Anyone give up on bank fishing local ponds?

[skekoam]

Today my son and I finally got out to fish some local ponds on San Diego after about an 8 month hiatus.  Don't get me wrong, I love fishing and being out in nature, but shore fishing the local pressured ponds has just become a drag.  I think we fished two different lakes for a total of 8 hrs and literally only caught 1 bass between the three of us.  Am I the only one who thinks this?  It seems like the only way to get on some fish is on a boat.  

[DaubsNU1]

I gave up bank fishing when I got a belly-boat.

 

I gave up the belly-boat when my buddy got a canoe.

 

I gave up the canoe when I got my boat. 

 

If all you have is bank fishing...keep bank fishing.

 

You are still fishing!

 

 

[Deleted account]

No, but I have given up (never took it up actually) on fishing anywhere from anything where the fishing sucks.

[QED]

Yes, my nearest lake (no water craft of any type allowed) had a fish die off late last year, so I haven't been fishing since.

[WRB]

Probably need to invest in a kayak to open up your options.

You can fish the salt water bays using bass tackle. 

Boat rentals at Barrett for example doesn’t get too much fishing pressure.

You a few flowing small rivers with bass populations. San Diego river along the gulf below 163 # 8 for example. 

Very early dawn to 8A or so and dusk to 9A before it’s completely dark are options.

Just be safe, 

Tom

[ATA]

if somehow I cant do any fishing for few days, Ill always jump in car to nearest pond and ill fish it, sometimes catch and sometimes not. For me the important is, Fishing itself. So pond for addict like me is calming and helping me to hold myself till I go proper fishing  .

[Darth-Baiter]

I love bank fishing.  I do well, since I can hike into some more distant lakes.  

[Caliyak]

Early morning and late evening is best. Also, you beat the traffic or pressure. Try to go deep. I fish a farm pond on a regular basis, all my fish come from the middle of the pond. My go to lure is the lipless crank, yo-yo and straight retrieve. The fish are looking for the coolest water. Don't stop fishing but maybe progress to a kayak, tube or canoe. Stay safe and dude, you live in San Diego. ? 

[skekoam]

Thanks guys.  Unless I get invited to a private pond (which is rare), seems like the best bet is to head out with a guide.  Even though it may just be a few times a year, it it well worth it to me.  I live in Orange County where lakes/ponds are rare and fish are even more rare.  Either that, or I have no idea what I'm doing.  That could be the case as well. LOL

[Hammer 4]

Only time I shore fish, is at city park ponds/lakes. No way I'm driving for an hour or more to go shore fishing. BTW, there a few good lakes in San Diego that have boat rentals, and are reasonable. 

[TnRiver46]

Absolutely. The ponds in my area are not pressured at all, because nobody wants to fish any of them. Because it sucks haha. Any pond that might be good is private land 

 

granted I still go in a time crunch because I’m a hopeless fishing junkie 

[Caliyak]

On 6/27/2022 at 8:57 PM, skekoam said:

Thanks guys.  Unless I get invited to a private pond (which is rare), seems like the best bet is to head out with a guide.  Even though it may just be a few times a year, it it well worth it to me.  I live in Orange County where lakes/ponds are rare and fish are even more rare.  Either that, or I have no idea what I'm doing.  That could be the case as well. LOL

do you know anyone in the East Lake and Lake Forest neighborhood?

Time to go make some friends, join the club or go be a landscaper. LOL 

[schplurg]

Kind of but not totally giving up locally.

 

I'm tired of the south bay area for fishing, even with the yak (especially with the yak, not worth the trouble to me). I haven't fished much at all locally this year. My favorite creek dried up so it's a big bummer.

 

Sure I fish to relax but I do care if I catch. Let's be honest: if we knew there were no fish in the water we would not go fishing, right? So screw relaxing  

 

This is one reason I took up hiking. I can hike into low pressured lakes or river areas. I will do more trout fishing too. I think it will be a lot of fun scouring riverbanks for trout. Seems more challenging too. And if I don't catch I still gained a lot from the trip.

