Highly pressured lakes

[GoneFishingLTN]

Do you think you should always go finesse baits on very high pressure small lakes?

We have 300 acre waters that are highly highly pressured and was wondering if the finesse baits in general would be the way to go 

[Darth-Baiter]

i think i like to have finesse options at the ready, but sometimes the bass just want it fast and hard.

 

last weekend on our most pressured water, only reaction baits got any action at all.    a squarebill hauling butt was the best option Saturday.  

[Tennessee Boy]

I always fish for bass in the water.

 

Other than that I don’t use the word always in bass fishing. ?

[A-Jay]

15 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Do you think you should always go finesse baits on very high pressure small lakes?

We have 300 acre waters that are highly highly pressured and was wondering if the finesse baits in general would be the way to go 

Learn to fish at night.

You might be surprised by your results.

A-Jay

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/176285-night-bassing-~-a-jays-version/

 

[Susky River Rat]

I don’t think you should ever limit yourself to that. It is a good tactic anywhere but, I always tend to fish fast reaction first and slow down if I am not getting anything going. Unless I know for sure weather is leaning more towards finesse style. If that’s the case I reverse my logic.

[WRB]

4 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Do you think you should always go finesse baits on very high pressure small lakes?

We have 300 acre waters that are highly highly pressured and was wondering if the finesse baits in general would be the way to go 

Define high fishing pressure?

Finesse usually works better in lakes with good water clarity where you can see the bottom at 5+ feet.

I would say a 300 acre lake with sparse cover and structure elements that is fished nearly everyday by 15 to 20 skilled bass anglers is highly pressured.

15 to 20 bank anglers with few skilled bass anglers isn’t high pressure.

Tom

[GoneFishingLTN]

300 acre water with 10 skilled bass anglers hitting it 3 times a week before sats tournament then maybe another 20 avg bass anglers hitting it every day also 

water clarity is around 2-3 feet before you lose visibility.

[WRB]

Yes finesse works. The translucent finesse soft plastics like Roboworms may be less effective do to water clarity  then less translucent soft plastics like Senko’s with brighter flakes or worms black purple with blue neon highlites.

Local bass anglers tend to follow the leader and use what everyone thinks is working or currently popular.

Think out of the box and try colors and lures that are different.

Agree night is the equalizer reducing boat traffic and increasing catch rated.

300 acres is small no unfshed areas to discover.

Tom

[GoneFishingLTN]

23 minutes ago, WRB said:

Yes finesse works. The translucent finesse soft plastics like Roboworms may be less effective do to water clarity  then less translucent soft plastics like Senko’s with brighter flakes or worms black purple with blue neon highlites.

Local bass anglers tend to follow the leader and use what everyone thinks is working or currently popular.

Think out of the box and try colors and lures that are different.

Agree night is the equalizer reducing boat traffic and increasing catch rated.

300 acres is small no unfshed areas to discover.

Tom

would you do a mix during a saturday tournament of moving baits and finesse or is it better just to all finesse 

[WRB]

Use finesse when the bite slows, active bass will strike moving lures or bigger lures.

Tom

[Catt]

Finesse: skillful handling of a situation : adroit maneuvering.

 

Adroit: having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations.

 

Finesse fishing is all I do 

[T-Billy]

All I fish are highly pressured small lakes. Finesse gets me lots of bites, but going deep into the jungle with a flippin stick and braid gets me good quantity with much better average quality. After the spawn, night time is the right time.

[Jar11591]

I go sort of against the grain on highly pressured lakes. Seems like everybody throws finesse stuff on highly pressured lakes, so I usually go searching with a big spinnerbait when the bite gets tough. One small lake I fish in the summer will get absolutely hammered on a nice day. The fishing is an absolute grind but the average size of the bass there is nothing short of impressive. But even with finesse stuff it can throw you a goose egg and not bat an eye. Spamming a moving bait to as many spots as I can like a lipless or big spinnerbait has allowed me a lot of success. And like A-Jay said, night fishing can really be the ticket for small pressured lakes. 

