When to move and when not to?

[fishingguy]

I have read many articles, and spoken to a variety of people who keep telling me, "You have to be mobile. Find fish is easier and more productive than letting the fish find you!" My question is this: Are most experienced fisherman moving and searching even during That "Prime Fishing Time"? That magic time when the sun is just about to come up or has just gone down?
I know I must be mobile, but when is it time to just stay put?
Please help an confused "fishingguy"!

[Guest]

Very good question. That depends on the species I am after. If I am after walleye, I target an area but drill A LOT of holes in that area. Different depths and locations in that area. I then go from hole to hole, giving each hole maybe a minute or two. This is why I prefer jigging spoons that fishes fast, like the Glow Devil.

The procedure is much the same for any species. I use a map to find an area that looks good, then get all the drilling out of the way. If it doesn't pan out, I try again the next night.

Sometimes you can find things during the poor ours of the day that will tell you that you are on a good spot. For example, when chasing gills. I may find some good weeds that are holding a few quality gills. This is certainly a spot I want to focus on when the "peak" time arrives and the fish get active. Again, I will drill a lot of holes and be ready. Moving around will usually yield more fish then fishing stationary. However, you have to decide how serious you want to be about it. Sometimes I like to sit back, enjoy a beverage and let the fish find me! Good question. Scott Steil

[Finlander]

Make a milk run of holes from deep to shallow! Start fishing the deeper holes
(say 30')earlier in the day then gradually work your way in towards a shallow rock reef that tops off around 10-12 feet deep as the sun sets.
You don't want to be drilling holes at that prime time when the sun is setting so pre-drill holes that you and you alone can work as the sun sets! Stay away from the crowds to avoid the noise that they produce, and having them fishing the holes you drilled.
I always put my tip-up in the shallowest hole and jig the holes towards that tip-up hole. Changing holes every 15-20 minutes if no action is detected below. But always working towards shallow as the sun sets!
Good Luck!

[LuckyFish]

Hey fishingguy hows it going? Given any more thought on fishing the Kato area lakes this weekend? Well if you would like to go sat e-mail me at [email protected].
What I like to do if it is an evening bite I get out well before sunset. I will find an area that looks promising then drill a number of holes in shallower water then keep drilling deeper and deeper till I get to max depth in the area I'm fishing. That way I don't have to be drilling at that prime time. The fish tend to move shallower as it gets darker so I try to move with them, that way when it's prime time I should at least be in the right area. Let me know if you want to go on sat.

Good luck fishing Lucky

[Guest]

This takes me back to last year.

I was fishing a rock point area off a weed flat. I found one little spot that was 2 feet shallower then the surrounding area. I am talking maybe the size of a full size pick-up.

I picked up a Walleye on top, and then nothing. I drilled holes all over the top, and then in a circle around what was a pile of boulders in 18 feet of water.

None of my holes were more then probably 6 feet apart, but it sure made a huge difference in the number of fish I caught. Upon switching holes I could usually get a fish within 3 or 4 minutes. But only one.

I had about 15 holes in this tiny area, but I went home with my limit of Eyes.

Just thought I'd chime in with that story.

Good luck to you,
Vince

[Guest]

Fishingguy:

Here are my thoughts on this subject.
Getting to know a lakes structure and patterns is key.During the day i will constantly keep moving to contact the active fish and at the same time be doing my research for the evening bite.Every lake is different, so putting in some time is important to learn each individual lakes pattern.I like to select a few good lakes and really put in the time to figure out the hot bite times and locations.
In a nutshell i would say,locate a good area during the day and then fish it a couple of nights in a row to see if it pans out.It can take some trial and error, but the rewards will be worth it.

Have A Good One!!