Feeling the pressure

[Nitrofreak]

I was having a conversation today with a fellow angler about my home lake and how he felt it has changed over the last few years, the conversation turned to the amount of “pressure” the lake sees with all of it’s tournaments as well as the growth of its popularity with pleasure boating, then I had seen a sort of blog from Jacob Wheeler discussing the same topic so it led me to posting something about pressure and the changes that may or may not come with it.

 

I admit that my home lake has defiantly suffered some damage from anglers, in part mostly from word of mouth, that being said, the lake which is roughly 10,000 acres does see a crap ton of action, however, I personally am not one to buy into (in it’s entirety) purely the fault of fishing/boating pressure, in my opinion I am more inclined to research other variables that contribute to the lack of active fish that are willing to chance a strike at ones offering, such as but not limited to the amount of available natural forage for example. 

 

The pro side of angling on the other hand brings with it nation wide coverage, yes it does give away “spots” or “areas” not previously known by all which in turn creates added pressure, in Jacobs blog it seemed as if he was suggesting that the added pressure was in part to blame on the media coverage and why the fish catching has taken a significant hit.
 

On the more popular bodies of water like a Chickamauga or other big time lakes I can see the voice for concern in Jacobs case or at the very least the reasoning for their discussions, It’s a ton of work these guys put in having their own “secret” places, I get it, when it comes to pressure though I am left with the thought of, do these spots really get hit all that hard by others who may or may not know how to fish for them, is it really doing so much damage that it causes the fish to move from the areas? Or develop a case of lock jaw from the wide spectrum of lures being thrown about? 

 

My conversation went in a bit of a different direction, in my area of the country it has not truly seen a harsh enough winter for several years to kill off any significant amount of forage, the added amount of pleasure boating on my home water has without a doubt made it significantly more difficult to safely fish a lot of the offshore areas which in turn does tend to make fishing much more patience/safety oriented, and maybe that was the reason for both the conversation I had with my friend and the thought process from Jacob.

 

With the amount of technology out there today, information is going to be used to ones advantage, especially by those who tend to skip over the hard work ethic, the additional boating traffic is or at least can be in part to blame in some ways, I am more the opposite frame of mind in which I like to look at the total picture and try to grasp what’s really happening under the surface, thermoclines, amount of forage, water conditions and so on, I tend to learn much more being in a more open frame of mind, I don’t think it is simply due to one single aspect or another that changes the fishery, the singular aspect at least to me would have to be in the way we fish it.

[roadwarrior]

?The fishing on Pickwick and the Tennessee River below the dam is as good or better then 

it has ever  been. Both numbers and size have improved, especially with regard to tournament

totals. In addition, more double digit bass have been reported in the last five years than the 

total bass claimed since the lake was completed in the 1930's.

[A-Jay]

For the past few seasons at least, seems a very similar "conversation" has been taking place routinely all across the country.  Might not be happening everywhere as positive reports are seen all the time.  Either way, Social Media tells Both stories.

And while I will openly admit that my experience locally with this type of deal is quite minimal when compared to the OP, it's still a thing; especially on what I consider my 'home' lake. 

Right off the bat, I have no answers. 

At least none that have produced repeatable success during the hardest & heaviest fishing times. 

In my mind, 'something' has changed.

Is it one or two major things, or several minor ones, or a combination of some or all of that ?

Nothing I have seen or done can say one way or the other.

Just know I'm not a fan.

In an effort to help me keep a positive frame of mind about it, I'm looking at it like this:

Bass have been around for a long time.

Their instincts & adaptability have enabled them to survive whatever has come at them over the years.

I see no reason to believe that this will not continue.

However, beyond ALL the Natural environmental conditions that affect them and change how they live, whenever there are un-natural additions or subtractions to their world,

there's always going to be 'some kind' of reaction.

And so while bass fishing is challenging enough in what we often consider the best of conditions, I can only imagine that something like this has the potential to make our job of finding & catching bass quite a bit harder.  

With the folks who do this for a living looking for answers, I for one hope they find a few.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

[Darth-Baiter]

I fish Clearlake often. Last year it seemed like there was a tournament everyday.  That lake sees a crushing amount of anglers, but it never feels like it slows down. This year the drought slowed things down but it still fishes well. 
 

I hear others say that despite the pressure, fishing is not that affected. 

