What do you use when fishing HIGHLY PRESSURED city lakes? 2024
ib_of_the_damned reply :
The lakes(Tri City Park, Placentia, CA and Yorba Regional Park, Yorba Linda, CA) that I go to are not huge in any way and they recieve a lot of fishing pressure. People fish for cats and trout mainly, cuz thats what is stocked, as for forage, the bass bust shad and trout, I know that there are bluegill and crawfish as well. I have used almost everything and its tough to get bit. How do you all fish these types of high pressure city lakes?
roadwarrior reply :
Two of my most productive ponds are the main
feature of highly pressured public parks. I suggest
fishing lures that the other guys aren't! I have had
excellent results with big jig presentations (Rage Tail
Lobster trailer) and the 10" Anaconda.
Most importantly, fish away from the bank in deeper
water. Casting from shore, I fish 15-20 yards off the
bank. If you find any type of structure, focus your
time there.
8-)
soccplayer07 reply :
Is the pressure for cats and trout mainly? if so, that is not a high pressure spot for bass. What have you been using that has not been producing the results you hoped for?
bilgerat reply :
Downsize, downsize, downsize...
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/small_baits.html
Crestliner2008 reply :
Think finesse. Try a modified carolina rig. Use a medium spinning rig with 8# test main line (mono or fluorocarbon). A light 1/16 - 1/8 oz. bullet sinker, a swivel, a 2' 6# test fluorocarbon leader and a size #1 or #1/0, off-set worm hook.
Texas rig a 4" Roboworm on the business end. Cast as far out as you can and slowly crawl it across the bottom, back to you. I'd find it to believe if you didn't get bit!
Hammer 4 reply :
I also fish these city parks, and the bite is Extremly hard right now..I would do what Crestliner suggested. Small baits and fish em REALLY slow..impart NO action..long pause's between cranks. Sunrise or night is your best bet. Oh..I would suggest 4 lb fluro for the leader..Sorry Crestliner.. 
QuoteThink finesse. Try a modified carolina rig. Use a medium spinning rig with 8# test main line (mono or fluorocarbon). A light 1/16 - 1/8 oz. bullet sinker, a swivel, a 2' 6# test fluorocarbon leader and a size #1 or #1/0, off-set worm hook.Texas rig a 4" Roboworm on the business end. Cast as far out as you can and slowly crawl it across the bottom, back to you. I'd find it to believe if you didn't get bit!
roadwarrior reply :
Hmm...
I'm about big...no...HUGE!
Try both extremes, just do something different!
8-)
scaledriver reply :
Good thread. I have had good luck drop shotting 4inch finess worms on one of the lakes I go to that get a whole lot of pressure. I like the down sized C rig idea to I want to try that this year sounds killer
Hammer 4 reply :
Kent...I tried "big & huge" no worky.. :-[ I could swear all the bass in park lakes have Lockjaw..for some reason. :'(
QuoteHmm...I'm about big...no...HUGE!
Try both extremes, just do something different!
8-)
Turtle. reply :
QuoteTwo of my most productive ponds are the mainfeature of highly pressured public parks. I suggest
fishing lures that the other guys aren't! I have had
excellent results with big jig presentations (Rage Tail
Lobster trailer) and the 10" Anaconda.
Most importantly, fish away from the bank in deeper
water. Casting from shore, I fish 15-20 yards off the
bank. If you find any type of structure, focus your
time there.
8-)
QuoteHmm...I'm about big...no...HUGE!
Try both extremes, just do something different!
8-)
x2
When fishing high pressured waters everyone says downsize,downsize,downsize that's what everyone does. So I go the other way, up size to bigger profile baits and have been very successful.
Like R.W. said show them something different
DINK WHISPERER reply :
Reaction baits do it for me(lipless cranks, burning spinnerbaits, even power punching cover)
Stasher1 reply :
QuoteDownsize, downsize, downsize...http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/small_baits.html
This is exactly what I do, but I'd also recommend using lures that are a bit out of the ordinary, or more difficult to find. If it's available at Walmart, I'm much less likely to throw it on highly pressured public waters.
ib_of_the_damned reply :
Posted by: soccplayer07 Posted on: Today at 3:57am
Is the pressure for cats and trout mainly? if so, that is not a high pressure spot for bass. What have you been using that has not been producing the results you hoped for
Right now there are more people fishing for trout, because DFG has been stocking the lakes I fish with trout. They are done stocking catfish. As for what I have thrown without success lately are:
Baitcaster:
Shakey Head: 3/16oz Shake2 or 1/4 Conquistador Tackle Shakey Head w/ 4.5-6" worms various colors
T-Rig:1/8-3/16oz. bullet weight on all- Rage Tail Eeliminator(Blue Glimmer Black Flake), Rage Tail Anaconda 7"(Junebug)keel weighted hook, Zoom Lizard 6"(bullfrog), Netbait T-Mac (Bama Bug), Weightless senko(Natural Shad, Watermelon Red Flake, Black blue flake, Junebug), Swimsenko(Black blue flake)Keel weighted hook, Bass Pro Swizzle Stick(Black Blue Tail), Bass Pro Dart tubes(Okeechobee Craw), Slug-go 6"(Rainbow Trout)
C-rig: 1/4oz weight- Zoom Lizard 6" (bullfrog), Netbait T-mac(Bama Bug), Rage Tail Eeliminator (Blue Glimmer), Bass Assassin Baby Shad(Phantom Salt & Pepper)
Cranks: Shallow divers- Phantom Shad(BPS), XXX Shad(BPS), Bandit 100(Bluegill variations)
Lipless: Bass Pro XPS 1/4oz. (XXX Bone Shad, Olive Shad), Rapala Rattlin' Rapala 2" (Shad), Cordell Super Spot 1/4oz. (Foxy Shad, Wounded Shad), Rat-l-trap 1/4oz. (black chrome, blue chrome)
Jerkbaits: Xrap XR-8 (olive shad, black gold) XR-10(silver black back), Xrap Shallow Shad(olive shad)
Spinnerbaits/Chatterbaits: Booyah Mini Shad( shad), War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait(chart/white, sexy shad, bluegill), BPS Lazer Eye Double willow(white), Chatterbait, (bluegill, white)
Jigs: Evo finesse jig( black, missouri craw), Booyah Boo Jig(black blue), Booyah Baby Boo Jig(black Blue), trailers-zoom super chunk jr. black, Rage tail baby craw okeechobee.
