Ideas For My Heavily Pressured City Lake

[Bazoo]

I have been having mild success with square bill crankbaits at my heavily pressured local city lake. This has happened several times, whereby, I try a spot and I get bit. After I catch 1 fish, I have no more luck, not with the lure that was originally used, nor any other color or type crank. And I also do not have luck with any other type of lure.

 

This is sort of a pattern there, I've gotten multiple fish with texas rigs or square bill cranks. It's quite rare to catch more than 1 fish from the same spot though, and by that, I mean, after I cast to the same spot I think I got bit for a dozen more casts, I resume fan casting and have nothing else regardless of what I throw. Once in a while, I'll catch one, then closely after, catch another.

 

Sometimes I persist and fish another half an hour before changing lures, and usually an hour before changing spots. The best myself and my buddy has ever done was 3 bass and 3 crappie together on crankbaits. That happened 1 time, earlier this year during late winter.

 

The pressure this lake sees, at least in the spots that I fish; every nice day from about 4:00 until about dusk, probably 30 people fishing in that time and more on the weekends. Now... not everyone is bass fishing, and not everyone is dedicated. Some people walk the bank and make a few casts as they walk, others, like me, pick a spot and fish it an hour before moving.

 

There is 1 corner, which looks really good with lots of stickups and brush that happens to be the first spot off the parking lot, it sees a tremendous amount of pressure. Everyone that passes by tries it. I have caught 1 fish on it, right after a rain (I surmise the fish know that people go in during a rain and they figured the pressure was off). I've never seen anyone else catch a bass there.

 

Last year I focused on learning this lake, and fished it 2 or 3 times a week. I tried a lot of different stuff, paid attention to what others used, and what I found, and generally tried to learn where the fish hang out and what might work for them.

 

I caught bass on, or had solid strikes on:

cranbaits, square bills

texas rigs using lizards, senko, 4" grub (most in green pumpkin)

spinnerbaits

whopper plopper

soft body topwater frog

beetle spin

spit'n image

buzzbait

4" hard swimbait

 

I have seen others occasionally catch bass on:

rooster tails

jerkbait

ned rigs

swim jig

chatterbait

lipless crankbaits

popper

 

I fish all those things, though some not as much, like I rarely fish a ned rig, but I fish lipless some, and chatterbait some, and fish a WP pretty often.

 

I've fished a jig a lot, never with a bite though. I've tried a bit of everything, lots of colors, lots of varieties.

 

Some things that I was sure would work, like the spit'n image (only caught 1 fish) didn't work (fished it a LOT). That lure isn't available in the stores here, nor at cabelas 50 miles north, so it's less common I'm sure. Another thing I'd thought of that I was sure would work, was a lipless crank with a blade on the tail in place of the hook. I doubt they see many or any of those... I fished a red eyed shad so modified for a good stretch and never a nibble.

 

Some things that you'd think wouldn't work, seem to be the best producers. All of the soft plastics I've had success on were green pumpkin color. Lizards rigged weightless Texas rigged worked the best so far. Changing color of the lizard failed to produce anything other than 1 nibble on a black/blue.

 

My buddy has good success on rattle traps... but I do not. I've thrown some traps, some super spots, and some red eyes, and never had a bite on them. Lost a few though.

 

I have good success on square bills, and he does too, which surprises me because they are quite popular. I choose colors that might not be as popular such as gold, or American shad, but never sexy shad. Though a friend caught a bass on a sexy shad colored square bill one day while I was there.

 

The main reason I fish this lake is because when I go to town with my wife and kids, it's convenient for us to swing by there a few hours. My wife likes it; porta potties, walking trails, mowed grass. Now, sure I'd like to find a "better" spot, and I have a few other spots with less pressure, but that aren't as convenient, and often it's either fish this a few hours or not fish.

 

I figured last year I'd use the opportunity to better my skillset. I started learning more about what fish/bass like; structure, wind, water temperature, lure selection and color for the conditions. And... I did get bit some. Now.. I ain't having 5 and 10 fish days (half days). But others I talk to, some at least, say they don't ever catch anything, or they only catch very rarely. I find that about every other to every third time I go for 2-4 hours, I do get one.

 

I have put my boat in there a couple times, and it seems the bass are more apt to bite along the shorelines that don't have bank fishing access. That said... I still want to focus on getting bit in the regular bank spots as I can't put my boat in as often as I'd like.

