Fishing The Same Spots/History

[DEPS_250]

They say its bad to fish the same spots/history since conditions are always changing and fish move all the time. Therefore the fish are not always going to be there again and even if they are there, it might require a different bait or presentation. 

 

On the other hand, I have also heard that high percentage areas always hold fish year round and its always a good practice to go back to the same spots throughout the day even hour and fish some history in order to coax a few more bites. 

 

I am a bank angler, therefore I ALWAYS fish history since I know where all the high percentage/hot spots are. Therefore, I don't understand how I should not fish history, when those spots are the ones that I am only able to fish. I am all CONFUSED! When should you fish history and when should you not?

[Scott F]

In my opinion, there is nothing at all wrong in fishing history.  You need to visit spots where you’ve had success. It might be a spot that’s only good at certain times of the year but how will you know if you don’t go back? Once you’ve fished it enough, you’ll have learned what it was that made that spot good and when to not to waste time on it. Take that knowledge and look for places that replicate where and when you’ve had success in the past. 

[casts_by_fly]

Instead of thinking of bass as always being focused on a spot, think about them as roving living beings that just as likely might be 50 yards from a spot but still relate to that spot for some reason. They might like the bottom composition in a 10 yard stretch but they will roam a hundred yards from it at times. So history matters but understanding why they were in that area in the first place will help you figure out why they might be there next time. 

[GreenPig]

Don't fish history is hogwash. The very first dock light I pulled up to at a lake I have fished in over two years, I caught 3 bass in 10 - 12 cast. Why did I stop there, HISTORY. Those fish might not be there come Fall, Winter, and Spring but I only fish that particular lake at night during the Summer.

Community holes = History 

 

[Sam]

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Instead of thinking of bass as always being focused on a spot, think about them as roving living beings that just as likely might be 50 yards from a spot but still relate to that spot for some reason. They might like the bottom composition in a 10 yard stretch but they will roam a hundred yards from it at times. So history matters but understanding why they were in that area in the first place will help you figure out why they might be there next time. 

X2.  Very true answer. Use some electronics designed for bank fishing to note what is in the area that proves to be a magnet and continues to have bass move into it as you catch the ones enjoying the area.  Good luck.

 

[Catt]

Eliminate your history you've eliminated your experience.

[Captain Phil]

I fish some spots that I fished forty years ago and they still hold fish.  That said, there are factors that can relocate fish.  Thirty years ago, the Harris Chain was almost totally stripped of aquatic vegetation.  Local officials that had no idea what they were doing decided to totally eliminate hydrilla from the lakes.  After the chemical purge, the only way to catch fish was to run back into the canals where chemicals did not reach.  The main lake water was so turbid, flipping was the only option.  Today, hydrilla is being managed by the Florida Wildlife Commission and fishing has greatly improved.   There are still fish on the same shallow cover spots, but the number of fish has increased making offshore fishing productive.   When you are fishing off the bank your options are limited.   I would stay with what works.

[Pat Brown]

Your history is probably as close as you're gonna get to an advantage so ignore that 'wisdom'.

 

I think that people who say don't fish history are people who struggle to remain open minded and as a result, don't catch as many fish as they once did and for them, 'dont fish history ' is kind of a reminder to stay open minded.

 

I think 'dont fish history' also is applicable advice when beginners are excited they're finally catching fish on a summer bait in a summer area and then they feel like quitting when it all dies as the seasons change and the bait/bass start moving and biting different things.

 

It's clunky non specific advice that over corrects errors that need to be addressed one at a time.

[Drawdown]

I think the updated trite expressions are “fish the moment” and (ughhh) “match the hatch.”

But they’re true.

[Mike L]

I don’t know who “they” are but I’ll bet you read that in some magazine or from some YouTube guy. 
 

Trust what you read above. 
 

Now, that being said there are times when after saturating a specific spot I’ll move on and won’t go back to it, but that’s only fir that particular outing and only because success was found elsewhere also. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Jig Man]

If we followed that rule we’d be in a world of hurt.  We’ve been catching up to 30 bass in the same deep (40-70’ deep) since the spawn ended.