[Drawdown]

Topwater can be surprisingly effective on pressured lakes. But sometimes you have to throw it to the same spot 3 times (or more) before you finally drive a fish crazy enough to strike. Maybe it’s actually “calling them in.”

[papajoe222]

Which are you asking about, tournament fishing this lake, or pre-fishing it during the week? 

The best strategy,IMO, for fishing a one day tournament is to get your limit as soon as possible and then to target better quality fish.  Finesse fishing, although it may be slow is, likely, the best approach to this way of thinking.

The downside to this strategy is you shouldn't use finesse tactics until you've located fish. Very few would be considered search baits.  

This is where pre-fishing gives you an advantage. You can slow down and pick apart different structures and cover and return on tournament day and search for those fish using the current conditions as a guide to locating them.

I'm guessing you're referring to club tourneys as most sanctioned events don't allow pre-fishing, within a certain time frame, before the event.

[GoneFishingLTN]

9 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Which are you asking about, tournament fishing this lake, or pre-fishing it during the week? 

The best strategy,IMO, for fishing a one day tournament is to get your limit as soon as possible and then to target better quality fish.  Finesse fishing, although it may be slow is, likely, the best approach to this way of thinking.

The downside to this strategy is you shouldn't use finesse tactics until you've located fish. Very few would be considered search baits.  

This is where pre-fishing gives you an advantage. You can slow down and pick apart different structures and cover and return on tournament day and search for those fish using the current conditions as a guide to locating them.

I'm guessing you're referring to club tourneys as most sanctioned events don't allow pre-fishing, within a certain time frame, before the event.

Tournament fishing this lake. pre-fishing, usually can't happen for me as I work 6 days a week most weeks but of course I would try if possible. Yeah it's a 15-25 boat club style tournament

[Captain Phil]

13 hours ago, T-Billy said:

All I fish are highly pressured small lakes. Finesse gets me lots of bites, but going deep into the jungle with a flippin stick and braid gets me good quantity with much better average quality.

 

You don't know high fishing pressure until you fish Florida public lakes during the "Snow Bird" season.  Our lakes are inundated with tournament after tournament.  Boat ramp parking lots are maxed out and our lakes look like a major expressway at 5 PM.

 

What happens under these conditions is a fish's strike zone shrinks.  During the week it could be a few feet or more.  On the weekend or when fishing pressure is great, it can be inches.  Power fishing can work if you have the stamina to keep it up.  Ripping a rattle trap has won tournaments for me.  It also creates sore muscles, tendons and joints.  Spinnerbaiting heavy cover like pads is another way to trigger a reaction strike.  Nothing works better than vertical fishing under tough conditions.  While finesse anglers are boating small fish, the fish you catch flipping are quality fish.  Flipping is boring and tedious at first.  Once you have some sucess, it can be very exciting.  If you are happy catching a limit of small bass, finesse is the way to go. If you want to catch larger bass, learn to flip.

[GoneFishingLTN]

11 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

You don't know high fishing pressure until you fish Florida public lakes during the "Snow Bird" season.  Our lakes are inundated with tournament after tournament.  Boat ramp parking lots are maxed out and our lakes look like a major expressway at 5 PM.

 

What happens under these conditions is a fish's strike zone shrinks.  During the week it could be a few feet or more.  On the weekend or when fishing pressure is great, it can be inches.  Power fishing can work if you have the stamina to keep it up.  Ripping a rattle trap has won tournaments for me.  It also creates sore muscles, tendons and joints.  Spinnerbaiting heavy cover like pads is another way to trigger a reaction strike.  Nothing works better than vertical fishing under tough conditions.  While finesse anglers are boating small fish, the fish you catch flipping are quality fish.  Flipping is boring and tedious at first.  Once you have some sucess, it can be very exciting.  If you are happy catching a limit of small bass, finesse is the way to go. If you want to catch larger bass, learn to flip.