Swimbaits: Bass Magic 5" (baby bass, silver blue green back), Megabait Charlie (Dark Green), Storm Kickin Stick (rainbow trout)
Topwater: Buzzbait black blue, Spit'n'Image, Pop'n'Image
Spinning:
Dropshot- Tiny Flukes (aurora black, watermelon seed), Roboworm 4.5" Straightail (bold bluegill, aarons magic, tequila sunrise), Roboworm 4" curly tail (bold bluegill, baby bass), Bass Assassin Baby Shad (phantom salt & pepper), Creme Scoundrel 4"(live), Zoom Finesse worms (green pumpkin green, redbug)
Flick Shake- 1/16oz Buckeye Flick-it, I have only used the Netbait T-mac with it in Bama Bug.
That is everything that I have been using plus or minus a few I cant remember right now...
Thanks for all the great suggestions so far, please keep them coming!
Stasher1 reply :
These have been very productive for me, in the Green Sunfish color.
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0037389120976a.shtml
1/8 oz bullet weight and a 2/0 fine wire offset hook, bounced off the bottom very slowly.
CWB reply :
Living near Chicago, that's the only type of water we get to fish around here. Keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. When they zig, you zag. I've found that alot of the weekend guys just throw spinnerbaits as they are easy to fish and weedless. Try something different. Stay ahead of the curve with baits. Try the deeper weededges and breaklines. Or go extremely shallow. If there are docks and boats moored in the water, skip a Senko or backwards Ika under and around them. If there's slop, get into the middle of it. The outside edges get pounded. Try trolling along the first deep breakline with a spoonplug or deep crank. Once you locate them, work the area thoroughly.
Good luck and try to stay calm when someone pulls up right in front of you and starts to fish the same contour you are fishing in the same direction. Happens all the time.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
Is it possible that your recent difficulty is the result of being bank bound and you just can't get to where the fish are? Any recent weather fronts that might have slowed the bite?
jaymc reply :
Those bass are eating the state stockies.
Find out where the trout are concentrated and fish a swimbait or crank that imitates a rainbow. All those stocies are is bass food.
If the trout are to far offshore for you to reach, then spring spawning amybe your only shot at reaching the bass.
Paul Roberts reply :
Bass do learn to avoid anglers and lures. But, I'm going to suggest that the bait monkey is not your best bet.
Instead, I'd say that timing is most important. There are times when bass are most vulnerable to being duped. Capitalize on the conditions, locations, and positions when bass are vulnerable.
Probably the biggest factor is water and sky conditions. Take advantage of low light: time of day, clouds, chop, water color, all help -a lot.
Also, there are patterns/scenarios that will develop you can recognize. They might relate to water conditions, vegetation changes, or preyfish activity. If you pay attention there are LOTS of things you can take advantage of. Keep a log and you'll see the same stuff come around again. Here are a few examples to get you thinking and watching:
1. Ponds usually have certain shorelines that offer a hunting advantage to bass. One I have made good use of is shorelines with a small (2ft) but sharp drop at shore. Bass corral 'gills here and are vulnerable to a lure. Other shorelines are too gradual in slope and 'gills can escape into water too shallow for the bass. Couple this with good lighting conditions and you will make your day right then and there.
2. In some of my ponds filamentous algae grows dense enough by early summer that it breaks free of bottom and gets blown to windward shores. At times, affected by which shoreline it blows onto and sometimes heating of immediate shallows, bluegills and bass will stack up under the algae, often times in only a foot of water.
3. By late May in some of my ponds. damselflies emerge in numbers large enough to draw mature bluegills into the vegetation beds and shoreline cover the damsels emerge from. The larger bass are in there with them. As a long-time fly-fisherman I'm pretty hip to seeing insect emergences and the effects they have on the food chain. A feeding bluegill is a distracted bluegill. Bass know this.
4. I take advantage of the bluegill spawn. There are usually crowds of bass outside 'gill colonies and they are vulnerable to an appropriate well-placed lure. Believe it, even if you can't see them. Find the biggest 'gills, you'll find the biggest bass.
5. I watch for vulnerable individuals. If I see a bass chase prey I get a lure there -immediately. Sometimes I just see a 'gill bolt into the shallows near me. That means there's an aggressive bass very close believe it and move fast. An aggressive bass is as close to a stupid bass as there is (except for maybe a naive aggressive bass). This 20" LM chased a 'gill to my feet. I didn't see the bass but the 'gill was obviously in a panic. I made a short pitch with a jerkbait and ...
6. Get to know individual bass. Some of the largest bass in my ponds have places they habitually go. This changes a bit as things change over the season, but you can get to know fish and be in position to catch them. This "Mama" (that's what I called her) used a particular weedline (edge of a slight bar) and was susceptible to certain lures under low light.
jaymc reply :
QuoteBass do learn to avoid anglers and lures. But, my guess is the bait monkey is not your best best.I'd have to say that timing is most important. There are times when bass are most vulnerable to being duped. Capitalize on the conditions, locations, and positions when bass are vulnerable.
