Fishy Research

[Dando]

I've noticed that my trolling motor usually stays on 45% nowdays. Few years ago I was in hurry if it hit 30%.
Never "really" considered myself a finesse fisherman, and, NEVER considered myself a power fisherman either. About the only thing I ever considered myself, as far as fishing goes, was a "spot" fisherman. NOT a run-n-gun for sure.

Last night, I got all my old notes out and began comparing how well I did-vs-where I went.

BY a long shot, My best days were days that I probably never needed to start the big motor. Even if I wasn't sure where a fish was.

Table Rock: Made a 15 mile run one way each day of the tx. Only to fish within sight of the ramp where I launched for practice. Aside from the run getting there and getting back....I never went farther than idle distance during the tx.

Since I've been keeping notes, I've recorded 28 days on the water where I've caught 20+lb limits. 26 of those days my boat was only on plane getting there and getting home. 15 of those days, the big motor was never started. (practice/play days).

Worthy of mention: Had motor problems during one tx (boat wouldn't launch). Spent all day in one little area..back and forth down two banks without so much as a nibble. I'd have gone elsewhere many times if I could have. Put 22lbs in the boat between 1:30 and weigh-in time off of the same bank I'd fished at least five times earlier that day, and with the same lure I'd been using all day.

Three tournaments in three weekends several years ago. Sat in 90 to 100 degree sun all three days in ONE spot each day. ALL DAY LONG. Never weighed in a Limit. (weights were all between 18 and 20lbs). Didn't get more than 5 bites each day.

Just something to think about. Find an area that you think holds fish, stay there and beat it with lures to the point of loosing your sanity. (That's 15min for Eric )

Just something I thought interesting.....

[turkdaddy]

Interesting I have never been a run and gun guy either. I have an old trolling motor (24volt 5 speed) and it is hardly ever higher than the lowest speed unless it is really windy, or a lot of current.

[wildkat7]

Same here....I pick a couple spots and fish them out hard as opposed to running here and there.

Worked on the biggest lake in the state three weeks ago. Fished two spots for two straight days and won. If there are fish there, no reason to leave.

[Dando]

The downfall of this is practice/pre-fishing.
Takes me for-friggin-ever to find a place.
I'll work an area over and over waiting on something to show itself....and many times, it never does.
It's either a day wasted, or, successfull elimination of water.

I prefer not to consider it a day wasted though.
For one, I was fishing, instead of here annoying Jeff and Adam.
And two....Fish or not, I now know said area very well.
Three? I've got binoculars and wonder if Gayle has spoken to his doctor about what appears to be a bladder problem.

[Razorbass P3]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SkeeterDD22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The downfall of this is practice/pre-fishing.
Takes me for-friggin-ever to find a place.
I'll work an area over and over waiting on something to show itself....and many times, it never does.
It's either a day wasted, or, successfull elimination of water.

I prefer not to consider it a day wasted though.
For one, I was fishing, instead of here annoying Jeff and Adam.
And two....Fish or not, I now know said area very well.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I for one think you need to go practice some today.

[turkdaddy]

Its not problem for me, but it may be for my nonboaters.

[Dando]

Not today. I've more important things to do today.
Along with needing somebody to love (Jefferson Airplane song), I think a person also needs somebody to hate.

My work here is truly never finished, and seldom appreciated.

[JStew]

A neat way to find a place to pre-fish for me is the Navionics Hot Maps Explorer program for my computer, so I do a lot of that at home. I can look at the contours ect. and pull in google earth to see pictures of what the area actually looks like and mark a few places that look like what you would expect the fish to be doing based on season/weather. It's pretty simple to download the waypoints to your gps - and go fish those spots in practice. I don't have your tourney success - but I rarely fish tourneys and this helps me a lot on water I've never been on. My good days have gone up significantly since I bought the program. It's the best $20 I've spent on fishing stuff.

A friend of mine taught me the same thing about finding a place/area you know holds fish and to stick it out till they turn on. I do a lot better and the gas bill has gone down as well.

BTW - how can you waste a day fishin'?

[ditchdiggerjcfII]

this thread reminds me of a day a couple years back fishing a couples tournament. I had been fishing in the back of a pocket that had a good sized feeder creek, and was catching a few small fish. I had pre fished this spot and caught a few nice bass, so I was determined to stick with it. I was coming around a little bluff secondary point that led up into a little pocket that wasn't but about 50 yards deep and maybe 30 yards wide at the mouth. It was tiny, but it was a little over 20 feet deep a the mouth. I caught a 3 lber off the bluff point on a jerkbait, and a few casts later I stuck a very nice bass on a jerkbait that broke my line as she got near the boat. She was big. After retying I looked at the graph when I stood up, and there were fish everywhere in he gut of that little pocket. I mean there were arches all over the bottom of that pocket. I spent the next several hours trying to get those fish to hit something. I know those 2 I hooked came out of that school but I could not get another bite. It has to be the most frustrating day I have ever spent on the water. I believe that if I had stuck it out with those fish until dark, they would have fired and you would have been able to load the boat without ever touching the TM pedal. I still look at that spot every spring if I am fishing that lake.

[xpress spanky]

I am a firm believer of fishing an area really good that i know holds fish.I dont hardly ever fish a tx,but enjoy fishing and do a lot of crappie fishing useing only a jig 100% of the time.You would be amazed at how many fish can come out of a small area.Once at Bull Shoals me and a buddy pulled up on an old laydown log in 6' of water and you could throw your jig in a 2' area of the log and you would get a tap as it would fall rite next to the log,but if your jig landed over to the side of the area you would not get anything.We caught 96 crappie in 47 minutes. That was the best non stop fishing i ever had!!! For bass fishing the best i ever done was at different lake fishing 2 spots while anchored.Probably the 10 best trips were at this lake in those 2 spots. That lake is no longer anything like it used to be as far as the fishing goes and i have not been on it in over 15 yrs. In those 2 spots durring the time when it was hot the other guys that i took with me caught a number of fish from 5 to 10 1/2lbs. I caught 2 that went 7 and 8 and those were my biggest. So Danny i think you are correct on fishing an area really well rather than run and gun.

[Dando]

Mike, You've got an Express!!! It's not like you're gonna go anywhere...

[xpress spanky]

Well Danny im gettin old and slow!!!! Didn't you see that post a couple of days ago where that dude down in the swamps got passed by a jon boat and he was in his gambler wide open??? I ain't sure that it happened or he may have been pulling a Cheech and Chong ,and was just hung up on an old mud flat and just thought he was movin!!!

[Dando]

The govt has blacked out 100mph jon boats.

[xpress spanky]

Hell Danny we would all have 100mph jon boats if we had there money!!! Did you see that post on here the other day of the video on the pontoon boat that was running 81mph!!!??? That sob looked scary!!!Twin 300's on the back!!!