Fishing the same heavy pressured places every year....

[bigbill]

I fish the same places every year because of the easy access with the car close by.(disabled)  I can't fish for too long.  So I do more gunning and running from place to place.  If the fish aren't bitting i move to the next spot. I fish from shore only.

I'm around my 8th year of bass fishing and noticed how bad its been getting.  Most of my places are fished really heavy.  Even the pickerel i catch have been hooked many times too.

I'm a firm believer that throwing the same baits every year the fish learn our baits.  So every year or so I have to change my lures and patterns to continue to catch fish. But each year its getting worse and worse.  Either i been in a bad slump or there are no fish left to catch. I'm not seeing the topwater breaks anymore either.  I'm hoping the weather pattern has something to do with it(heavy rains). I slacked off this spring but i'm slowly getting into it now.

I guess its time to relax and go out and practice my lures and presentations and just have fun. I haven't used livebait in many years but maybe some pan fishing is in order.

The other day I was out and caught two 16" pickerel and even that felt great to catch something.

Now that there is a steady heatwave here the PH will improve and the fish will be hitting.  There's no topwater bug action at all too its that bad here.  I guess the rain we been having even slowed down the hatches too.

Bill Dance says when the fishing is off at your favorite places find another new spot.  I say change our tactics and continue to fish till you figure it out.  I don't give up that easy.

In the summers heat its time to go plastics too.

Hows the fishing in your area?                                BB

[Grey Wolf]

Have you tried fishing at night ? (between 10 pm-6 am.)

[roadwarrior]

Well, Lake Fork is the most pressured lake I have ever fished and there seems to be no impact on the fishing. Everyone uses most of the same stuff year after year, yet the lake still produces numbers and size for thousands of fishermen.

8-)

[Tokyo Tony]

The bite in central CT has been pretty good lately, but not great. All the fish I've caught recently have been really tight to cover, if not all the way in it. The topwater bite is nonexistent - haven't been able to buy a bite on the frog lately.

That's on the small ponds I usually fish though - not sure how the bite is elsewhere. Hopefully it's hot up in NH. Headed up there this weekend.

[Wayne P.]

You are correct RW, I fish Fork also and it is like the Energizer bunny-it keeps going-going-going-going.

There is a smaller lake in Va. that is just like Fork and receives a lot of pressure in the late winter and spring- Briery Creek Lake. Similar slot limits. I fished it yesterday.

The standing timber and submerged vegetation at both locations allows for such a great fishery.

[Wayne P.]

Another way to look at it, a heavily pressured body of water means fish are being caught. Otherwise, no one would bother.

[JShrock07]

Some people that fish areas alot will start to keep fish, therefore making the fishing alot more tough. I have spoke with my local Parks & rec representative and I asked if I could add fish from a large private lake to the public lake. He told me I could so, so far this year I have put about 250 LMB in this local lake. I know That I will never be able to keep the lake stocked up forever but I would at least like to have a few more years of fun at this lake and hopefully get some big hawgs out of my hard work.