Covering water vs picking apart the area

[Mobasser]

I spent the better part of a season fishing solely for big fish. I camped on spots and picked them apart. It can get tiring, and your mind starts to wander off when your trying to cover every inch with a jig. I like to move and cast. If I catch a decent fish, I'll camp awhile.

[Zcoker]

44 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Are you talking shallow water?

 

I'm talking deep water 15-30', even though I'm staying on one spot & fishing slow, I'll end up with a couple dozen fish with kickers 6#+. 

 

Up to about 15 feet but, yes, mostly shallow water. They very aggressive at all depths in my neck of the woods when it’s hot out. 

[king fisher]

I find most of the time, when I move, I should have stayed, and when I stay I should have moved.

[Swamp Girl]

I'm a mover. 

[Pat Brown]

3 hours ago, king fisher said:

I find most of the time, when I move, I should have stayed, and when I stay I should have moved.

 Same 🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️

[TriStateBassin106]

5 hours ago, Koz said:

This is the question that almost every amateur angler asks themselves every time they head out.

 

It’s also the question almost every pro angler knows the answer to BEFORE they head out.

Been bass fishing for 6 years and been fishing in general since 05, guess i'm an amateur lol

[Bankc]

One of the first things I learned about bass fishing is to keep moving.  To this day, I have a habit of staying in an unproductive place too long.  I also have the habit of not staying in a productive place long enough.  

My point is, don't pick apart an area if you're not getting good results by doing so.  I've caught more bass by randomly fishing areas that probably shouldn't have bass than I have by sticking to one spot that I know has bass, but they won't bite.  If they're biting, then by all means, keep picking at it.  But don't waste your time trying to convince bass to bite that don't want to bite.  

Having said that, there are times when the bass just aren't biting, and sometimes the only way to catch one is to slowly pick apart a spot until you finally convince one to bite.  With bass fishing, no rule is 100%, except the "you can't catch fish if you don't try".  So try to be flexible in your approach.  

 

A good angler lets the fish tell them what the rules are.  A bad angler tries to tell the fish.  

[Big Hands]

I try not to have too many "rules" to follow. I may have a plan when I head out, yet be fine if and when the plan changes. Or maybe I feel like sticking to the plan. Move, stay, power fish, hunker down and work thoroughly, fish history, try new areas, try different baits in the same area, try new areas with the same bait. . . . It's all on the table when I am by myself, in my own boat, and I get to choose.

 

And it's subject to change at any time.

 

About the only thing you won't see me do is to travel down the bank so fast that my bottom contact bait barely settles and I have to pull it up to cast it again. That has never constituted being a fun way to fish for me. Ever. And, I doubt it ever will.

[Mbirdsley]

If i think bass should be around the area in with out getting bit I’ll start to pick it apart.  once im done with picking it apart and not finding any bass willing to bite i’ll start making big moves and  ill throw a some sort of search bait and start blind casting to covering water.  i do this untill i catch a fish or find smithing interesting on the sonar.  

[WRB]

When I had my own boat always used the same routine to establish where to start.

Often the marina held a good population of big bass and never left.

Fishing alone I have a different mind set focusing big bass. Fishing with a partner catching bass is the goal and taking into consideration how my partner likes to fish makes a difference where and how to fish.

By myself I am willing to saturate a known spot but with a partner more willing to run to several area to establish a pattern to catch numbers of bass, 2 different mind sets that affect where and how to fish.

Tom

[Susky River Rat]

I try to cover water till I find fish. Then if I find them I will beat that area up UNLESSS I know there are multiple spots very similar to that. The. I stop catching in that area I will run to the next and the next and the next. If there are none get me some graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows I am going to be  camping.

[FishTax]

If I see a fish with my eyes, I get stubborn really fast.. Even though I know they saw me too..

[bp_fowler]

Fishing from the bank it’s often dictated to me by the terrain and vegetation.

It can matter because the easier the bank is to walk, the more water you can cover.  The more water you can cover the more fish you can put your lure in front of.  At a well maintained public lake or pond you maybe able to walk the entire perimeter of the body of water casting as you go, while at the other end of the spectrum something like a strip pit pond deep in the backwoods, you may only be able to fish from a handful of spots which means I’ll usually spend more time there picking apart everything within casting distance. 

If I’m limited to a few spots then I’ll do the following:  When approaching the area I will make a few casts from a distance if I’m able to in order to check the immediate area around where I’ll be standing on the bank.  However it can be useful to catch any fish that may possibly be hanging out near that spot.

