When do you move on?

[mamdlwk]

After you catch one in a spot, how long do you stay there? If you catch a small bass, are there likely to be larger bass around?

 

When you yank a bass out of the water, does it spook the other fish nearby? 

 

 

[slonezp]

Are you fishing shallow or deep? Are you fishing large or small structure?

[mamdlwk]

Just now, slonezp said:

Are you fishing shallow or deep? Are you fishing large or small structure?

Mostly shallow, small structure. This past weekend was in very clear water along weedlines. 

 

How does it vary in those conditions? I would guess that deeper, larger structure means you can hang around longer?

[GRiver]

I caught my two personal best about 20ft from each other and, about 5 or 10 minutes apart, I caught others there too. Much smaller, but they seemed to be hanging out there for about 300 ft or so.

Came back about 3 days later and couldn’t buy a bite. 
They didn't seem to spook each other, if anything it gets them worked up. I’ve watched a bass come up and try to hit the lure hanging out of there mouth. Once I got two on one lure.

[slonezp]

16 minutes ago, mamdlwk said:

Mostly shallow, small structure. This past weekend was in very clear water along weedlines. 

 

How does it vary in those conditions? I would guess that deeper, larger structure means you can hang around longer?

My home water is considered "soup bowl" Little if any structure with an average depth of 4ft and max depth of 30ft. I'm a bank beater or fish the weedlines here. Most of the northern IL lakes are just like this. Unless it's during the spawn, it's one and done for me. 

 

Offshore structure fishes differently than inshore cover.  

[Cbump]

Heavily Wind blown bank with bait? Stay a while. 
 

Pitching laydowns? One a move

 

Sitting offshore? Stay a while. 
 

 

[gim]

I don’t usually catch dinks mixed in with 5 pounders. They generally school up by size in my experience. Same with some other species too. Bear in mind that many species of fish are cannibalistic so a big bass might eat a small one.

[mamdlwk]

10 hours ago, GRiver said:

They didn't seem to spook each other, if anything it gets them worked up. I’ve watched a bass come up and try to hit the lure hanging out of there mouth. Once I got two on one lure.

One of my favorite memories fishing is seeing two or three 4lb bass rush up after the one that I was pulling up through the weeds. They turned and dashed down after flashing near the surface. 

 

9 hours ago, gimruis said:

They generally school up by size in my experience. Same with some other species too.

Definitely tracks with what I've heard. I'm wondering if there's any good information on how different sized schools of bass relate to each other. 

 

9 hours ago, slonezp said:

Offshore structure fishes differently than inshore cover.  

Just got a fish finder; looking forward to finding and fishing more offshore. 

[scaleface]

If I catch a bass in cover I'm going to keep fishing that cover until I tire of it . If I catch a bass that doesnt seem to be relating to any thing , I'll fish a little more thoroughly before continuing down the bank . Its how I feel at the time based on past experiences .

[Captain Phil]

Never leave fish to find fish...  

[Swamp Girl]

About ten days ago, I hooked and lost three four-pound bass on consecutive casts, all from the same spot. I was fan casting and throwing my Whopper Plopper, which casts a long ways, but those three gals were all in the same vicinity. 

[gim]

This would be a very informative thread for an ice angler.  Some of them tend to plant in one spot for days or weeks on end without moving.

[Choporoz]

It's a very good question: one we all wrestle with all the time.  Related questions and reminders that I pepper myself with after a catch:

 

-First thing after catching, especially early in the outing, is to stop and make mental notes about the catch- not just the lure, but the retrieve, angle of cast (not just angle to the spot, but relation to sun, current, wind, etc....) hopping or dragging?, what did I feel before the bite...wood, rock, grass...is there a chop on the surface, did I mark bait ball close?  above, below, or middle....

-Is this caught fish going back down to warn the others?  LOL....I always read about a bite turning it on for a school, but not sure I have ever experienced it

-Is there similar cover/structure close by that I can try and come back in a few minutes?

-Good spots for bass are still good spots for bass after you pull one off.

-Fish move.  This is one I think we can forget to stress sometimes...fish move...another might move in, they might all move out.  I have won tournaments by sitting in same quarter acre area for 6 hours.  I have lost tournaments by sitting way too long in an area.

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

Never leave fish to find fish...  

