Bank fisherman question

[Luke Barnes]

17 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

I think there is a lot to be learned from pond fishing.  It allows the opportunity to observe fish behavior in regards to cover, structure, seasonal patterns, etc. on a smaller scale.  Often that means more feedback and more fun.  The only time I would say you fish a body of water too often is if you've just plain figured it out, and it's no longer presenting a challenge.  Personally, I have a couple of ponds that I've fished for years with great success and they still kick my butt once in a while.

 

Applying what you've learned from your familiar water is helpful when exploring new lakes or ponds.  You can identify high percentage areas, and select your lures with more confidence.  Then it becomes a new opportunity to learn and expand.

 

If I'm exploring a new spot and it requires a decent drive to get there, I'll scout a few places in the area.  Don't want to waste a trip if you find a pond is dried up, posted or has no bank access.  And, of course, ask permission of it is privately owned.  

 

Good topic.  I'm actually trying a new pond/small lake (35 acres) tomorrow and the only information I have is a Google satellite image and a weather report.  

Alot of times when I try new ponds thats all I go off of. Google maps and weather. 

 

Fishing the same few ponds definitely has taught me a bunch and is a good test for new lures. Next time I go in either going somewhere new with the ol trusty lures or the regular pond with new lures to test out. 

 

I always try to learn something when I fish. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

When your fishing ponds and small lakes your presenting your bait to the same fish over and over.  You can go from catching 30 fish in a couple hours to just 3 or 4 in a couple weeks if your hitting the same spot over and over again.  When the season starts to change the fish kind of reset when they change their pattern. 

[throttleplate]

fishing is like marriage, after ya throw your lure in there a few thousand times its nice to move on to another body of water where ya dont know what to expect and the excitement level is high.

[Sphynx]

There's a debate I was having with a guy I know about a month ago when the bite was tough, it was post front, weather patterns weren't holding for more than a day or so, just generally hard to get anything patterned, his opinion was to just stay home until things settle down, my opinion was that the harder the conditions the more important it is for me to be actively paying attention to trying to crack the code, because I will learn 100x more by grinding through one tough day than I will by fishing on easy street, in the end I did crack the code, I found a couple of honey holes that were producing fabulous numbers and respectable size, but I had to slow way, way down and drag a tube to do it which is something I usually don't like to do. In fact, not only did it improve my results during the hard fishing period, it has also been key to getting 10-15 fish days to 15-20 once things eased back up.

[Luke Barnes]

4 minutes ago, Sphynx said:

There's a debate I was having with a guy I know about a month ago when the bite was tough, it was post front, weather patterns weren't holding for more than a day or so, just generally hard to get anything patterned, his opinion was to just stay home until things settle down, my opinion was that the harder the conditions the more important it is for me to be actively paying attention to trying to crack the code, because I will learn 100x more by grinding through one tough day than I will by fishing on easy street, in the end I did crack the code, I found a couple of honey holes that were producing fabulous numbers and respectable size, but I had to slow way, way down and drag a tube to do it which is something I usually don't like to do. In fact, not only did it improve my results during the hard fishing period, it has also been key to getting 10-15 fish days to 15-20 once things eased back up.

Wow it does really sound like you figured that body of water out to a T. I keep meaning to try tubes at the local ponds because I would bet money no one else throws them around where I live. 

[Sphynx]

6 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

Wow it does really sound like you figured that body of water out to a T. I keep meaning to try tubes at the local ponds because I would bet money no one else throws them around where I live. 

I generally don't enjoy having to slow way down and drag a tube, hop a ned rig, or soak a shakeyhead if it can be helped, not because it isn't effective or anything, but because I am unapologetically in the "I like to power fish" camp. Honestly with the exception of a few places I know really well I'd say that I catch more fish off finesse techniques than I do anything else but it's just not as much fun to me, so I stay tossing moving baits because except for topwater blowups, nothing gets my motor running quite like a vicious strike on a moving bait.

[islandbass]

During the week, I keep it to lakes in the vicinity. If liberty permits, I might venture a bit farther if the gut feeling says to. 
 

The thing about bank fishing when it’s good one day and tough the next day, it may not be directly due to the pressure we put on the bass but it’s definitely part of the equation. 
 

I think slower days are more a function of not being able to get to them when they are not in the spots we have access too. simple as that. You can’t catch what isn’t there. 
 

Also, the lm bass in my lakes don’t seem to care for patterns. If I catch one on a senko for example, I’ll be lucky if another bass hits the senko again. Even if the other bass follow. It’s as if the first one caught released a pheromone signaling danger, stay away, lol. 
 

And if a “pattern” is “established”, maybe 3 bass and that is it and this is rare for me. Makes me want to leave WA for a state with bass that follow patterns, lol. 
 

[schplurg]

I've creek and pond fished the past couple years. They're all connected. One day one spot produces, another day a different spot produces, some days nothing produces.

 

Caught two of my biggest bass ever out of one pond, same spot. Haven't caught anything since for a long time there. Not a single fish. Spot seems different too, More grass, etc etc. Lotta reeds so extremely limited access.

 

It's not easy here though, but the creek was pretty steady until it dried up recently. Without the creek I'm screwed here, so I bought a better yak and hitting better fisheries. Worth the drive.

[bulldog1935]

I bust and wade hill country limestone creeks for endemic bass - usually on fly rod.  

I never hit the same crossings more than twice in a year.  

Just a few exceptions to that would be identifying a big fish, and going back to find his morning pattern and beat him there at first light.  

[Biglittle8]

I fish the same ponds a lot! They are easily accessible, so take that into account. To me the main thing is finding them. In the ponds I fish, there are a variety of conditions. Flats, channels and points. Knowing where the fish are most likely to be, helps. It's not a guarantee though. Once I locate the fish, what I throw is based on conditions. Water clarity, temp, etc... I don't overthink it. I just go through the process of elimination based on experience. Sometimes it's a lot of casts. In summary, the fish have to eat!