Probably the biggest factor is water and sky conditions. Take advantage of low light: time of day, clouds, chop, water color, all help -a lot.
Also, there are seasonal patterns that will develop you can recognize. They might relate to water conditions, vegetation changes (species, density, location), or preyfish activity. If you pay attention there are LOTS of things you can take advantage of. Keep a log and you'll see the same stuff come around again.
I'll give you a few examples to get you thinking and watching:
1. Ponds usually have a shoreline that offers a hunting advantage to bass. One I make good use of is a shore with a small (2ft) but sharp drop at shore. Bass corral 'gills here and are vulnerable to a lure. Other shorelines are too gradual in slope and 'gills can escape into water too shallow for the bass. Couple this with good lighting conditions and you will make your day right then and there.
2. In some of my ponds filamentous algae grows dense enough by early summer that it breaks free of bottom and gets blown to windward shores. At times, affected by which shoreline it blows onto and sometimes heating of immediate shallows, bluegills and bass will stack up under the algae, often times in only a foot of water.
3. By late May in some of my ponds. damselflies emerge in numbers large enough to draw mature bluegills into the vegetation beds and shoreline cover the damsels emerge from. The larger bass are in there with them. As a long-time fly-fisherman I'm pretty hip to seeing insect emergences and the effects they have on the food chain. A feeding bluegill is a distracted bluegill. Bass know this.
4. I take advantage of the bluegill spawn. There are usually crowds of bass outside 'gill colonies and they are vulnerable to an appropriate well-placed lure. Believe it, even if you can't see them. Find the biggest 'gills, you'll find the biggest bass.
5. I watch for vulnerable individuals. If I see a bass chase prey I get a lure there speed can be important. Sometimes I just see a 'gill bolt into the shallows near me. That means there's an aggressive bass very close believe it and move fast. An aggressive bass is as close to a stupid bass as there is. This 20" LM chased a 'gill to my feet. I didn't see the bass but the 'gill was obviously in a panic. I made a short pitch with a jerkbait and ...
6. Get to know individual bass. Some of the largest bass in my ponds have places they habitually go. This changes a bit as things change over the season, but you can get to know fish and be in position to catch them. This mama (that's what I called her) used a particular weedline (edge of a slight bar) and was susceptible to certain lures under low light.
I don't think that bass learn to avoid lures. I think all bass either completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time.
BriBass reply :
QuoteLiving near Chicago, that's the only type of water we get to fish around here. Keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. When they zig, you zag. I've found that alot of the weekend guys just throw spinnerbaits as they are easy to fish and weedless. Try something different. Stay ahead of the curve with baits. Try the deeper weededges and breaklines. Or go extremely shallow. If there are docks and boats moored in the water, skip a Senko or backwards Ika under and around them. If there's slop, get into the middle of it. The outside edges get pounded. Try trolling along the first deep breakline with a spoonplug or deep crank. Once you locate them, work the area thoroughly.Good luck and try to stay calm when someone pulls up right in front of you and starts to fish the same contour you are fishing in the same direction. Happens all the time.
X1,000,000
Couldn't have said it better...
btw CWB, what suburb do u live in?
Just like ur comment says on your profile.. I live in the suburbs NOT chicago ;D Arlington Heights
mudkart reply :
Have you tried fishing at night? Apologies if this has already been mentioned. We see the same or similar situtations here in NOVA. IME, the fishing is typically much better at night or just before daybreak. My theory is the intense pressure on some of these lakes/ponds conditions the bass (at least the old, smart big ones) to feed primarily at night.
bilgerat reply :
QuoteQuoteDownsize, downsize, downsize...http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/small_baits.html
This is exactly what I do, but I'd also recommend using lures that are a bit out of the ordinary, or more difficult to find. If it's available at Walmart, I'm much less likely to throw it on highly pressured public waters.
Right on. I made a post a while back about using tail sections of torn up stick baits rigged onto ball jigs. It works VERY well for me. I do the same with jig trailers after the claws have been bitten off. I catch fish consistently using the 'carcasses' of plastic baits rigged this way. Charlie Brewer Slider Worms work on the same principal. Sometimes no action gets you action. The resident tackle snobs here basically laughed it off as if it was impossible to catch fish this way. When a fish pokes it's head out of the water and asks me what I paid for a bait, I'll change my ways.
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteQuoteBass do learn to avoid anglers and lures. But, my guess is the bait monkey is not your best best.I'd have to say that timing is most important. There are times when bass are most vulnerable to being duped. Capitalize on the conditions, locations, and positions when bass are vulnerable.
...
I don't think that bass learn to avoid lures. I think all bass either completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time.
Lotsa research out there showing bass become MUCH harder to catch after gaining experience with anglers. Also, have you ever fished a pond that had never been fished? It's VERY different from one that is fished. The result is a lot more bass that "completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time."
Hammer 4 reply :
O.K...I fished one of the most pressured park ponds this afternoon. I took 1 spinning rig spooled with 4lb 100% fluro. I won't say what lure I used, but it was a craw type.
I fished painfully slow, casted toward the deepest part, maybe 5' deep. I then hit the what could be called the points..
I fished where I knew some structure was, which is very little.