How long would you let the bait soak in these conditions?

[geo g]

My house is surrounded by a bunch of lakes of about that size.  I bank fish these waters often and stay away from heavily pressured areas.  I will go to the areas with the heaviest cover and down size baits like senkos, centipedes, trick worms, and flukes.  I fish them slow, and feel for grass clumps, rocks along the bottom.  I always pause when I feel them and then slow pull them out.  Bass will often hit while paused.

 

I also look for areas with current, like culvert pipes.  I fish the calm waters on either side, or throw in the current on slack line, let the current move the bait.  These techniques produce on a regular basis.

 

the bait doesn’t need to be big to catch big fish.

[WRB]

Most bass anglers don’t use the dictionary to define finesse fishing.

Finesse meaning light line and rod with smaller lures, then apply the dictionary definition.

Agree precise presention catches more bass.

Fishing a club derby should be fun so don’t over think this outing and enjoy your time on the water.

Finesse; Roboworm 6” black grape nose hooked #1 Mosqiuto hook with 1/8 oz weight on 6# mono or FC, for cold off color water.

Tom

[papajoe222]

On 4/5/2023 at 11:40 AM, GoneFishingLTN said:

Do you think you should always go finesse baits on very high pressure small lakes?

Simple answer....NO. I recommend doing just the opposite and going with power fishing presentations. The first reason is because that (finesse fishing)  is the mentality for fishing pressured lakes and the majority of anglers will be doing this.  The second reason is because, if the fish are active, you can cash in on the fact before others do.  Lastly, if you treat high pressure bodies of water the same as you do cold front conditions (presenting offerings as close to cover as possible, or fishing deep structure with a bottom presentation, you'll be able to cover more water and up your odds. 

If that strategy doesn't work, downsize your offerings and slow down. Bump hard cover and pause for..........that long or longer. Find the nastiest cover closer to deeper water and start flipping/ pitching a jig and trailer into the thickest stuff there is.

Lastly, resort to finesse tactics.   This go big, or go home empty handed is at best a 50/50 thing, but if you're eliminating 50% of the competition, you're on your way to finishing in the money more often.

[Bankbeater]

Most of the time for me it’s not only about smaller, but it’s about fishing with a different bait than everyone else. 

[WIGuide]

To me it depends, on if everyone think's it highly pressured and is throwing all finesse stuff. If they are I might choose to go against the grain and throw the stuff they aren't. If it doesn't work I can always slow down and throw something more finesse after a while. 

[Captain Phil]

7 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

How long would you let the bait soak in these conditions?

 

"Soak" is not what you are after.  When flipping and pitching, it's the fall of the bait that trigger's the strike.  The more falls you make, the more bites you will get.  Keep in mind that the strike zone under tough conditions can be very small.  How hard is it to hit a hole in one in golf?  The strike zone can be that small. Hopefully you won't be 400 yards from the fish.  ?

 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when vertical fishing cover is to use the rod to drop the bait.  What you want is the bait to drop under it's own weight and pin ball through the cover down to the bottom.  Always lift the bait slightly after it hits bottom.  It is common for a bass to have the bait in it's mouth and you don't know it.  If you feel any resistance, take up the slack and set the hook.

[T-Billy]

7 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

You don't know high fishing pressure until you fish Florida public lakes during the "Snow Bird" season.  Our lakes are inundated with tournament after tournament.  Boat ramp parking lots are maxed out and our lakes look like a major expressway at 5 PM.

Sounds familiar. Our handful of local reservoirs are 1k-2k acres, with a few tournaments a week on 'em. If you're fishing on a weekend from April - October you're fishing used water all day. I spend more time with a flippin stick in my hand than anything else. I make a habit of putting my bait where few others will. Come Memorial Day, I go nocturnal and get off the water by late morning. I beat the heat and the crowds that way.