices have gotten way to out of control. The pairing of TM’s with electronics has made them even more expensive. 
When I up graded my TM I bought the MG Tour pro because in the future I can put any transducer on it I wish without a problem.
 

 

 

It is my opinion that you get a much better fish finder in 2021 for $300 than you ever got for $300 at any point in history, and that's not even adjusting for inflation. My Garmin Striker Plus 5cv that cost $300 is a far better fish finding device than my old Lowrance X15 that cost around $1,000 back in the 80's could ever hope to be.

 

The technological capability of the top tier fish finders has grown immensely, so the cost to have the best fish finder is higher than ever, but that is because they are capable of providing so much more detailed real time information that can increase the results of those that employ it effectively. 

[WRB]

Electronics are continuously improving. The state of the today is obsolete in 2 years. $300 can by 2year old sonar units that are still excellent units.

Tom

[Captain Phil]

My first "Fish Finder" was a flasher I built from a Heath Kit.  I never found many fish on the thing, but at least I knew how deep it was.  My first offshore boat had a Lowrance Chart recorder that looked like a giant green fax machine sitting on my console.  It used paper that came on rolls and tangled at every chance it got.  It was good to 3,000 feet.  Don't know why as I couldn't reach bottom anyway.  Today's electronics are insane.  With all these advantages, you would think the fish don't have a chance?  Evidently, the fish have different ideas as you can see from tournament score boards. ?

[E-rude dude]

So to turn it back to the OP’s question......

 

The one fish spot

 

Do high end electronics play a role in finding these “mythical ?” locations that seem to only hold one fish or is lower end older electronics good enough to verify with a solid cast placement.

 

What is better electronics that you can see them instantly or hard work that verifies it’s a one fish spot.

 

For me I like the hunt, casting decisions based on experience guided by skill from endless hours of perfecting your cast placement. For me it’s the reward.

[WRB]

Turn the clock back just 1 decade to 2011, seems like yesterday for most of us. 95% of bass anglers who owned bass boats fished 100% of their time within a cast from shore.

The time bass were further away from shore casting targets was leaving the launch ramp to where they fished.

Bass in the early 2000 had excellent sonar color units, they didn’t side scan or 360 scanning it was tradition 2D and GPS.

You don’t need sonar fishing the shoreline you visually see what you are casting to.

Remember the “honey hole” that you caught more then 1 bass? Everyone is casting catching a line bass here and there hoping to find the motherlode.

Nothing really has change the past 50 years, except today 90% of the bass boaters spend 95% of the time fishing the shoreline. The boat have scanning sonar, power poles to automatically anchor and spot lock to hold the boat on a spot. Maybe 5% of bass anglers actually utilize their state of the art electronics and fish deeper then 20’ off shore. Everyone is still searching for the honey hole hoping to catch more then 1 bass.

Tom

PS, Big Mouth Forever where Homer is casting into a group of big bass and doesn’t detect big bass eating his crankbait, no fish spot honey hole.