I then went against my better judgment, and tossed my lure slightly past a rounded point, I kept the lure about 3' from shore, working it paralell..in a bottom bouncing motion, lifting the lure about a foot off the bottom (water is approx. 3-4' deep)..and BAM!!! a nice 4lb'r, not 3 mins. later, same area, another, maybe 3 or ..2 mins later, a 2 1/2 lb'r get nailed.
So the fish are there, it's finding them, and presenting the right bait in the way they want it.
I have to give credit to Paul for the above, as I would probably not fished so close to shore, if it wern't for his comment earlier. Explore all areas of the water!
BassShephard reply :
I live on the other side of the country so things vary from one body of water to the next even if that pond was 500 yards from the one I fish things would still be different, worth a try though.
Last year I had the same problem I used many baits but they weren't working, mind you this was early-late summer. Small tubes worked well, now usually tubes they are used in spring for sight fishing bedding fish, possibly not many people would use it in summer.
I think wacky rigging is a good technique, I don't think the average person knows or uses this style, I had good results Early summer (and decent size bass) not so much late summer, fall, also it gives a different presentation then most baits imo which makes it stand out more. For early morning, late afternoon and cloudy conditions a Medium torpedo did well. I used a worm, common I know but I was using the ones with Propellers, didn't catch them with any other type of worm (exception of wacky rigging one), the propeller gives it shine and vibration. I averaged about 7 LM bass 3-5 hours of fishing on a over fished pond (some days I did worse and some I did a lot better).
Fish during the rain if your prepared/brave enough to do so, keep safety in mind if you do, don't want to be in a boat, watch for muddy banks and it's a good idea to have insulted cover (IE house or truck) case it starts thundering. I had a lot of luck before/during a rain I used top water bait before the rain, caught lots and they were good size fish. When the rain hit I used Shad color shallow and medium diving cranks and once again caught a bunch, they were also decent size. Before it rained I was barely catching any thing all said and done I was soaked, my tackle box was flooded and by bait had to be dried before it rusted but I Had Fun!
Livebait: if I'm not catching nothing I'll resort to live bait seriously if you don't catch at least one fish with it, that pond has no fish.
At one point I had some people fishing beside me (it actually happened before) the whole time they were there they caught a bluegill, I pulled out a few small bass, they kept saying how nice they were (which they weren't even eating size) and asked if I was going to keep them I just throw them back... they looked like they were going to jump me for those fish lol.
Hammer 4 reply :
JFYI...no boats are allowed in park lakes. Also..it Never rains in Cali... ;D
BassShephard reply :
Well like I said bodies of water vary lol
zero limit reply :
Live bait like bassShepard mentioned
I caught quite a few bass with ex. large fathead minnows,
Back in late nov. the bass bite was very slow, so I started fishing for crappies and found that the bass bite wasnt slow, they just seemed to want the live bait
kikstand454 reply :
for what its worth,
i have used a 1/16 oz. beetle spin in many a tough situation and it has never failed to produce bites. big and small, bream and bass. my personal best in fact was on a beetle spin. odd huh? throw a black and green one along the shoreline and stay low so they cant see you.
foolproof.
Bass Junkie reply :
I agree with a lot of what has been said. First of all, downsizing can be effective, and for more than staying of the beaten path. Think about it. Most pond fish are used to two things specifically in their pray. Bluegill/Baby Bass colors and a smaller profile. The smaller profile is hy you need to downsize, long with th other commonly used explanations. As for the color, this can really be a big part, especially in highly pressured ponds. If you're a person who is used to eating anything and everything black, and somebody serves you say, mashed potatoes, would you eat it? Also, staying ahead of the curve is another thing I agree with. If yu find lures that people have lost at your localpond, what are they? 9 times out of 10 it is one of the more typical lures, such as a 7" Power Worm, WalMart or other cheap sinnerbait, more commonly available crankbaits, ect. When you throw a 4" finesse worm, a smaller swimbait, such as the Storm Wildeye Live Crappie and Bluegill, a frog, or a wakebait, your giving the fish something a lot of guys don't throw. Also, a understanding of how to use the more common lures in a different way, as well as knowing how to get the most out of your lures can really help. Tight Lines!!
Paul Roberts reply :
"Some anglers pay more attention and get more mileage out of a year than another guy will get out of a lifetime. Pay attention to your fishing and pretty soon you will find yourself establishing a pattern automatically." -Rick Clunn
jaymc reply :
QuoteQuoteQuoteBass do learn to avoid anglers and lures. But, my guess is the bait monkey is not your best best.I'd have to say that timing is most important. There are times when bass are most vulnerable to being duped. Capitalize on the conditions, locations, and positions when bass are vulnerable.
...
I don't think that bass learn to avoid lures. I think all bass either completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time.
Lotsa research out there showing bass become MUCH harder to catch after gaining experience with anglers. Also, have you ever fished a pond that had never been fished? It's VERY different from one that is fished. The result is a lot more bass that "completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time."
You wouldn't happen to have a link to any of that research. I'd really like to read up on that.
Hammer 4 reply :
An example...a few city lakes I fish, while throwing Huddelston trout swimbaits, mind you these lakes are stocked by the DFG usualy on a weekly basis.
Anyways, alot of times, good sized bass will follow your bait, maybe even nose, or mouth it, but not take it. If you change the cadence, or twitch it..the bas will either just swim away slowly, or get spooked and flee.
As with other places, so.cal is now loaded with guys that fish with swimbaits, I believe some bass can tell the fakes..and will investigate them. It's now hard to get them to hit worms, where before, worms were almost a sure bet to land bass, so I think they become "Conditioned" to lures in alot of cases.
Yes, they will still bite, but it seems to more of a "reaction" type bite for the most part in City park lakes.
