Do you fish the same place or new places more?

[casts_by_fly]

We moved to this area just over 2 years ago and I only had the kayak for last season.  So the first year I fished all of the ponds around (they aren't great) and will use them for casting practice, trying new rods, or just getting out of the house for 2 hours.

 

The biggest lake around is ~2200 acres and I fish it.  The smallest is around 5-8 acres that I have fished so far.  In between, I've got at least 20 lakes within 45 minutes that are worth fishing.  The closest being 15 minutes away.  Extend that to an hour and add another dozen and a half plus a couple rivers.  I'll go in spurts.  Early season (like now and the past month) I've fished my local lake more because its close and I can pick my days/evenings/mornings.  Starting about now I'll start branching out.  I like to explore a couple new lakes per year but also get multiple trips into the favorites to see how they fish throughout the year.  My top 4 lakes last year (for visits) I probably averaged 8 trips to each.  I fished at least 5 of the other lakes at least once (maybe a couple more).  This year I'll do the same.  Three of my top 4 from last year will feature heavily due to proximity or quality of fish.  I'll add another half dozen different ones this year to see if they make the cut for next year.  You never know what you're going to find, so sometimes you just gotta go somewhere new and start casting.  That got me a new place this year already because it was the only lake open to fish that didn't have a tournament on it.  Its small but you can't argue with a 3 lb largemouth on the fourth or fifth cast.

 

thanks,

rick

[Luke Barnes]

3 hours ago, the reel ess said:

I fish the same place 90% of the time because it has big bass, it's a big place and has little pressure. I have another pond I'll go to if the wind is howling but I really want to fish becuase it's small and mostly protected from wind. I have a farm pond that's a bass fishing postcard. But the bass are all dinks. I haven't caught one over 2 lbs there in about 19 years. However, the bass are hungry there and it's not unusual to catch 20+. I caught over 50 there one drizzly summer day. It's great fun on a topwater in the summer. It's a good place to get your mojo back when they aren't biting well or to try a new technique. It's a pond so the owner wants some harvested and they taste good from that spring fed pond.

Man that sounds like some amazing fishing there and the kind of day that I need!

[roadwarrior]

For the most part I fish ponds in Germantown and the Tennessee River/ Pickwick.

Other water mixed in throughout the year: Bull Shoals (White River), Guntersville,

Kentucky Lake, Wilson and the Mississippi River.  Then there are a few major exceptions:

ToHo, Lake Fork, Toledo Bend and Ray Roberts.

[Darth-Baiter]

I’m an explorer.  It kinda sucks.  I go to new places all the time. Sometimes it’s like risking a skunk.  New place = new challenges.  I find a great spot and it’s my friends that benefit from my collected intel.  But whatever.  I love to explore.  I hope it makes me a better fisherman. 

[river-rat]

6 hours ago, Catt said:

70 years on the Louisiana/Texas gulf coast there ain't any "new" places.

 

 

Same with me. I've been fishing from the Atchafalaya Basin all the way over to Venice, LA my whole life. Not a whole lot of places in that vast area I haven't been to in my 70 years.

 

 

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

Man that sounds like some amazing fishing there and the kind of day that I need!

It's pretty standard to catch more than 15 or so and sometimes 20 or more. My friend has a basket and I'll paddle back to the dock and unload my stringer.

[Luke Barnes]

2 hours ago, the reel ess said:

It's pretty standard to catch more than 15 or so and sometimes 20 or more. My friend has a basket and I'll paddle back to the dock and unload my stringer.

The only time ive had a 15+ bass day was a local pond, that I need to go back to, that was loaded with small and very hungry bass. The pond was covered in scum and pads so naturally I threw a frog and a buzzbait and they ate the fire out of it, but they were all less than a pound. No big rod bending fights on the frog rod but still fun. 

[NavyVet1204]

Same place but different area of same place. I love bank fishing from my local lake. I can fish  up and down the banks as far as miles if I wanted to. I get to enjoy the hike in nature at the same time which is a bonus. Plus getting there on foot makes it feel like my little slice of heaven.

[NYWayfarer]

I fish the same stretch of river in my area most of the time. 