[Nitrofreak]

50 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

?The fishing on Pickwick and the Tennessee River below the dam is as good or better then 

it has ever  been. Both numbers and size have improved, especially with regard to tournament

totals. In addition, more double digit bass have been reported in the last five years than the 

total bass claimed since the lake was completed in the 1930's.

That’s a good point, that is one question I had posed to my friend which had to do with tournament weights, on average it’s roughly a steady total, about 20 pounds is what it’s taking to have a decent shot at placing in the top 5 even with the increases of traffic, I think it’s more of not getting in the habit of getting around those obstacles as we should be.

[Tatsu Dave]

I don't think its fishing pressure per say.........but I've found that all bass are really quick at recognizing and avoiding lures that are used a lot (especially ones they're caught on). Tournament fisherman have bigger lure arsenals and keep trying till they find what works. This will show them any and all over time, the fish are there but sometimes it takes a while to find a new look for them. 

I went a different course when we got back into fishing hard again, very small lightweight boat that could be launched anywhere without ramps and could maneuver in super shallow water. The bass boat we used to have was more limited in access, we fish a lot of close to unfishable water and its a game changer at times. We see kayaks and canoes sometimes but have things to ourselves most of the time. Fish aren't gone from bigger water but bass are much better educated and enlightened. Lake closest to me sees multiple local level tournaments each summer and has heavy fishing pressure, Fella using live baits catches some huge bass. More than one way to catch a bass.

[scaleface]

 Randy Blaukat tells about what the Ozark lakes use to be like compared to today  . I got to fish one major reservoir during its Hay Days and now its just a shell of its former self . The best bass fishing I ever had was on a small river  . Big smallmouths , 100 fish days  but the word got out and its pretty much ruined .  I blame it mostly on fishing pressure .

[Captain Phil]

My home waters are Florida's Harris Chain.  I live on the Chain and have been fishing here since the 70s.  In the spring, we have bass tournaments going out of multiple ramps every weekend.  A few of these tournaments are major National events with hundreds of anglers competing.  COVID has multiplied the number of boats.  Currently, it is difficult to find a parking spot at the ramp near my house in Eustis on the weekend.  You would think bass fishing would be getting worse.  The opposite is true.  

 

All this fishing activity has a positive effect on the local economy.  This gets noticed by County and State officials.  In the past, good fishing was something that wasn't given a high priority.  This seems to have changed.  For example, in the late 90s, Florida declared war on hydrilla. In the process, they nearly destroyed all the lake habitat.   It took nearly 30 years for fishing to recover.   There was a time about twenty years ago when I could fish all day and never see another angler.   Currently, bass fishing on the Chain is as good as it's ever been.  In one major recent tournament, the winner caught and released 100 pounds of bass on the final day.  

 

Does this mean bass fishing is easy?  NO!  Bass fishing with artificial lures has never been easy.  What it takes to be more successful than the other guy is to not follow the crowd.  Get out of the community fishing holes and find your own fish.   Find what the fish want, not what everyone thinks they want. 

[FryDog62]

Even in a state where we have over 10,000 lakes (and even some counties have more than 2,000!) we are seeing unprecedented pressure. I think when Covid hit, our state pretty much shut down except our Governor said you could go out and fish. And people did in record numbers. Add in the extra tournament pressure in recent years, the emergence of high school fishing  teams, pleasure boats, etc. and yes we are feeling the pressure even here. 
 

Has it affected our fishing in a negative way - yes, but I’d rather see people outside enjoying an activity rather than sitting inside watching cable news or on electronics (as I sit inside typing this of course). 
 

As much as I’ve seen a slight overall decline in fishing success (me and others included) we just had two prominent annual tournaments (one largemouth, one smallmouth) where several very large fish were caught and a couple bags were highest in years. 
 

Both fishermen and the fish will continue to adapt. I do sense an overall decline in numbers/size but barring any major change (drought, invasive species, DNR mis-management) that we will continue to be able to participate in our favorite past time with continued enjoyment. 

[Catt]

Since the early 70s Pros & amateurs have preached getting more people into the sport.

 

Now y'all surprised at the pressure!

 

“Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome”

 

2 hours ago, Nitrofreak said:

I personally am not one to buy into (in it’s entirety) purely the fault of fishing/boating pressure

 

Productive rates go up & they go down for a variety of reasons.

 

Couple years ago Toledo Bend was voted #1 lake in America two years in a row. Now everyone thinks it's been fish out by all the pressure. At 190,000 acres I highly doubt that, what happened is all the grass died, the bass adapted, the angler didn't.