Another example is Monday I fished a city lake late in the day...I hooked 6 bass, 2 1/2 to 4 lbs in about 7 mins..3 got off..But, using the Same lure, and retrive late today, I couldn't buy a bite, I tried several different patterns, to no avail..I know, other things could be involved. Just shows how fast things can and do change..
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteBass do learn to avoid anglers and lures. But, my guess is the bait monkey is not your best best.I'd have to say that timing is most important. There are times when bass are most vulnerable to being duped. Capitalize on the conditions, locations, and positions when bass are vulnerable.
...
I don't think that bass learn to avoid lures. I think all bass either completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time.
Lotsa research out there showing bass become MUCH harder to catch after gaining experience with anglers. Also, have you ever fished a pond that had never been fished? It's VERY different from one that is fished. The result is a lot more bass that "completely ignore, refuse, or are actually frightened by artificials most of the time."
You wouldn't happen to have a link to any of that research. I'd really like to read up on that.
jaymc,
I completely agree that bass are not easy to catch, a lot of the time. Just "finding them" is far from the whole game much of the time. But, angling pressure figures in heavy. It may not be noticeable to many anglers since most of us fish "educated" fish all the time. It's the norm now. If you ever get the chance to fish waters that have not been fished, you'll see. I've had such opportunities with both bass and trout. It's...crazy.
Here are some things to chew on. You can also Google using keywords: Angling Vulnerability Catchability, angling/fishing pressure, etc Don't limit yourself to bass. Trout waters in the UK are managed on a strictly catch and kill basis, in large part because of the affects of angling pressure.
First, some quotes from seminal long term studies run by Dr. George Bennett on the ecology of LMB, and related observations on fishing at Ridge Lake, IL. Ridge Lake was a small (18acre) reservoir Bennett could manipulate, and control access to. I only have it in printed form, so I have re-typed some pertinent quotes:
Studies at Ridge Lake showed a rapid decline in the catch rate following the morning of the first day of fishing and continuing through the next several days until it leveled off. To Bennet, this suggested that bass became educated to the more common methods anglers used to present artificial baits.
In 1962 fisherman complained that Ridge Lake contained no large bass, but when Bennett drained the lake the next spring, he found that is contained ninety bass that weighed from 3-1/2 to over 9 pounds. Eleven of these fish averaged more than 6 pounds each. (Ridge Lake was an 18acre impoundment). It was Bennett's belief that when angling pressure reached more than sixty man-hours a year/acre, the bass became educated.
As another case in point he cited Onized Lake. Two acres in size, Onized was small enough to allow an experienced baitcaster to cover all the water within an hour or two. In 1939, 62 legal-sized bass were taken, 29 in 1940, and only 8 in 1941. Bennett investigated and found 275 bass, 45 of them legal-size, with 12 weighing from 3 to 6 pounds.
Manuscripts by Bennett:
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL21039599M/Overfishing_in_a_small_artificial_lake_Onized_lake_near_Alton_Illinois
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL23523721M/Cost_of_bass_fishing_at_Ridge_Lake_Coles_County_Illinois
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL19217045M/Largemouth_bass_in_Ridge_Lake_Coles_County_Illinois
Here's a good one, and you don't have to look too far for this one:
http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/angling.html
Figure 3. Largemouth bass caught per hour of angling related to total hours fished in three small Illinois ponds. Each pond contained 75 bass per acre and each was fished 23 times over 49 days.
Mankin, PC., D.P. Burkett. P.R. Beaty, W.F. Childers, and D.P. Philipp. 1984. Effects of population density and fishing pressure on hook-and-line vulnerability of largemouth bass. Transactions of the Illinois Academy of Science 77(3-4): 229-240.
It appears to be heritable (no surprise there), as well as a learning process for bass:
http://afsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1577/T06-243.1
Selection for Vulnerability to Angling in Largemouth Bass
David P. Philipp*
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 2009; 138: 189-199
doi: 10.1577/T06-243.1
The response to selection for vulnerability to angling increased with each generation; that is, the magnitude of the difference between the high- and low-vulnerability groups of fish increased with each successive generation. Realized heritability was calculated as 0.146 (r2 = 0.995), indicating that the vulnerability of largemouth bass to angling is indeed a heritable trait.
From Ralph Manns:
http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/smart_bass.html
"Anglers, artificial lures, lines, are "unnatural" problems. Problems to which bass have only just begun to evolve defenses. After about another 100 years and 50 generations of catch and release, I predict we will find many evolved black bass that are "too smart" to bite any moving thing that doesn't behave and look and behave exactly like real food, or with a line and hook visible. These " smart" bass still won't be able to add or predict when the next drought will arrive, but they will be better able avoid the dangers anglers create in their environment.
Heavily pressured bass are harder to catch because they have focused on one or more warning signal produced by anglers. It may be the noises of troll motors, the pressure waves created by a moving boat, visual or vibrational evidence of a line moving through water, unnatural movement of shape of a lure, boat or sonar noises, or a million other potential negative stimuli that a bass may receive while being reeled to a bass boat and netted. At the same time, they easily learn to ignore passing outboard motors and noises from overhead docks that are not immediately associated with the "being hooked" experience. Bass learn to ignore jet skis, skiers, swimmers (I've watched bass underwater as they examined the toes of swimming children and feed while a man hammered to repair his sailboat overhead.) "
roadwarrior reply :
Well Paul, my results are totally different.
I think the main reason is choice of lures/
baits. Bass don't get use to Senkos, Fat Ika,
Kut Tail, tubes or jigs.