[Catt]

If 10% of the water does in fact hold 90% of the fish that pretty much answers the question.

 

50+ years of fishing Toledo Bend ya wanna guess how many way points I have?

 

Do I catch em on the exact GPS location?

No!

But on the same piece of structure.

 

Some spots are seasonal

[gim]

22 minutes ago, Catt said:

Some spots are seasonal

This is my experience.  In the spring time, I've got waypoints marked for pre-spawn smallmouth and I try to go back there every spring if the wind cooperates.  In the summer, there is a specific line of docks on a lake that sit out further into deeper water and they often hold more and bigger largemouth.  Off the top of my head those are the seasonal spots that produce pretty much every year at a specific time of the year.  There are probably more that I'm missing too.

[Mike L]

@Catt…. “Some spots are seasonal”

Excellent point that shouldn’t be overlooked. 
 

If you fish a lake the size of Toledo Bend that he does or Okeechobee as I do, it’s imperative to know you waters. 
I’d venture to say no lake can change as much or as often as Okeechobee. 
 

However, I’m not fishing what’s floating on top that changes location, size or even composition on a weekly, monthly or in certain areas daily. 
I’m fishing the structure which rarely changes but have certain features that will bring Ma Bass right back to it depending on temperature, migration of bait, weather fronts, consistent wind direction etc. 

 

Example, during our high wind frequent winter cold front’s we have, anglers who frequently fish The Lake won’t even bother to fish certain shore lines. 

Bottom line..Learn your waters and understand it’s unique idiosyncrasies 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Tennessee Boy]

This thread is fascinating to me.   I don’t know what’s more interesting,  bass or bass fishermen.  

[A-Jay]

Fishing History, Do I do It ?

Yes, I most certainly do.

But what I try to do, is to fish the right history, as opposed to the wrong history.

What's the difference ?

In this instance 'right' for me would be fishing in spots/areas that line up with;

seasonal patterns, local weather conditions (recent past & present) as well making presentations at depths that the bass (and Bait) might be using/holding in.

"Wrong" would be most anything not matching the above and deals that 'history' has shown

are mostly not productive.  So having some 'history' can help and hurt I suppose.

 I am very willing to learn new deals and or adapt to something new or changed,

but before I get there, I will often exhaust deals that have been successful 'in the past'.

So to me it seems like it's all just part of the process, this bass fishing stuff. 

We start with nothing, we build on that, we gain some confidence, we build on that and then we try new deals.  Then it all starts all over again.

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

A-Jay

 

 

 

[Reel]

13 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Fishing History, Do I do It ?

Yes, I most certainly do.

But what I try to do, is to fish the right history, as opposed to the wrong history.

What's the difference ?

In this instance 'right' for me would be fishing in spots/areas that line up with;

seasonal patterns, local weather conditions (recent past & present) as well making presentations at depths that the bass (and Bait) might be using/holding in.

"Wrong" would be most anything not matching the above and deals that 'history' has shown

are mostly not productive.  So having some 'history' can help and hurt I suppose.

 I am very unwilling to learn new deals and or adapt to something new or changed,

but before I get there, I will often exhaust deals that have been successful 'in the past'.

So to me it seems like it's all just part of the process, this bass fishing stuff. 

We start with nothing, we build on that, we gain some confidence, we build on that and then we try new deals.  Then it all starts all over again.

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

A-Jay

 

 

 

Yes, you can  CHANGE history by adding a variable that was not there before if doing exactly the same thing that brought success doesn't work.

Hiistory is surely not going to the same spots over and over again without taking in to account other variables.

[bowhunter63]

Always start at the usual spots. But I move around if nothing is happening. The older I get the more I pick a spot apart more. 

[Mobasser]

I fish many of the same spots on every trip. Depending on things, they may or may not produce fish on any given day.