[ironbjorn]

Don't rule out climate change. Every single year in recent years we've broken the record for hottest year on earth. Things are changing. Humans are dying from this in places like India. More people would die here as well but we're a very modern country capable of keeping most citizens in a climate controlled environment. The animals though...they have to tough it. It doesn't even have to be just heat. The seasons are changing and all out of whack and that has an effect too.

 

Edit: the laugh react is responsible for this edit. Most people who react that way about those words together (climate and change) do so before of politics and/or disbelieving in human causes. Most people can and do admit that our climate and seasons are changing. The argument is WHY (natural and cyclical or human caused). But that's not the topic of my theory at all. I don't care (in this case) who or what is responsible, just that it's happening. The ice caps are melting and we're seeing record heat. We're seeing seasons change, shortened, later starting, sooner ending. All sorts of stuff. We're seeing animal extinction. We're seeing more and crazier natural disasters. You think this doesn't affect wild animals (in this case fish) as much as it does their environment?

[Team9nine]

I’d agree with it usually not being a singular factor, but fishing pressure can certainly be a contributing factor. Different lakes either can or can’t handle it well, often tied to other biological or environmental aspects involved. Around here, it’s easy to point out lakes that have suffered under the pressure, and others that appear to have not. Across the board though, we have lost a lot of our top end size that we used to see, and there the finger points to pressure and the increase in C&R. Several studies seem to back this up, though not everyone agrees. You also can’t rule out the technology factor which some would argue is giving a false sense of things haven’t changed, or have changed for the better. It might be a case of a declining overall population structure that just isn’t apparent at first glance because technology is allowing for catches that still seem like ‘the good old days’ on the surface. Add in the often antiquated state regs designed to protect a fishery, and you have a whole litany of things you could point fingers at.

[Big Hands]

On my home water (about 2,200 acres), the fish pictured has been caught several times over the past few months. It's distinctive 'shape' makes it fairly easy to recognize that it is the same fish. It was usually caught in the same area, but was most recently caught at least a mile away, but since the water has been receding nearly a foot per day since the beginning of May, it's understandable that it felt the need to completely relocate.

 

This is a lake that sees a ton of pressure, especially considering it's size. And now, it's down 120' from full pool and still slated to go down another 20' to 50' depending on who you believe. To all the anglers I know, the fishing has never been more consistently good over this period. 

 

I have been able to fish at night a few times recently, and when I put my homemade fishing light into the water, the amount of forage fish that instantly show up is staggering. And then the predators intermittently slashing through. . .

 

When I go fish in other places, the locals say that when the flood gates are open (lowering the lake by a couple inches) you may as well go play golf. I'm there to fish, to heck with playing golf. The conditions may change, but fish can still be caught.

 

It's difficult to make sense of it all. We  have a decent size bass (between three and four pounds) that seems willing to be caught on the regular, which could be an anomaly, but here we are. I call her "Muffin Top". We have a LOT of fishing pressure and yet the fishing is ridiculously good by normal standards, and we have water dropping as fast or faster, and further that it ever has in it's history, and yet again, here we are.

 

My take is that in spite of what is often said about fishing being good or bad, bass have to eat to stay alive (spawning season aside). It's up to us to figure out how they want to be fed or fooled at a given time.

[Tennessee Boy]

I've seen some studies that suggest that fish that have never seen a lure are extremely easy to catch but that they learn quickly.  The health of the fishery is the most important factor in determining fishing success.  The most heavily pressured lakes I fish are the ones that have produced the biggest bags for me.  They are also the ones that make you earn it.  They pay off nicely when you figure them out and you go home skunked if you don't.  Of the lakes I fish,  all of them are better than they were 20 years ago with the possible exception of Kentucky lake.  The problems with KY lake are not due to fishing pressure.  

 

I think electronic have definitely changed fishing.  It used to be possible to have secret offshore spots.  There are no more secrets.  In the MLF tournament earlier this year on Chickamauga the winners were fishing the best known and most pressured structure on the lake.   They did so well on these spots because they're good.

[A-Jay]

So much insite being shared in this one.

Already one of my favorite threads of the year.

And it can only get better. 

Be interested to see how we feel about all this 5 or 10 years from now.

Thank you @Nitrofreak

A-Jay 

 

[Nitrofreak]

Just now, A-Jay said:

So much insite being shared in this one.

Already one of my favorite threads of the year.

And it can only get better. 