8-)
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteWell Paul, my results are totally different.I think the main reason is choice of lures/
baits. Bass don't get use to Senkos, Fat Ika,
Kut Tail, tubes or jigs.
8-)
So...you can go to any pond and catch any of those bass at any time? If a pond has say...50 mature bass in it, you will catch them all? If not...why not?
Why do people complain so much about "cruisers" being so tough to catch? I've always maintained that if we could actually see what we are NOT catching down there, a lot of us might just hang it up in disgust.
Here's a cool quote from tnhiker44, I clipped:
"I witnessed a really cool fish shocking event on Watts Bar Lake many years a go. The DNR closed off a small cove with nets and invited a few fisherman (one group at a time) to fish inside the nets. I think they were given 20 minutes each group. We were not chosen, but we watched nonetheless. They weighed and measured all the fish that the fishermen caught, which wasn't many. A group or two got skunked. They then went in there with the shocking equipment and the amount of bass that were in there was simply amazing. The whole experience did not make me feel like a better fisherman, probably just the opposite, but it taught me to not be so quick to give up on a fishy spot."
roadwarrior reply :
I'll probably catch all of them twice if I get
to fish it enough. I have caught five DD on
the "most public" pond I fish. I suspect that's
all there are...it's not very big.
On another, smaller public pond, I've caught
most of the 5+ and have taken several BR
members, too! You may remember a post on
a PB rondef caught a couple of months ago.
I've caught THAT FISH several times.
That's why I was able to tell him exactly
where to cast.
Here are the basics:
http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137
8-)
Paul Roberts reply :
To put angling pressure affects into perspective: Few of us get to fish unfished waters. So "educated" fish are the norm. Given that normalized playing field, angling pressure is not the main issue confronting anglers. From there I would argue that conditions that affect both fish activity level and perceptive capacity factor in the most. New lures (that fish haven't seen) can help but are not primary. Ask Catt.
You are right that some lures are more difficult for fish to learn than others. I've seen that. The Senko is one. But individual fish do vary in vulnerability to angling. There are extremely aggressive individuals that may be caught repeatedly, and there are some that have been deemed "immune to angling". These are the extremes. In between we have the rest of the lot, and yes, over a long enough period of time an experienced angler could stick most of them. But...some will be much more difficult than others.
One more question: Why do you prefer to fish minnows to an artificial for your smallies? Is there a catch rate difference? Why? Are there conditions that alter the vulnerability to lures? What are they?
Raul reply :
Well, I 've read and reread this thread several times so it 's time to add my grain of salt.
I 'm lucky enough to have private waters for my personal use, many of my realtives are farmers and they have water containment ponds for the irrigation systems, ponds that are not big, les than a half acre in size, those ponds have bass in them and there can 't be that many fish that inhabit the pond simply because the pond can 't sustain a lot of fish.
¿ Do the ponds get pressure ?
Yes, from me, not now but some years ago I had a lot of spare time and I fished them in a daily basis, specially when I used to work at the dairy farm, they got pounded by me daily.
Bass can learn ?
From my observations, to a certain point, yes, bass can "learn" to avoid a bait presented in a certain way after a while if the bait is presented to them in a continuous fashion, however, change the presentation and the fish responded positively to the new presentation even if the same bait was used, then after a time and not preciselly years you presented the bait as you first used to and the fish responded positively to the "old" presentation.
With such a small population numbering a few hundred fish in practical terms most of the fish sooner or later were caught and released, let alone being able to see their fellow fish being caught because the water is extremely clear.
If what I observed in the pond ocurred ( and to me a bass is a bass here and in China ) then there 's no reason for me to doubt that the same thing could happen in a lake.
Well, there are several small lakes near my hometown that also get pounded on a daily basis, being so close to the city it 's not that difficult to reach them, unless there 's lousy weather conditions you can go to them and see that the shoreline is crowed with people fishing, twice the length of a regular cast is the distance between an angler and another.
I 've fished those lakes since I arrived to reside in this city ( August 2010 is going to mark my 30th anniversary as a resident of Leon ). Yeah, I 'm a tackle junkie, yup, I 've always got the newest and hottest new scream in fishing tackle, but that doesn 't mean I fish with it all ( 90% of what I 've got has never touched the water ), you take a look at my t-box of today and to my t-box of yesterday and 80% of the baits you see in today is what you saw yesterday.
Same baits for the same place 30 years appart and the results vary little year in year out.
So where 's the difference ? that one day I use a certain presentation and the next day I use another presentation, no two days are alike.
So answer the question: What do you use when fishing HIGHLY PRESSURED city lakes?
The same baits I use always presented in a different matter.
Hot punk, cool funk, even if it 's old junk it 's still rock n 'roll to me.
Paul Roberts reply :
Thanks Raul. Good stuff.
How much do conditions and fish activity factor in? Are there times and places when fish are more vulnerable to angling than others?
I guess that's my main argument (not to be argumentative ), in my original response above (pg2), that chasing the bait monkey is not the (major) answer.
roadwarrior reply :
Great post Raul!
Paul, the answer to your live bait question
is simple: My partners fish live bait exclusively
and out fish me 10:1 when I'm using artificials.
However, I cannot explain why i don't have
better success on the river.
Generally, my two hours of artificials are fished
when the bite is red hot! I'm still working on it.
Maybe the next trip, huh?
8-)
Raul reply :
QuoteThanks Raul. Good stuff.How much do conditions and fish activity factor in? Are there times and places when fish are more vulnerable to angling than others?
Well, that 's where the fun is, isn 't it ?
