How many times before you give up?

[Huntin&Fishin]

So we all know there are better lakes than others, and if your like me, you enjoy trying new lakes and trying to figure them out. I've fished my favorite lakes and been skunked back to back times, and got to thinking, what if one of the lakes I have classified as "bad" were just not hot at the times I went. So how many times do you fish a lake before you give up on it, and call it a lake not worth going back too?

[Stevoreno]

not more than twice... With Minnetonka nearby it's hard to drive by it to take a chance on a smaller body of water.

[nofishfisherman]

I suppose it depends on the lake and what I see when I am fishing it.

There is a lake close to home that I've tried twice but have no plans on ever trying again. Both times I was out there I fished it pretty extensively. I moved around a ton, tried anywhere from 5" to 40", tried weeds, drop offs, points, rock, sand, deep holes etc... and never marked a fish. If I were marking fish and just couldn't get them to bite that tells me its a slow bite, based on what I saw it tells me that its a dead sea.

Perhaps if I had more free time to get out fishing I'd be willing to put more time into learning a tough lake but as it stands with family and work stuff I only get out a couple times a year so I try to stick to known lakes or new lakes that I know have potential.

[tunrevir]

I won't classify a lake as bad, because I didn't catch fish unless there are obvious signs that it was winter killing. That being said, I like to hit a spot that looks productive or has a history of producing 2-3 times before I rule it out and then it might be for just the time of the year I tried to fish it. One of the big mistakes we all make as fishermen, is that we fish a spot over and over because it has produced in the past. To prevent this from occurring over and over I always have backup spots that look fishy or have produced for me that I can go to and try if my particular spot has been or gone cold. I have fished a lake where you can't keep the large panfish away from your lure at early ice only to have that spot go stone cold a few weeks or a month later. Sometimes it is low o2, sometimes it is the natural migration of the fish between holding areas or a change in the forage base. Sometimes it is due to the traffic that an area has and fish move off to nearby structure that nobody is fishing regularly. One of the nice things that we have at our fingertips is a computer, a smart phone or a gps with a mapping chip. You can use all these tools to help narrow your search for productive areas to fish. I use my handheld GPS with Lakemaster chip at home and pan around my favorite lakes and do what I like to call couch "Recon". I look for areas similar to where I have caught fish with similar characteristics and then go out and fish them to discern if my intuition was correct. I call the actual fishing of these new spots "prospecting". When I prospect I will drill a series of holes in and around the area I want to fish and try to work each hole for 10-15 minutes noting the behavior of any marks I see on my sonar and how they react to my presentation. I will run through the holes and then repeat the prospecting, running through the same holes or ones where I have caught or marked fish again. Time of day, o2 content, snow cover or lack thereof, current, green weeds, dying weeds, bottom content and forage can all play a pivotal role in whether there are fish on a spot at any given point in time. Sometimes it comes down to our presentation. Are we trying for finicky panfish in clear water while using 6 or 8 lb test line? Is our line hanging straight without coils or kinks so that it will telegraph the lightest bite? There are a lot of variables that come into play when ruling a spot in or out. I prefer to find lesser fished areas and stay away from crowds and roads to up my chances and rely on previous information gleaned to guide my efforts in the future. Knowing your quarry that you are after and their seasonal habits can help as well, baitshop info or firsthand stories from locals can all help to unlock a new piece of water for you. Fishing with someone that has firsthand knowledge of the water can really help guide you in the right direction but the best part is once you start to connect the dots you will be able to start picking a lake apart and find other similar spots to fish with little to no pressure. Sometimes the couch recon pays off and you find gold when prospecting!

Tunrevir~

[Fred_Bear]

Timing is so important in ice fishing, especially this time of year. Early and late ice, the panfish bite will usually be there all day long but mid winter there are definitely high and low activity periods. That to me is very frustrating when exploring new lakes, it adds another variable.

The best crappie lake I've ever ice fished turned out to be a night bite ONLY. First trip there, I was ready to give up. Lots of holes drilled all over the lake and I couldn't even mark a fish other than tiny perch. Then just after sunset I started to mark and catch a few crappies and a half hour later it was insane with lots of crappies and big ones. Went back to the lake a few more times during the day and it was the same thing... NOTHING until after dark.

Timing is key and if you're on a new lake pay attention to what others are doing. Not just where they are fishing but when they are coming and going.

[20lbSloughShark]

I know a lake just like that. I don't know why I can't find crappie in the day, but I know a spot that they all just flock to at dark. Someone went there during the day and is convinced it is not a good lake. More for me I guess.

[BLACKJACK]

So we all know there are better lakes than others, and if your like me, you enjoy trying new lakes and trying to figure them out. I've fished my favorite lakes and been skunked back to back times, and got to thinking, what if one of the lakes I have classified as "bad" were just not hot at the times I went. So how many times do you fish a lake before you give up on it, and call it a lake not worth going back too?

Excellent question!!! I've always said when I'm trying a new lake and not catching anything, should I try a different lake or are they just not biting that day??

[hnd]

we have a spot that is absolutely lights out during early ice. and then once mid january hits it goes completely dead. i've fished it 3 times now. they aren't in the deep water brush, they aren't roaming the middle, they aren't shallow. what happens though in mid ice that doesn't happen during early ice, is that whereever i put my flasher in the water. it doesn't matter, marks show up and dissappear. dececnt size marks that i assume are shad. the 10 acre body of water is full of them apparently (the fish there are only there from flooding from the river 30 yds from it)

this is the 4th year that this has happened. so much so that i'm deeming it dead. the other few locals that fish it must realize this as well as i had been seemingly the only person there for weeks the other day.

[harvey lee]

One never knows.

I like to study a new lake before I go to fish it at home with both a paper map or a online map and my Lakemaster chip to check for area's I believe would hold fish.

Then I will hit the lake and fish different structure and see what I can find. I will do this maybe 2-3 times and maybe again the next year as the last times I was there could just have been poor fishing days. After those attempts and nothing iced or marked, I may forget about it for a few years and try again.

[fish_eat_sleep]

A few dozen? Its really hard to say.. Theres a couple lakes I know very very well. fished them hundreds of times and follow the fish almost sequentially from spot to spot sometimes. Its just a matter of making an educated guess where to drill based on weather and previous seasonal observations. often as far away from tire tracks as you can go. With that said I have such a hard time getting friends/guests to come out with me as they always want to try popular lakes that they can read reports on outdoor news or the tribune before heading out. these "bad" lakes to some are my gold mine. Ive had to convince guys to try 5-6 different nights before they believe me that this is a "good" lake. An 8" hole covers 8".. Think about 10 minutes on a boat, casting left and right. Then think about drilling 5 holes? Not even close. In my opinion you have to work even harder to validate such a strong opinion as "bad" or "good" theres so much water out there even on tiny lakes.. Twice a week on unfamiliar water varying from morning, evening, and night fishing. or you really won't know except for the handful of TINY holes you tried.

[BoxMN]

If I don't get a 26" walleye or a 14" crappie or a 21" bass then I write that lake off forever! haha! I have a long list of "bad" lakes