[skekoam]

On 6/30/2022 at 8:53 AM, Caliyak said:

do you know anyone in the East Lake and Lake Forest neighborhood?

Time to go make some friends, join the club or go be a landscaper. LOL 

I drive by there quite often, but don't know anyone.  I was even contemplating buying a home there just so I can fish everyday, but that didn't work out too well once I presented to my wife. ughh.

[Jonas Staggs]

On 6/26/2022 at 12:02 AM, skekoam said:

Today my son and I finally got out to fish some local ponds on San Diego after about an 8 month hiatus.  Don't get me wrong, I love fishing and being out in nature, but shore fishing the local pressured ponds has just become a drag.  I think we fished two different lakes for a total of 8 hrs and literally only caught 1 bass between the three of us.  Am I the only one who thinks this?  It seems like the only way to get on some fish is on a boat.  

 

We fish alot of the same areas. I feel you on this, but I haven't given up. I adapted, I still skunk but not often. But there's definitely alot of places I won't bother wasting my time. You might consider targeting other species, like carp. That will open up alot of water to you. I'd also recommend saltwater fishing, but it's just as bad and pressure from shore. That being said I have never skunked saltwater kayak fishing.

 

 

[Big Hands]

I occasionally go down to the lagoon where you can fish off the fishing pier 24/7. Shoreline fishing is not legal after the park closes. 

 

My nephew fishes some of the city park lakes, but not in the daytime. Only late at night. Takes his great dane/greyhound mix with him. That is a big dog that can really cover some ground. The dog chases coyotes while he fishes. 

[WRB]

With the heavy rain fall we have experienced this winter and may continue to have in February the local lakes and ponds have flooded shore areas with 10 to 15 years of brush growth.

This makes shore fishing very challenging, plus the water is off color and surface covered with floating debris.

Irvine lake is public in Orange County but no rental boats now, only shore fishing.

Hiring a guide is a good choice, cost effective and good chance at learning techniques to catch bass and where to fish.

Give it until March before fishing this year from shore.

Tom

[PressuredFishing]

I am from sd as well, and all the ponds are heavily heavily pressures hence the username, because 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A. Few ponds are avaliable to fish

 

 

 

B. The ponds that are avaliable get hammered hard

 

 

If you want any help let me know, Tom's suggestion of the bays are great. SbB are supper easy to catch rockfish and can be caught on crappie to smaller bass lures, Texas Rigs, etc. 

 

The fish get brutalized year round, the lakes might be better, but are also beaten to a bloody pulp. Some of our lakes are gen clear 30ft and smart bass, others have slight stain but pretty clear still. f you want some extra help feel free to reach out to me. Watching japanese anglers has helped me catch these fish much better. Mistakes are punished greatly in our fisheries. Fish favorable weather conditions to help fight the pressure, but going in unfavorable weather helps you become stronger angler. 

 

Offshore fishing is beat up alot less than shallow living fish, because many bass reside deep in our reservoirs I've found and people without boats just don't touch them

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

I fished a gin-clear quarry pond in Ohio. You could see the bass cruise by. I'd cast and cast and cast without catching. Then, one day, I switched to four-pound test line and hooked a whole nightcrawler in the head, casting it without a weight, which was hard. The bass pounced on that. 

[BrianMDTX]

I normally fish from my boat on ponds. But sometimes I don't feel like anything more than grabbing a few rods and just hitting the bank for an hour or two, I may not catch as many bass, but I normally still catch a few. 

 

Beats the snot out of yardwork! 

[ScottW]

1 hour ago, BrianMDTX said:

I normally fish from my boat on ponds. But sometimes I don't feel like anything more than grabbing a few rods and just hitting the bank for an hour or two, I may not catch as many bass, but I normally still catch a few. 

 

Beats the snot out of yardwork! 

You got that right! ? I try to take the inflatable pontoon out on the pond when the wind isn’t blowing hard. Sucks to be blown all over the place and get line tangled up. Still bank fish it when I can as I know they’re there. Catch ‘em or not, still loads of fun to me.