Trying to determine correctly where, how and with what, you can have a truckload of baits ( all of them catch fish at one moment or the other ) doesn 't guarantee anything; what differentiates a succesful angler from a mediocre or lousy is not in the baits themselves but within the angler, he 's the one who chooses. Being "in tune" with the conditions can become as hard as finding the fish. What many call luck I call experience.
Know your baits and be creative. 
BTW, just got my Bassmasters Magazine for this month, guess what I found in it ? ..... an article about the fluke on a jighead, oh boy, that 's a new one ! :
What 's old is new again, personally guyz, don 't try it on cover, it hangs up on an eyeblink, for heavy cover use a shakey jighead or an underspin, killa technique 
, been fishing it for more than two decades ( and nobody taught me that one, I came up with it after wondering ...... WHAT IF ? )
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteWell, that 's where the fun is, isn 't it ?
... Being "in tune" with the conditions can become as hard as finding the fish. What many call luck I call experience.
Sho' 'nuff! It's a great feeling when you can start to make your own luck. Beats waiting for luck to find you.
"There's only as much beauty in nature... as we are prepared to appreciate, and not a grain more." -HD Thoreau
Good stuff all.
Hammer 4 reply :
I have to say....great info. Raul..
One thing re: our city lakes...it is much better to fish them at night, a good percentage of bass, including bigger fish, are caught at night on big baits.
Every now and then, someone sticks a big girl during the daytime. The lake in question is about 1 acer..maybe 5-6' deep at most in the middle, which is out of reach for most folks. This lake has bass, crappie, cat's..a few gar, gills, and is stocked with smaller trout usually 9" or smaller during the winter.
All of us that fish there on a regular basis, Know there's some Big bass in there. It's my feeling that they feel more at ease during the night time vs daylight, other wise we should be able to catch them as easy in the daytime..?
There are times I have spent 9 hrs fishing there, throwing the box at em..using every presentation I know of and then some..only to be wearing my skunk siut home..
One thing about city parks, is they are tough to fish, but If you pay attention, you can learn a bunch..
roadwarrior reply :
All of my best fish have been caught
between 10:00 and 2:00. It's the same
story for most of our Big Bass guys.
8-)
bilgerat reply :
Do you fish on cloudy overcast days or rainy days ?
If not you don't know what you are missing, besides having the water to yourself.
Paul Roberts reply :
A couple more:
http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/br_news_article.asp?thecat=2&id=257
http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/inside-look-red-tackle-revolution
Keith Jones:
"Bass are highly capable of learning, he says. Being caught is punishment enough to teach them not to attack a type of lure. In our circular tank at the lab, we have a robotic device to tow lures and count the number of strikes from bass. To avoid injury and having to handle fish, all hooks are bent down. When you tow a set of lures past a sample of naïve bass, they jump all over them. But by the third lap around the tank their response drops dramatically, and there's virtually no response by lap 5, even though they're never hooked.
Bass quickly learn to avoid or ignore something after attacking but not receiving a reward of food. And they retain that knowledge for months. Since these test fish aren't cheap, we initially hoped to keep them and reuse them for various experiments. Even after three months, the number of bites on a type of lure was suppressed.
If bass have been tested on crankbaits, we can use them again in worm or jig experiments, but no more with cranks. And bass used in worm tests can be reused in crankbait experiments but not with softbaits. No wonder it can be so hard to get bites out on the lake some days."
J Francho reply :
QuoteA couple more:http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/br_news_article.asp?thecat=2&id=257
http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/inside-look-red-tackle-revolution
Keith Jones:
"Bass are highly capable of learning, he says. Being caught is punishment enough to teach them not to attack a type of lure. In our circular tank at the lab, we have a robotic device to tow lures and count the number of strikes from bass. To avoid injury and having to handle fish, all hooks are bent down. When you tow a set of lures past a sample of naïve bass, they jump all over them. But by the third lap around the tank their response drops dramatically, and there's virtually no response by lap 5, even though they're never hooked.
Bass quickly learn to avoid or ignore something after attacking but not receiving a reward of food. And they retain that knowledge for months. Since these test fish aren't cheap, we initially hoped to keep them and reuse them for various experiments. Even after three months, the number of bites on a type of lure was suppressed.
If bass have been tested on crankbaits, we can use them again in worm or jig experiments, but no more with cranks. And bass used in worm tests can be reused in crankbait experiments but not with softbaits. No wonder it can be so hard to get bites out on the lake some days."
I've read this as well. My question has always been, when do they forget the negative relationship?
Glenn reply :
The answer to that and more is explained here:
Facts and Myths About Bass
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteThe answer to that and more is explained here:Facts and Myths About Bass
Bob said, "15 minutes, that's it."
He's talking off the top of his head. There are researcher's in fish behavior that would disagree, and have the data to back them.
Here's one:
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/jfb/2006/00000069/00000003/art00011
This one found 8hrs to 15hrs before the bass would even feed, much less strike a lure, much less one similar to what they were caught on.
There's more to this issue than 15 minutes, or "8 or 15 hrs" for that matter.
QuoteQuoteA couple more:http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/br_news_article.asp?thecat=2&id=257
http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/inside-look-red-tackle-revolution
Keith Jones:
"Bass are highly capable of learning, he says. Being caught is punishment enough to teach them not to attack a type of lure. In our circular tank at the lab, we have a robotic device to tow lures and count the number of strikes from bass. To avoid injury and having to handle fish, all hooks are bent down. When you tow a set of lures past a sample of naïve bass, they jump all over them. But by the third lap around the tank their response drops dramatically, and there's virtually no response by lap 5, even though they're never hooked.