 

There is no night fishing at this lake, so I suspect the bass have learned that and adapted. I talked to several people that said the fishing is better in the mornings IE: very little pressure. I have fished it in the mornings only a few times and I didn't see any difference (I realize a few times isn't enough to make a determination).

 

I suppose my point in this post is that I'm asking for advice on how to approach these waters... something that'll give me a bit of an edge. Advice of any kind is appreciated.

 

 

[casts_by_fly]

You said it in your post:

 

9 hours ago, Bazoo said:

The pressure this lake sees, at least in the spots that I fish; every nice day from about 4:00 until about dusk, probably 30 people fishing in that time and more on the weekends. 

 

Some things that you'd think wouldn't work, seem to be the best producers.

 

It seems the bass are more apt to bite along the shorelines that don't have bank fishing access. 

 

 I suspect the bass have learned that and adapted.

 

I talked to several people that said the fishing is better in the mornings IE: very little pressure.

 

When bass get pressured, they move away from the pressure.  They clam up.  If you were having lures ripped past your head every couple minutes you'd move away from that spot too.

 

So, you need to go when there isn't that pressure.  Early mornings (since you can't fish nights).  Foul weather days, especially if its been bad for 2 or 3 days and people have ignored it.  Places on the lake that no one else fishes.  Downsize your lures or seriously upsize them, all to things that no one else is fishing.

 

Since this lake is more of a 'convenience' lake for you though, the above might not be possible.  You're probably not walking around town with your family in 15 mph driving rain.  There might not be banks that you can fish that you aren't already.  

[MAN]

Live bait would be your edge but I know thats the answer you are looking for. 

In the places I have fished with similar scenarios....I go to small profile/ultralight and increase my catch numbers.  But in that instance, I have mentally chosen qty over quality. 

[DaubsNU1]

Agree with @MAN, downsize and/or try something different.

 

NED rig, finesse worm, wacky Senko.

 

I busted out the beetle-spin last Sunday when nothing else was working...put three fish in the boat.

 

Pick up a jointed, floating Rapala. Toss out...give a good pull (about 2-3'), then stop and let it float back up to surface.

 

Small jig with a white twisty-tail grub seems to work when nothing else will.

 

Early morning, first light, I like to throw a buzz-bait. Just fun!

 

 

[Pat Brown]

I would try to master a very finesse top water. The floating worm has been known to work magic. A variation of the floating worm that I really like to throw is a z-man goat on an EWG fished weightless on light line. I've never seen a bass that could turn that down early in the morning. The frog will break your heart BUT it will show fish to you, and in the long run I've caught so many big fish on the frog that I can forgive it for missing so many too.  It's a VERY effective lure for pressured fish.

 

But yeah.  Sneaky topwater early or late in the day is my suggestion.

 

Weightless fluke or wacky rig is hard for fish to turn down.

 

Very small swimbaits/tiny flashy Swimmer.

[FishTax]

9 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

 The frog will break your heart BUT it will show fish to you, and in the long run I've caught so many big fish on the frog that I can forgive it for missing so many too.  It's a VERY effective lure for pressured fish.

 

Best description of frog fishing I've ever read. It's addicting and heartbreaking. Hard to walk away from the blowups, but hard to hook them. Aghghhg!!!

[MediumMouthBass]

This reminds me of a local lake, its a smaller one and it gets around 20-60 people a day depending on time of year.

Some people fishing for bass and others panfish and the stocked trout, to say its high pressured would be an understatement.

 

Ive spent alot of time bank fishing it and throw almost everything i could think of, the bass are almost always pushed back around 10-30' past where most peoples casting distance ends.

The ones close to the bank are either small, or they are on the other side where you cant really get to without a kayak/boat. Some days when theres not a ton of people fishing the bass might come shallow near the bank but its mainly just wasting time trying to catch them.

 

What ive learned is this, once i got a kayak on that lake the bass fishing opportunities became endless

 

Option 1, fish something different that what everyone else is throwing, whether thats color, weight, scent, etc.... And try to make those odd/difficult casts to those parts of the lake where most avoid whether its because of brush/lily pads whatever it may be. Get to those hard to reach areas.

Try some GULP leeches or minnows on a jig with or without a bobber even.

 

Option 2, fish right before night. The big bluegills and big bass come shallow and really close to the bank when it starts to darken. The huge crowd at my local super extreme high pressured lake all leave when the sun starts going down, 10-20 minutes later you are hearing splashes and jumping everywhere. And you can see the big circles on the water where they just jumped getting closer and closer to the bank every few minutes. Take something like a jig, buzzbait, night time spinnerbait, chatterbait, topwater stuff, big lizards. This gives you around a 20 minute window before its night and you have to leave. But 20 minutes might be all you need.