This, too.  Unless you are only finding 12" fish there and want 20" fish....even then, you can't be sure what to do every time

[roadwarrior]

Well, this is something I especially like about river fishing. You are always on the move 

and occasionally "go back". Regardless of what it looks like, every inch of river has

potential.  

[Dwight Hottle]

Most guys will catch a big fish or a new PB then kinda lose the desire to keep on fishing as they reflect on what they just accomplished. But the smart angler will keep on keeping on because another big fish may be close by. Multiple big fish can come out of the same spot or area. 

[casts_by_fly]

Growing up fishing a pond I watched my dad catch a 5 and an 8 (both sizable for a western PA pond) on consecutive casts to the same spot on the same laydown.  There is a reason why the bass were there so it makes sense it would hold more than just one.

 

Fast forward to this past thursday.  I pitched a jig into a dock/lily pad corner and pulled out a bass.  I rerigged a new trailer, pitched back in and caught another one.  Unless you know the bass are strictly cruising and you're catching random one here/one there fish, I always make a couple casts back into the same spot I just caught one in.  There is a reason why that fish was there in the first place, and that reason isn't specific to that bass only.

[gim]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Multiple big fish can come out of the same spot or area. 

Although I didn't catch a PB this season, I've noticed this pattern too when I've been out.  The two biggest bass I've caught this season were the same day, 15 minutes apart, using the same technique.  Ironically, the two biggest muskies I caught this season were also the same day, about an hour apart, and I had a significantly bigger one on in between them too.

 

Strike while the iron is hot.

[scaleface]

I just want to know why the bass following the one I have hooked is almost always bigger .

[casts_by_fly]

because smaller ones are usually more aggressive and got to it first.

[Will Ketchum]

If you catch one at a certain spot it was there for a reason. It could structure, current or even water temperature. If all that was favorable to one bass, it should be favorable to others, but that doesn't mean you will catch them.

 

Catching one won't spook the others having caught others at the same spot without moving.

[WRB]

When to hold em or fold em is the theme song of every bsss angler. 

Big bass own the best feeding areas, small bass get what is left over.

If your goal is to catch big bass don’t stay and catch little bass, return about 1 to 2 hours later. If you catch a big bass stay and catch more. 

Releasing a bass can sometimes shut down a bite, about a 50-50 % imo.

Tom

 

[Bankbeater]

I will make a couple of more casts into the area where I caught the bass just to see if there is a school in there or if the one I caught was by itself. 

[Spankey]

If you are in a spot and get a couple of bites and they are not that big. Maybe 12” fish. That does not mean that there are ones there that are bigger. 
 

When you catch a bass that does not mean it’s spooking others. But it is possible I guess. Someday if you fish long enough you’ll catch a bass and have him on, than while reeling him in you’ll feel a big bump and next thing you know you’ll have a double header. Likely on a crankbait or jerkbait. 
 

The amount of time I’d stay on a spot will vary. I might start out in a spot and maybe I get a couple dinks and runts but feel I should have done better, I’ll move on down from that spot but revisit that same spot a bit later. Give the a look at a different bait most likely. 
 

Never give up and try to make things happen. Try to keep it simple. 

3 hours ago, WRB said:

When to hold em or fold em is the theme song of every bsss angler. 

Big bass own the best feeding areas, small bass get what is left over.

If your goal is to catch big bass don’t stay and catch little bass, return about 1 to 2 hours later. If you catch a big bass stay and catch more. 

Releasing a bass can sometimes shut down a bite, about a 50-50 % imo.

Tom

 

I agree with this even know this is not a regular event for me. I’ve had times where I’m catching some nice fish in a particular spot, they go right in the live well until I move on. Get a few pics and release them. It’s nice to have a livewell in good working condition. 

[Woody B]

The exception to "big bass school with big bass" is during the spawn.   Often the smaller "buck" bass is the one who guards the bed.   If you catch a buck during the spawn put it in your livewell (if it's legal) then catch the big one.  My biggest of the year so far (7 pounds 13 ounces) came from the same spot I had caught a 13 incher twice.  The 2nd time I caught the 13 incher I put him in my livewell.   Big Mama bit 2 casts later.   I released them both after that.   

[WRB]

Spawning bass are not feeding bass, it’s all about procreation. 10-11 mouths of the year small bass avoid big bass to survive. When a LMB gets 4 lbs they can go where ever they want and hand out with larger size bass.

When you catch a 4 lb bass a 10 lb bass could be the next cast.

Tom