Bass quickly learn to avoid or ignore something after attacking but not receiving a reward of food. And they retain that knowledge for months. Since these test fish aren't cheap, we initially hoped to keep them and reuse them for various experiments. Even after three months, the number of bites on a type of lure was suppressed.
If bass have been tested on crankbaits, we can use them again in worm or jig experiments, but no more with cranks. And bass used in worm tests can be reused in crankbait experiments but not with softbaits. No wonder it can be so hard to get bites out on the lake some days."
I've read this as well. My question has always been, when do they forget the negative relationship?
Supposedly, they recorded negative responses still present in some fish up to three months later -from what I remember from his book. Off the top of my head I'd have said that was ludicrous. But I am in no place to judge that.
I'm sure there's lots more to it than a simple answer of 'X' months or hours. But stuff like this, and observations when fishing under a variety of conditions, makes me think that conditions (sky and water) that affect activity (motivation) and visibility, weigh in enormously. Bass can learn (not reason -that's something different), and it's been shown over and over. But they can also be duped; And that's where the "fishing" comes in.
Here's an example:
I like (LOVE) to fish buzzbaits. But, I've learned that I'm most apt to get bit on a buzzbait under low light. Or on a bright day when there is some chop on the water. Sure there are exceptions, like when fish are actively busting prey or with bass, esp smallies, holding deep in very clear water and willing to bust a topwater. But day in and day out a buzzer works best in attenutated lighting.
Lures look 'stupid' most of the time. It takes something special (conditions/motivation) to obscure that basic fact.
The one place I'm most apt to expect such exceptions is on completely naive fish, aggressive highly motivated individuals (those actively feeding or those in high competition with one another), or under attenuated light -probably in that order.
Paul Roberts reply :
I knew of a particular place where walleyes targeted concentrated shad under bridge lights. I found these walleyes could learn to discern lures. I'd catch three on a particular plug, then only get short strikes, then nothing. So I'd switch plugs, and start the series again. It got so I would start my fishing at that spot with a half dozen plugs layed out. And I'd go through em one at a time. Showed me that fish can discern seemingly subtle (to us) things about lures and retrieves, and their response can vary greatly to these seemingly subtle differences.
I found when fishing for stream smallies that I could run a certain lure through a pool, and catch two bass. Then nothing. Switch to another lure type and catch another one. Then nothing. Switch again, another fish. But, as RW mentions, there are lures fish have a harder time discerning, and with a small earthy colored jig I could catch a bunch from a given pool enough to satisfy me and end the experiment lol.
I found a lure that those walleyes above had a hard time learning too. It was a soft plastic swimbait, that hunted. It's called the Litl' Fishie, originally made by Knight (in the 80's). It's been sold to Crème and is on their website.
In the heritability study I mentioned above, the researcher's asked the obvious question: If a population of bass can become less catchable over generations, why do we still catch them, in good numbers? They felt the answer was technology angler's ability to devise and refine lures and technique, not to mention the fish finding technology at our disposal as well as the sheer amount of good information readily available to anglers now. People are pretty ingenious. I for one don't like to take No for an answer from the fish I'm pursuing, for very long.
A-Rob reply :
I fish these old gravel pits on a guys farm out in the country that has bass. It is fairly pressured as a lot of families bring their kids there (for $5) to throw a worm on the end of the line and have a day out. I have actually found that they are tough to get a bite, a lot of stuff just doesn't work. Partly b/c its not a natural water system, so they don't have craws etc....anyways, I fix this problem by downsizing to a booyah pond magic spinner bait, its 5/16oz or something like that, You can always get that reaction strike if ya throw that spinnerbait....hopefully!
A-Jay reply :
What do you use when fishing HIGHLY PRESSURED city lakes ?
A Head Lamp
A-Jay
keltonz reply :
On 3/13/2017 at 6:00 AM, A-Jay said:What do you use when fishing HIGHLY PRESSURED city lakes ?
A Head Lamp
A-Jay
You mean, fish at night?
A-Jay reply :
On 3/15/2017 at 12:24 AM, keltonz said:
You mean, fish at night?
Yes. It's the single most effective way I know to get on bass that are beat up all day - especially from the bank.
It's proven effective for me for many years - over & over again.
Usually same baits & often even the same places that were no fish deals during the day - can be banner at night.
I've often slayed bass on a places that are swimming beaches during the day - but turn into bass beaches at night.
A-Jay
Dye99 reply :
When Im in over fished areas, or the bite just drops off, I go to a 1/4 shakey head with a zoom 4 inch worm then fish nice and slow.
ghost reply :
Bruddah, we fish the same park lakes. It's no joy SoCal bass fishing. Shoot me a PM.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 3/15/2017 at 12:29 AM, A-Jay said:
Yes. It's the single most effective way I know to get on bass that are beat up all day - especially from the bank.
It's proven effective for me for many years - over & over again.
...
Same on trout streams. Those "wily", "leader shy", "scrutinizers", and all around "#%@&!" actually prefer a dragged fly (or lint wad on a hook) after darkness falls. Tells us an awful lot about what our fancy lures actually mean to the fish when they can actually see them.
HeavyDluxe reply :
One other thing I didn't see mentioned that's worked for me...
I go into highly pressured fisheries with the mindset that I'm willing to lose baits to catch fish. Most recreational anglers tend to fish the periphery of cover. They'll fish near a snarl of tree roots but not really get all up in there for fear of losing a lure. I decide that the trade off on pressured water is sometimes between saving money/baits and catching fish. Between the two (within reason), I'm willing to pay the price to hook some fish. So I throw deeper into cover.
Again, this is simply meant to add to what everyone's said above. There's been some really great advice in this thread.
JustinJ reply :
Light line and small baits
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