[Ibock]

Downsize. BFS is a great option.  There also might not be that many fish where you are fishing.  If you can't get bit on BFS or a wacky rig that is the conclusion I would arrive too.  Probably not that many fish and highly pressured.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Square bills work well, but for me excel seasonally in the prespawn just lily stems are sprouting until pads form.  Use the SB as intended.  It might seem sketchy to toss them into stump and root fields, but it's what they're designed for. A lot of days they won't hit unless you get a good aggressive deflection.  I've noticed silent SBs outfish rattling SBs in the vast majority of pressured I fish regardless of water color or weather. Colors are secondary IMO.  You don't need but a few. I prefer orange and craw colors early going to shad or white base later, and occasionally ghost colors like matte shad in clear conditions.  

 

[Bazoo]

I appreciate all the suggestions. Thank you all. That gives me something to chew on, and some techniques I've not tried.

 

I have tried flukes some with no luck so far.

 

I've even tried rigging up dead shad that was floating, but not having much idea how to rig them, I had no luck there either.

 

Today my buddy and I were fishing, He was using a 1/4oz rat-l-trap. I was using a cotton cordell super spot in 1/2oz. I got bit twice, landed 1. My first on a lipless! Never had success with them previously.

 

My buddy has in the past caught with his preferred 1/4oz traps. But... I certainly think that the cordell is not as popular here. Another thing is that I was using gold colored... and I've had a lot of luck with gold colored cranks, whereas everyone else uses redcraw or sexy shad colored.

[WRB]

What seasonal period are the bass in?

My guess is spawn or post spawn. You are a shore angler so seeing beds shouldn’t too difficult. If you see dinner plate size beds the bass spawn is over.

Post spawn bass don’t chase down faster moving lures more then a few feet away from them.

Baby bass or fry are on the menu and Blurgill.

Soft plastics like 5” Senko #301 is a good Blue gill size and color fished unweighted.

Cast beyond the the small beds. If you see a larger active bass bed use the lure.

Owner Zip n Ziggy in baby bass is excellent post spawn-early summer lure worked on coves.

Slip Shot rigged Roboworm Sculpon MMIII and Hologram Shad  and cast all around points.

That is all you need for a few months.

Tom

[Bazoo]

Honestly, I can only guess as to if they are in spawn or post spawn. My guess is they are spawning. I haven't seen any beds. I don't have polarized glasses, and the water is often not clear to see much.

 

I wear spectacles, and I want to find polarized clipons that fit the frames I have, but I haven't found any thus far.

[Pat Brown]

You NEED polarized glasses 365 days a year IMHO but in the spring you REALLY REALLY need polarized glasses.

 

More than any new lure or technique or location or presentation.  That's important to establish here.  Spring is basically casting to visible shallow fish and you can't see them without polarized glasses.

 

You can try blind casting areas that should have beds with things like a drop shot and get pretty good results, but it's just a lot more fun when you can actually see what you're fishing for.

 

I remember a story you told in another thread about a fish your son caught that kind of confounded you and it sounded very very much to me like a fish caught off of a bed.  So yeah.  Probably gonna want to get some polarized lenses somehow.  Even ugly solutions will beat no solution.

[WRB]

12 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Honestly, I can only guess as to if they are in spawn or post spawn. My guess is they are spawning. I haven't seen any beds. I don't have polarized glasses, and the water is often not clear to see much.

 

I wear spectacles, and I want to find polarized clipons that fit the frames I have, but I haven't found any thus far.

Cocoons fitover polarized sunglasses 

Tom

[Justin Collier]

I would fish a drop shot. And a Ned rig. Also I would swim the Ned rig back with some light rod twitches will be money. You can also use any stick Ned for it. On a drop shot depends on what the hatch is. Match it. I have had good success with downsized crawdad neds on a drop shot. 

[Bazoo]

Okay, polarized glasses suggestion taken to heart.

 

I haven't heard of cocoons, I'll have to look at them. I'll see what I can find.

 

What I want is clam shell type that will go around my spectacles.

 

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen anyone else fishing my lake that wore polarized glasses or sunglasses. I'm sure there is, but... it's not the norm for sure. That might just give me a significant edge.