[Junk Fisherman]

Seasonal patterns will impact where fish are and that needs to be taken into consideration but I have many spots that produce year after year for me.  There's a rock pile on a lake where I've caught a 6 lber, multiple 5s, and a lot of 4s over the years but it is only that good in June during prespawn.  Calling it good is an understatement.  It is the most productive big fish spot I've ever found.  When I go there in a couple weeks, I'll naturally fish it but doubt I will catch anything big since the fish will be in their summer patterns so I'll quickly move to other spots after 15-20 minutes without much luck.  There's another spot on a lake where I've caught two 6 lbers the last two springs (might have been the same fish).  You better believe that will be the first place I go next March when I get there!!  Locally, on Lake Michigan I fish the same waters but I do adjust due to the season.  Back in May and early June I fished shallower, spawny stuff but now it'll be the same 1/2 dozen or so areas for the rest of the summer.  Granted, I am always fishing new stuff looking for productive areas but I have my areas that I always fish.  

 

The key overall is to be willing to adjust on the water.  Your historically good spots hold fish for a reason and to overlook them would be foolish.  But it's also wise to keep exploring new water looking for fish-holding areas for the conditions you are faced with.  

[king fisher]

It's not the history, but the interpretation of the history that is important.

      I have a friend that never tries to find a pattern.  He knows his lake well, and only fishes his hot spots.  One of his favorite places is a long point with lots of bulrushes.  He is going to fish that spot every time on the lake because he has caught many large bass there.

      We went fishing one day in June, and the wind was blowing to hard to get to that point.  We tried a rock bank close to the launch and caught many nice size bass.  When the bite slowed I recommended some other rock banks, I thought would produce, and was eager to give them a try.

      He decided the wind had died enough to head to his favorite weedy point and was in a hurry to get there because his theory was the bass were biting and we didn't want to miss out on the bite.  We beat our selves up crossing the lake only to catch a few small bass.  I suggested we go back to the other side of the lake and fish some more rocky banks.  He only wanted to fish his other hot spots on the side of the lake we were at.  All of his hot spots were identical bulrush filled points, and we had zero success on all of them.  He couldn't believe our luck.  He was sure his favorite places would be on fire.  After all we crushed them there in June the prior three years in a row.  

    At the end of the day he was convinced we would have caught big bass if only we could have gotten to his favorite point in the morning.  It was a morning bite, and the wind had kept us from going there until it was to late.  My take on the day was the bass didn't want to be hiding in bulrushes, they were hunting bait along wind blown rocky banks.  Beings we didn't try any other rocky banks, I will never know who was right, but I do know a person can use history to their advantage, or it can be a hinderance depending on how the history is viewed.

       My lesson from history on this lake is, if they are not on the bulrush points, it would be a good idea to try a rocky bank.  My friends view of history is the bass only bite well in the morning on windy days in June.  Same history, different view.

     

[Alex from GA]

I pretty well know all the hot spots in my neck of the woods but don't fish them 2 days in a row.  The weather and wind are the main things I go by if my favorite places don't pan out.

[Bankc]

Both!  

 

Theoretically, the optimum approach is to know a lot of good spots and what times of year and under which conditions they work best.  Then, as the seasons and conditions change, you go to spots that worked well for you in the past.  

 

But, that's also more of a tournament angler's mindset.  Sometimes I like to try out new spots or revisit old spots that weren't productive (but I also didn't give a good chance), just because I want to try out new spots.  Not every fishing trip is about catching the most or the biggest fish.  Often times, it's about learning something new and becoming a better angler.  

[Darth-Baiter]

"you should have been here yesterday!".

 

in general, some spot are higher percentage based on history, but nothing is set in stone.  

[Susky River Rat]

If you didn’t fish history why do they need waypoints to mark fish? I know in the river most times the fish are in that area or they aren’t. I just have to eliminate water. Some conditions hold more fish then others. Sometimes it might be the right conditions the fish didn’t move in yet or maybe they just are turned on yet. Who knows. When i am not catching I will absolutely go away from history.