POND FISHING: TRY FISHING FROM THE SHORE OTHERS DON"T GO NEAR!

[Muddy]

Hey fellas; I had a better season  doing just this at 3 ponds I fish this year. Typically you see one area in particular and maybe a seconday spot that people are fishing a pond. These areas are usually close to where you can park or are very open and easy to cast from.

 I started keeping tarck in May and on these three spots I walked to the other side and away from where everyone was fishing.

 On one site it meant crawling down a steep shoreline, but once down there were a lot of great weedy areas , rocks and blowdowns to throw to.

On the other 2 sites, it involved getting a little wet of having to walk through some brush.

Without changing my favorite lures my catch's went tp DRASTICALLY and the fish were better sized.

 I do not know why, but it worked. Perhaps the fish did not see the same lure always going in the same direcion, or just the fact that the other sites were a whole less pressured but this really helped things when pond fishing this year

Anyone else do this? What results did you have?

[Sam]

Sure.

First, I look for the dam and drain which is the deepest part of the pond.

Then, I look across the pond and make the treck to the other side or to an area that is somewhat difficult to get to.

Fell in at one of the ponds two weeks ago.  Well, not totally.  Just slipped and my feet went in. Glad no one was around to see me go down.  But it was funny.

Sometimes I encounter a shallow area with lots of slop; or overhanging trees which make casting very difficult; or areas that you know critters are living in.

On one pond at a Girl Scout camp my friend and I went to the beaver hut and had a blast with Senkos.  Only others with us while fishing were two big water snakes living in the beaver hut but they left us alone.

We must have caught 25 to 30 LMB in a half-hour.  Nothing big, but a bite on almost ever cast.

So you got it right, Muddy.  Take a chance but always be careful.  

And I have found it best to go to the other parts of the ponds when no one else is fishing.  After all, we don't want others to know our little secret.  

[Muddy]

On 2 trips this year, there was a guy scoping out where I was fishing. I went to the back pit, and fished for a while where there is no fish at all to speak of. Last time there he was fishing that spot with 2 of his buddies,  :

[cart7t]

I used to fish a county parks lake.  Part of the lake was only accessible by wading through a couple of swampy, marshy areas.  That eliminated the vast majority of anglers right there.  Once on that side of the lake, a really great spot required me to climb down a very steep bank.  I had to literally wrap my left arm around a tree, cast with my right and reel with the arm still wrapped around the tree.   ;D

It was a great spot with a creek channel that came up along the bank with submerged timber.  I always caught great fish there.  They ruined the lake when they bulldozed and contoured the shorelines and put in elevated walkways over the marshes.  I haven't caught a decent fish out of that lake since.

[T-Bone]

I figured this out a few years ago when one of my favorite ponds became plagued by people, i guess once some one discovered that there were fish in there.  Well only one half of the pond was fishable from shore, therefore that half had become very hard to catch fish from.  So I wading  through the water to the other side and let me tell you the fishing was fantastic!

But, I stopped doing this at this particular pond when it became hazardous to my health to do this.(stupid alligator!  >)

[Muddy]

stupid alligator......

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

stupid alligator......

 LOL thats why I gave up on wading after I moved down here.Looking over and seeing two giant eyeballs on top of what looked like an eight foot log scared me enough.I used to do it all the time when I lived in Ohio.It is a great way to get to those out of the way spots.Waders are also nice when you have to traverse a marshy swamp area to get to another part.

 A machete can be a valuable tool as well.the access can be blocked by thick briars and such which I have been known to trudge through too.Nothing like getting several hundred small scratches and small cuts just to get a chance at a big fish :

 Even If a particular shore or area isn't getting fished the bigger fish will sometimes shy away just for the simple fact that people always walk around nearby the waters edge.

[Paul Roberts]

Ditto.

On 2 trips this year, there was a guy scoping out where I was fishing. I went to the back pit, and fished for a while where there is no fish at all to speak of. Last time there he was fishing that spot with 2 of his buddies, :

I've done the same thing. Feels kinda cheap somehow, but I do have to protect my interests in some waters. Otherwise, I end up with lots of big splashes in front of me that can be seen all over the pond .

I also have specific areas where a big fish lives, (sometimes easily accessed) that requires the right presentation, or angle. The actual spot can be quite small, or the fish susceptible to certain things. I wait until no one is around before I catch her again.

[Dan:]

Yeah, I have a couple of spots I call my "guerrilla spots" that require some trekking. I don't go to those spots unless I have the energy to hike through bushes, high grass, branches, thorns, etc.. But I find that a lot of the pressure at the lakes in my area are from live bait amateur fishermen who really don't know what they are doing. They seem to drain certain areas of fish but they won't go to other areas with better environment because they aren't serious enough about it or they are fine with just catching panfish, catfish, or carp.

[FD.]

stupid alligator......

This guy made me move and I was in a 21' stratos...

Just remember, home field advantage is real when it's you vs wallygator.

[Paul Roberts]

That's a great photo. It's those eyes!

[toolpush]

Those eye's look like they want to eat you, boat and all.