[Bird]

Probably fish 15 - 20 different lakes per year in VA/WV......love diversity.

[papajoe222]

If I have a whole day to fish, I will normally target any number of lakes within a two hour drive.  If not, there are a couple of lakes within an hour's drive that I will hit fairly frequently.  I do plan two trips a year to more distant waters and will visit at least one body of water there that I've never been on.  

 

[WRB]

My career allowed me to travel where ever aerospace/ weapons systems were made, so I traveled to nearly every State. Being a bass fisherman I always checked out the bass fishing possibilities in lieu of golfing.

This allowed me to fishing in nearly every State with people in my industry who like me enjoyed bass fishing.

I packed 1 rod, a 2 piece casting custom MHF and my a hair jigs and hand poured local worms. Great experience fishing the locals all over the country.

Tom

[WRB]

after sitting down for dinner thought adding the following observations.

Bass anglers everywhere are eager to share and fish with outsiders, someone not local. It’s a welcoming community everywhere you travel to.

Surprises for me was the Thousand Islands area upper NY St Lawrence River regarding bass fishing. I 1st fished this area with our local rep and was amazed how beautiful the area was and outstanding fishing untapped bass fishing was in the 70’s. Everyone in that area at that time trolling and drink cocktails. I was too intense for that type of bass fishing and educated my rep how good the bass fishing was.

By far the Texan bass anglers were the most skilled bass anglers and eager to share and learn from a Californian. Learned a lot form my Texas trips.

The Delta Louisiana bass anglers were the most fun to fish with. Very skilled anglers and fun loving but loved to have anyone joke with, to share time with and eat with. 

Very good times and memories.

I recommend fishing everywhere and explore this wonderful country.

Tom

 

 

[thediscochef]

I live 20 minutes from Lake Ray Roberts so it's tough for me to want to deviate from that, considering the nearest lake with a state park is on the other side of the metroplex. I will absolutely fish lakes without state parks, but I like the way the TPWD facilities are built - there's almost always a big pile of boulders for me to play with instead of that beachy nonsense. If I can go to a state park I will choose that over private parks any day. The nearest ones outside ray roberts are Joe Pool, Mineral Wells, and Texhoma. These are all roughly an hour to an hour and a half away. I have not made the trek to Texhoma in a while, it is on the list. A little further out is Cleburne, Purtis Creek, Tawakoni, Possum Kingdom, and Whitney. These are closer to 1.5-3 hours away. Y'all know Whitney and I have a thing for each other, I go there any time I can. 

I've honestly gotten a little comfy at Ray Bobs...I need to branch out. It's just tough when you feel like you have as good a spot as any. But those poor bass need a break from my harassment, I think.

[Ravox]

Living in South Florida i throw my baits wherever I see some water lol

[padlin]

In the past, like 20 years ago, I paddled all the waters I could get to, many I fished, some I didn't. I now have a few I frequent, all small no motor ponds with no development. The closest is 30 min away, absolutely beautiful spot, with small bass. 2 spots are an hour away, one has the biggest bass but hardest to fish, solid weeds. The other has many 2-3 lbs, fairly easy to fish. Where I go just depends on how I feel on any given day.

 

I live about 2 miles from a 3 lake chain, I've never fished or even paddled it. Cottages all around, jet skis, many many pleasure boats.

[the reel ess]

13 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

The only time ive had a 15+ bass day was a local pond, that I need to go back to, that was loaded with small and very hungry bass. The pond was covered in scum and pads so naturally I threw a frog and a buzzbait and they ate the fire out of it, but they were all less than a pound. No big rod bending fights on the frog rod but still fun. 

I catch a lot of small bass on the frog too. It's a big fish bait, but they have to be in the shallow weeds and lilies for it to catch one. Weeds don't grow deep here because the water is always a little stained. Big fish won't be shallow all year long. But little ones will.