Be interested to see how we feel about all this 5 or 10 years from now.

Thank you @Nitrofreak

A-Jay 

 

I am in the process of remodeling my mother in laws kitchen when the notification beeped in, I had no idea this thread would take off like it did and is, I am looking forward to reading it all tonight and soaking up some of this BR knowledge.

 

Thanks @A-Jay

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, Nitrofreak said:

I am in the process of remodeling my mother in laws kitchen when the notification beeped in, I had no idea this thread would take off like it did and is, I am looking forward to reading it all tonight and soaking up some of this BR knowledge.

 

Thanks @A-Jay

Good Luck with that.

I am puppy sitting 24/7 so there'll be no fishing for me for a while.

But I'm good.

A-Jay

[GaryH]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Good Luck with that.

I am puppy sitting 24/7 so there'll be no fishing for me for a while.

But I'm good.

A-Jay

The reward is sure worth the time. ?

[A-Jay]

13 minutes ago, GaryH said:

The reward is sure worth the time. ?

No Question there.

A-Jay

[Cranks4fun]

   Like many things in the natural world, Bass populations fluctuate due to many factors, if I understand the research correctly. Temperature fluctuations, prolonged rain during spawns, chemical spills, droughts, low water fertility, high fishing pressure and keep rates, and other poor management practices can all affect a lake's population sustainability. 

  I do think there are lakes that have seen diminished quality bass catches even among the pros in recent years due to high fishing pressure and the bad treatment of many of bass before they are released. There are extremely popular lakes, like Lake Fork in Texas, that get tons of fishing pressure. We read and hear about the trophy catch rates shrinking even though it is still touted as a top trophy lake in the country due to its history. This is somewhat anecdotal evidence but comparing lots tournament catches on those lakes over the years reinforces this belief. The game commissions in some states use electro-fishing as a monitoring technique to gets stats on bass populations in depths under 10 ft. or so. This is a more consistent way to get more accurate scientific records on population fluctuations and age classes of bass. Some of these states have stats on lakes that clearly reveal diminishing populations.

  Many other lakes have the roller coaster effect of bad spawn years sandwiched between good years. Those lakes, like Grand Lake in Oklahoma, seem to have a few good years then a few bad years and then they will bounce back, apparently because of maturing spawns from good reproductive years. The shad populations in some of those lakes are so dense and consistent that the food source alone keeps some bass from being vulnerable to being caught. They can stay inactive in more open water and feed on readily available shad at night when the picking is easy. There are lots of fish in those lakes, I believe, that will die of old age.

  Here in Missouri, the fish populations in clear Ozark streams are easily observable generally. In remote areas, where terrain and water flow limit the number of fishermen affecting the bass, you see a strong fish presence. Near towns, cities, and roadsides with easy access to the water, catching good fish can be next to impossible. Even seeing a decent smallmouth in those areas is rare. We call it the plague of bass eaters. There are weak-minded guys who eat nearly every bass they catch, totally disregarding state regulations. Selfish people like that are also prone to mishandle bass and treat them roughly, keeping them out of water for long periods of time so that most do not survive even if they are released. This has a serious effect on fragile smallmouth populations.

 

[gim]

10 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Both fishermen and the fish will continue to adapt. I do sense an overall decline in numbers/size but barring any major change (drought, invasive species, DNR mis-management) that we will continue to be able to participate in our favorite past time with continued enjoyment. 

I have not seen much of a decline in numbers or size in recent years on the waters I fish routinely.  However, some of the lakes that receive a lot of pressure both from competition and recreational anglers have become extremely difficult.  You know which lakes I'm talking about.  A decade ago they were relatively easy to catch a nice bag of bass out of and now you pretty much have to ultra-finesse them to get them to bite...or use live bait which I am not a fan of.

 

This year during the peak of the drought and heat it was brutal for me.  Mainly June and the first half of July.  Its something I haven't seen since I've lived here (1992).  It has significantly picked up since about July 20 for me.

 

Although I primarily bass fish, I do occasionally target other species like panfish, walleye, and muskie during certain times of the year.  What really does worry me about some of these other species (mainly walleye and panfish) is the technology and pressure that they receive in the winter during ice fishing.  The advancement of panoptix/live sonar through the ice has drastically cut down on the amount of time and effort needed to locate schools of fish, resulting in much higher harvest.  The popularity of permanent wheel houses on some of the bigger walleye lakes has added a crap load of fishing and harvest.  Lake of the Woods has been hammered in recent years.  Those things sit there for days or weeks on end.  Luckily, Mother Nature is working against them in a warming climate.  There is a shorter ice fishing season every year it seems.

