How long to typically fish one spot?

[airborne_angler]

Whats a good time frame to use when trying to thoroughly fish a spot? I dont have any electronics on my boat so Im only judging a spot based on what I see on the surface.

There are places in a lake no matter where in the US,that there just arent going to be ANY fish of any species in that particular location at a given time. Whats a good determing factor to try to figure out if a certain spot is actually holding fish?

I know fan casting is a good search technique,what are some others? Do you measure it in the amount of casts you make without a bite? I dont want to waste my time just chucking  a bait in a spot that isnt holding any fish,that can cause a real downer on a days fishing,when you could be moving to another location that IS potentially holding fish.

[fourbizz]

Define "spot"

I have places that I will drive clear across the lake to fish that are about 5ft in diameter. 1 cast with a couple different baits and I am done.

There are some lakes out here that have huge main lake points that would take 40 casts just to half azz cover the water.

If it is a new "spot" I would fish it fairly quickly over a number of trips. Then you will start to firgure out what kind of potential it holds. If it looks good, fish it harder next time.

I spent 9 hours fishing a 100ft stretch of bank night before last. It is a good spot.

[5bass]

Without good electronics you are at a disadvantage from the get-go. Usually a "spot" will have something on it like rocks, brush, a ledge etc....this is what attracts the baitfish and in turn brings the bass in also.

You could drag a carolina rig around and try to find these things on the bottom or a deep diving crank that will dig along the bottom and bump potential targets. Thats about the only way to do it unless you want to buy a graph or an underwater camera....or diving gear.

Generally if I know fish are holding on a "spot", I will use what should be working according to the time of year, weather, water color etc.....if I dont get bit with say a crankbait, I'll switch to a worm, then to a jig, then a spinnerbait, just to cover the whole water column over that spot. After I've covered the spot with a few different lures and dont get bit, I'm out. Once you figure out a solid pattern, you'll spend less time fishing each spot.

[Catt]

If I'm fishing say a 12 hour day which is normal I'll spend 3 or 4 hours at each spot unless I'm getting bit then I'll spend the whole 12 hours on one spot. I've won numerous tournaments anchored on an underwater ridge or hump; an island or point never lifting the anchor once for 12 or 14 hours.

[5bass]

If I'm fishing say a 12 hour day which is normal I'll spend 3 or 4 hours at each spot unless I'm getting bit then I'll spend the whole 12 hours on one spot. I've won numerous tournaments anchored on an underwater ridge or hump; an island or point never lifting the anchor once for 12 or 14 hours.

Thats good advice also because bass do move in and out of spots throughout the day and night. I'm not real patient like that but if the bites are just close enough to keep me interested, I will stay. If they dont happen quick enough for my liking, I will run to other spots and check back on previous spots throughout the day or night. I like to keep it movin'.

[Catt]

Bass do not move in and out of structure  

It's their home; the may move from the living room to the dining room to eat  

[Matt Fly]

If I am looking for bigger fish, I may stay in one spot that I know produces, looking for that one bite.      

If I am searching new water, or looking for numbers, I might make a milk run on lots of good spots.

Experience in old "holes" gives one confidence, it usually has alot to do with how long will stay in one spot.    

Matt

[SENKOSAM]

I've won numerous tournaments anchored on an underwater ridge or hump; an island or point never lifting the anchor once for 12 or 14 hours.

Man, that's a long tournament and a long time to sit on a piece of structure!

I agree with the consensus. If you don't have a sonar and haven't confirmed the bottom drops, hardness and objects, you don't know what you're casting down to. If the pattern is shallow, no problem; but if it's over 10, you're blind. Last Sat. I fished a new lake, had no sonar with me and didn't have a clue about the bottom except for what my lures showed my.

I swore I'd never fish this beautiful lake again unless I had sonar and a note book to map primary and secondary deeper structure. Catching 8 legal bass (one 3lb) in shallow shady water was easy; finding fish along deeper drops, was time consuming and frustrating without the sonar.

Location, location, location applies to deeper summer time structure which, in my experience, should be saturated with casts and slow presentations that keep the bait on or near the bottom, longer. The problem is IMO that fish aren't chasing and it's like playing with my cat --- nudge the toy mouse an inch, repeat and then move the bait faster for the pounce. If the attack doesn't happen on the first retrieve, it usually happens on the next.

[5bass]

Bass do not move in and out of structure

Why then can I check a ledge or drop and no fish be there, then come back an hour or two later and they are there? There are several humps that I fish in the summertime that hold the fish at certain times and other times they are gone.....not only have I seen this with my electronics, I've seen this with an Aqua-Vu camera.  

[Catt]

Those ledges or drops were probably the bass's dining room if you look closely nearby you'll find their living room. Bass are structure/cover orientated; they will not wonder aimlessly around the lake, they will however move from the living room to the dining room come feeding time or from the living room to the bed room come spawn time.

The key is to find their home structure and their feeding ground then setup a point of intersection where the bass are traveling to and from both areas. The reason being when they are traveling from one area to the other they are in an aggressive mood and will be easier to catch then when they are sitting home in a non-aggressive mood.

Even when traveling back from a feeding area with a full belly and you throw out that little after dinner desert they are gonna eat it.  

[RoLo]

Bass do not move in and out of structure It's their home

Absolutely!

Although they may be home all day, they don't always answer the door

Roger