 

If there is any obvious cover/structure I try and target that first.  Next I’ll make casts parallel or as close to parallel to the bank as possible. Specifically targeting bank along my direction of travel.  If there is another linear feature such as a weed or shade line I’ll cast along that as well.  Lastly I fan cast around an area before departing.  Usually this will be approximately 3-5 casts depending on nearby vegetation which may limit where and what direction and/or angle you can cast. Also if I’m carrying a second rod with a follow up bait I’m might use that here.
 

After that I’ll move as stealthily as possible to the next spot, if I can no further down the bank than I had previously presented my lure.  Often times I have no clear path along the bank to my next spot.  That means I’ll have to repeat the process from the top when I get to where I’m going.

[LrgmouthShad]

What is fishing, but a game of should I be here or should I be there? 

I circle back a lot on the same places just to test timing and I don’t feel comfortable in a place unless I feel I know exactly what I am casting at. I never just pull up to a point and say ‘well I’m on a point so now I’ll just cast anywhere’.

[dodgeguy]

On 4/23/2024 at 8:15 AM, Jmilburn76 said:

I took my kayak out yesterday to a spot on the lake that I generally catch them at but got skunked. I didn’t notice many baitfish so I should have packed it up but I’m too hard headed and it cost me. 
 

I need to pick up the pace and cover a lot more water than I do.

Do you have sonar ?

[Pat Brown]

I've been sort of thinking more and more about this as I often do with each of the interesting philosophical threads that come up on here.  I think that you're kind of at your best when you're covering water by picking areas apart at the same time if that makes any sense.  It's all about being methodical and systematic, but also thorough both with speed and depth and variation of presentation throughout the day.  And it's all about being intentional and aware of what's happening around you more than anything.  I feel like the people who idle around for hours looking for fish under their sonar before they make a cast are on to something.  Over time bank fishing without electronics at a small pond where I can see very well, I have learned that there's really no point in stopping until you can see something happening and learning how to see that takes a lot of time and patience. 

 

I think people mistake being thorough for making lots of casts in an area and I think that is incorrect.  I think being thorough is evaluating an area very intentionally with your eyes and whatever else you have available to you as quickly as you can and then making a determination as to whether you should be more thorough or not.  This intuition is probably what makes a great fishermen great and an average fishermen average and it simply takes time on your body of water.

 

Basically you got to be around the fish on your water to see what they're doing and what that looks like and where it happens. And eventually you start to build a picture of how to intentionally and productively cover water and be thorough on your days out in ways that usually yield success.

[Jmilburn76]

12 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

Do you have sonar ?

I’ve got a helix 5 

[MassBass]

I think if you are fishing new water, whether it is a stream or lake, it is invaluable to cover water and search fish. Even if a spot looks good, but doesn't show a fish, you can make a mental note to check it out again. As you learn the system and find other spots, you may know what spots pay to be thorough in (and in which season), and which spots are worth only a cast or two, or are totally unproductive, only worth walking past or paddling through.

 

There may be spots that seem good, but are mysteriously unproductive. It could just take the right combination of season, weather, and bait presentation for the mystery of the spot to be revealed.

[scaleface]

My last fishing trip I kept on the move. The bass were not hitting worms or jigs very well so the more cover I could hit with a spinnerbait or buzzbait the more fish caught. Things change. Thats why I like bass fishing . Its a game with me. 

[geo g]

When I go to a new body of water, I study the water for a set of criteria.  Being Florida I look for varied types of cover.  I look for isolated cover clumps.  I look for structure changes, ledges, rock piles, extended points, bridge pilings, and dock pilings.  Find cover close to significant structure and you could hit the honey hole.  A deep ledge with heavy cover on top, is one of my fav starting points.

 

Another fav is finding CURRENT.  Current will position bass, whether it's gravity feed current, or wind driven current.  Structure or cover with current flowing is a great ambush spot.

 

If I find an area with some or most of these key observations, I will forget moving around, and pick it apart.  I know it will hold quality bass.  

[Swest18x]

I think just asking the question raises you to a different level of angler. I watched a guy today throw a whopper plopper out from the dock at the same location - which was basically empty, open water - about 20 times. I'm not the best or most experienced in the world but whenever I take my kids fishing with me I tell them the same thing, especially as it relates to bank fishing around here. The biggest mistake you can make is picking a spot and making cast after cast thinking the bass will just show up. If the fish aren't biting, they're either not interested or not there. Move on.

[geo g]

If I think I have the makings of a good spot, I won’t leave until I try three levels of baits.  Top water, mid range, and slow along the bottom.  No action and I’m out of there!