[David 7]

I did notice that MLF had their tourney on the St Lawrence River immediately after it opened up for bass season… there is no catch and release allowed in that area prior to the NYS bass season opening. I suspect that is why that river performed so well with smallies.

[Nitrofreak]

12 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

Don't rule out climate change. Every single year in recent years we've broken the record for hottest year on earth. Things are changing. Humans are dying from this in places like India. More people would die here as well but we're a very modern country capable of keeping most citizens in a climate controlled environment. The animals though...they have to tough it. It doesn't even have to be just heat. The seasons are changing and all out of whack and that has an effect too.

 

Edit: the laugh react is responsible for this edit. Most people who react that way about those words together (climate and change) do so before of politics and/or disbelieving in human causes. Most people can and do admit that our climate and seasons are changing. The argument is WHY (natural and cyclical or human caused). But that's not the topic of my theory at all. I don't care (in this case) who or what is responsible, just that it's happening. The ice caps are melting and we're seeing record heat. We're seeing seasons change, shortened, later starting, sooner ending. All sorts of stuff. We're seeing animal extinction. We're seeing more and crazier natural disasters. You think this doesn't affect wild animals (in this case fish) as much as it does their environment?

 

[Nitrofreak]

12 hours ago, Catt said:what happened is all the grass died, the bass adapted, the angler didn't.

Sort of the same here, the all knowing home owners introduced grass carp which in turn ruined the habitat, my home lake is a power plant lake as you know which was phenomenal at one point, I have adapted as well as many others to the changing environment, that’s not to say that I am finding absolution but I am finding key areas in which the bass now travel, some grass has made a comeback and it certainly plays a role in how these fish move, I caught the same fish twice in a years span, it’s tagged so it makes it easy, that same fish before the grass came back was roughly a half mile away the prior years to that point.

 

The tournament weights tell the tale, they haven’t changed in the slightest, during the summer months if you want to place you better have a 20+ bag, in the winter it had best be knocking on that 30 range with consistency for both.
 

Nothing has changed as far as the fish are concerned.

13 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

My home waters are Florida's Harris Chain.  I live on the Chain and have been fishing here since the 70s.  In the spring, we have bass tournaments going out of multiple ramps every weekend.  A few of these tournaments are major National events with hundreds of anglers competing.  COVID has multiplied the number of boats.  Currently, it is difficult to find a parking spot at the ramp near my house in Eustis on the weekend.  You would think bass fishing would be getting worse.  The opposite is true.  

 

All this fishing activity has a positive effect on the local economy.  This gets noticed by County and State officials.  In the past, good fishing was something that wasn't given a high priority.  This seems to have changed.  For example, in the late 90s, Florida declared war on hydrilla. In the process, they nearly destroyed all the lake habitat.   It took nearly 30 years for fishing to recover.   There was a time about twenty years ago when I could fish all day and never see another angler.   Currently, bass fishing on the Chain is as good as it's ever been.  In one major recent tournament, the winner caught and released 100 pounds of bass on the final day.  

 

Does this mean bass fishing is easy?  NO!  Bass fishing with artificial lures has never been easy.  What it takes to be more successful than the other guy is to not follow the crowd.  Get out of the community fishing holes and find your own fish.   Find what the fish want, not what everyone thinks they want. 

I was going to mention that in my post about the shutdowns across the country which has led to a noticeable increase in the outdoor activity all over the nation, in particular our fishing sports, maybe even more in particular bass fishing.

 

Excellent point and thanks for the reply !!

[Sphynx]

12 hours ago, Catt said:

Since the early 70s Pros & amateurs have preached getting more people into the sport.

 

Now y'all surprised at the pressure!

 

“Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome”

 

 

Productive rates go up & they go down for a variety of reasons.

 

Couple years ago Toledo Bend was voted #1 lake in America two years in a row. Now everyone thinks it's been fish out by all the pressure. At 190,000 acres I highly doubt that, what happened is all the grass died, the bass adapted, the angler didn't.

Toledo bend all fished out eh? Boy they sure do like to blame anything but themselves don't they? I'd bet an awful lotta money that I don't even have that there's still a 20-30lb bag of bass on that lake for the guy willing to put in the work to figure them out on the Bend, it always treated me well enough.