[geo g]

On 4/20/2022 at 9:09 AM, Zcoker said:

One thing about the Everglades: it's like a living organism in itself, changing daily. One day it's very open and fishable and the next day it's like the pic below, loaded with lettuce! So I'm always forced to change areas with totally new tactics, only to have the same thing happen all over again lol 

 

 

 

 

 

My home waters are the glades.  Live 15 minutes away from Alligator Alley, in Davie.  Never get  tired to fishing the river of grass.  Like you said it’s always changing, and so many different spots.

[cyclops2]

I have caught so many, of the same fish, in the same spots.

I have special lures with no hooks.  The fish join me and hit it. Run a few feet and let go.  They know when I am harmless by seeing there are no hooks.   Believe that routine.  Their eyesight is that good.

 

I have watched a boat go fishless in my bay. They told me so.  I then put on a  no hook lure and start a series of fish attacking multiple times.   It satisfies me, sometimes.   SMB only !!

[soflabasser]

I have hand written journals full of places I have caught nice fish and like to fish these places often. I also like to explore new places and often catch nice fish in these places.

[crypt]

will go to a new location when I get the chance but being in central Fl. I get to fish some of the best places in the world all the time so for me staying "home" is for me.

[ErieCan]

Same place. I live on the shore of Lake Erie down the road from a large bay.  There are good and (kind of) bad points about this. 

 

The Good

 

- Access to a weedy bay full of LM bass, Pike, Perch, Crappie, walleye and SM bass (dependant on time of year). Musky have started to appear more and more as well. 

 

- lots of boat launches in the bay. 

 

- The inner portion of the bay is protected from most wind directions. 

 

- Much of the bay is a sanctuary and closed to all fishing from mid May until bass opener the 3rd Saturday of June. 

 

The (kind of) Bad

 

- A lot of boat traffic. It's a hot spot for recreational boaters. 

 

- The outer Bay, which has some excellent SM Bass and Walleye fishing is a 10 mile run through open water (Lake Erie can get nasty!).  A big boat is ideal, which sadly, I don't have. 

 

- There are not a lot of (decent) boat launches on the northern shore line.  It can be hard to get to some of the rock structure where the SM bass go in mid summer. 

 

- Much of the bay is a sanctuary and closed to all fishing from mid May until bass opener the 3rd Saturday of June. (Notice this made both lists, lol!). 

 

There aren't a lot of other water bodies to fish bass around here. North, past Toronto, there is a smorgasbord of lakes and bays to fish.  And the Niagara peninsula area has a bunch of fishing opportunities as well. 

[gim]

I have a rotating set of about a dozen lakes I regularly fish throughout the season, plus a river (in 2 different areas).  Last season that number was cut down to about 5 or 6 lakes because the water levels were so low.

 

Some of the lakes I fish are better early in the season, some are better in midsummer.  Distance and the amount of time I have to fish also plays a role.

[Luke Barnes]

5 hours ago, ErieCan said:

Same place. I live on the shore of Lake Erie down the road from a large bay.  There are good and (kind of) bad points about this. 

 

The Good

 

- Access to a weedy bay full of LM bass, Pike, Perch, Crappie, walleye and SM bass (dependant on time of year). Musky have started to appear more and more as well. 

 

- lots of boat launches in the bay. 

 

- The inner portion of the bay is protected from most wind directions. 

 

- Much of the bay is a sanctuary and closed to all fishing from mid May until bass opener the 3rd Saturday of June. 

 

The (kind of) Bad

 

- A lot of boat traffic. It's a hot spot for recreational boaters. 

 

- The outer Bay, which has some excellent SM Bass and Walleye fishing is a 10 mile through open water (Lake Erie can get nasty!).  A big boat is ideal, which sadly, I don't have. 

 

- There are not a lot of (decent) boat launches on the northern shore line.  It can be hard to get to some of the rock structure where the SM bass go in mid summer. 

 

- Much of the bay is a sanctuary and closed to all fishing from mid May until bass opener the 3rd Saturday of June. (Notice this made both lists, lol!). 

 

There aren't a lot of other water bodies to fish bass around here. North, past Toronto, there is a smorgasbord of lakes and bays to fish.  And the Niagara peninsula area has a bunch of fishing opportunities as well. 

Wow that still sounds amazing. If you're only fishing one lake it might as well be a Great lake!