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Where do they go #13558929 05/15/20 04:16 PM
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Greg W Offline OP
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Question for the ages but there has to be scientific reasons for what they do
Tues hit a new spot suggested by a friend, 4 including a 3 and 7lber. Thurs nada
Same Thurs: hit an old favorite that they haven't bitten in 2 weeks, catch a small one, miss one, then 3 casts 3,4,3 lber. LIke I said they hadn't been there in 2 weeks.

So real question is when you see patterns like this what data do you capture in your log book besides time of day and wind direction and speed. Do you capture barometric pressure, moon cycles, what? Thought I'd start a log book to try and make sense of patterns. Or do they just do what they do and screw it, I'll never understand the bastards.

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13558935 05/15/20 04:20 PM
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Huckleberry Offline
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"screw it, I'll never understand the bastards."

I caught 26#'s in less than 30 minutes all in the same spot one day and never again did I ever catch another fish in that spot again ... ever!

Re: Where do they go [Re: Huckleberry] #13559005 05/15/20 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Huckleberry
"screw it, I'll never understand the bastards."

I caught 26#'s in less than 30 minutes all in the same spot one day and never again did I ever catch another fish in that spot again ... ever!



This is the type of story that keeps me from doing a log booK. Their wild animals. No rhyme or reason.


Jesus loves all of us
Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559037 05/15/20 05:59 PM
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S Fatherree Offline
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If you are keeping a logbook which I highly recommend taking the time to do as it will give you a good advantage regarding what lures and depths are best during certain times of the year. A well-written log book will also provide you with valuable information about what lures to have faith in based on the particular weather conditions and water temperatures. Personally I mainly focus on writing down the following information in my fishing logs. I will start with keeping track of the daily weather conditions even if I am not on the water for some time. This gives me a good idea of how quickly water temperatures on a fishery will change based on recent weather conditions. I will write down each days high and low air temperatures, whether or not it was a sunny day, partly cloudy day, rainy day, and what directions the wind was primarily coming out of in addition to the wind speed. Sometimes during frontal conditions and especially in the state of Texas the weather conditions and wind directions may change throughout the day. During the days that I am on the water I will write down more specific information after fishing such as water temperature, water clarity, as well as what baits did work well and which did not work well.

Bass are continually on the move much more often than most anglers realize although long migrations do slow just a bit during the cold water months, during the prime spawning period, and during the early summer months when fish begin to school up around areas with lots of bait. Throughout my years of logging weather conditions, moon phases, and my own results after a days fishing I have noticed many reoccurring patterns. During the spring time I pay much more attention to the moon phases as they can play a big role in determining when waves of fish may begin to spawn while during other times of the year the moon phases are not nearly as important to me. Having said that I have noticed that some of the largest fish to be caught out of Lake Fork over the last decade are more often than not caught within 2-3 days prior to or after a full moon, regardless of the month. Throughout the year I am always paying close attention to the weather and wind conditions. On Lake Fork I have noticed that some of my best days on the water have been whenever there is wind from the South, Southwest, or West while some of my slower fishing days are typically accompanied by North or East winds. I like to use a large size desk calendar for my logs so that there is enough space to write down many details on each day. I recommend using different colored pens that you assign to various information so that your logs will be easier to read through as they become larger and full of information year after year. Creating a detailed fishing log will help you better understand the prevalent patterns and fish behavior on a particular fishery and will continue to become more valuable with each year that you commit to taking the time to write down these specific details.

If the productive area that you were fishing on Tuesday which yielded no fish on Thursday was shallower than 10' that is no surprise. It seems that bass in shallower water are not quite as reliable compared with those which have moved offshore and are schooling up together. Fish offshore can also be quite unpredictable, they may not be on a certain structure for hours and then within 30 minutes they are stacked up and feeding aggressively which is why it is extremely important to re-check deepwater areas throughout the day. Offshore fish will also migrate to other areas seeking out better cover, water quality, and prey. One thing that I have noticed on Lake Fork during some of my toughest fishing days which usually are accompanied by North wind is that the bass which we do catch are usually quite fat and full of bait as they have been feeding the day or two prior when the wind was likely out of the South or West. It seems like during optimal conditions the bass will feed quite heavily and then there will be a period of days where the fishing gets tough because they are simply full. Just like people and other animals after they have a big meal they're not likely to go after another one until they are hungry again. Always remember that the more years worth of detailed log books which you take the time to create the more that written information is going to help you become a proficient angler and understand the habits of the bass on a fishery. I hope this helps, good luck fishing!


Respectfully,

SM Fatherree
www.lakeforkguidelanes.com
Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559090 05/15/20 06:39 PM
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Greg W Offline OP
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Wow, thanks for the detailed writeup Stephen. You put a lot into that and much appreciated.

Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559118 05/15/20 07:02 PM
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Stephen is dead on. The only thing that I could add is, we do not know enough about the contours and the cover on the surrounding areas to help you figure out where they go. I do know that is not very far. They are really close by; just like a Ghost in a cemetery. Ha..


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Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559152 05/15/20 07:29 PM
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Greg W Offline OP
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I have this giant word doc of these great posts so I can save them.

Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559257 05/15/20 09:14 PM
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Donald Harper Online Happy
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Hope you can pull something off of them that will help Greg. If you will Email me a Screen Shot of the area you were catching the fish in; I will mark it up and make some suggestions.

Thanks,
Donald
Email: fishnteacher@gmail.com


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Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559280 05/15/20 09:29 PM
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Bruce Allen Online Content
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you two (Stephen and Donald) should pair up and put on classes like Dean Stroman did years ago.


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Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559335 05/15/20 10:19 PM
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Greg W Offline OP
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Thanks Donald l will. This has actually been my most productive spring in the 5 years I've been bass fishing. I think getting a trolling motor with spot lock has helped a ton. Just give you more time to fish. Up until this year, I had one over 7 and maybe 8 over 6. Have 3 over 7, and another 3 more over 6 in the last 2 months. I get a lot from these forums and I've saved all your reports. I have to re-read things more than once for it all to sink in.

Re: Where do they go [Re: Huckleberry] #13559366 05/15/20 10:46 PM
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Rayzor Offline
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Originally Posted by Huckleberry
"screw it, I'll never understand the bastards."

I caught 26#'s in less than 30 minutes all in the same spot one day and never again did I ever catch another fish in that spot again ... ever!


I think everyone has run into this scenario at least once. I was fishing in the rain on Lake Conroe in some submerged trees with a big squarebill. I was catching one quality fish after another, including a #7-11. The fish were chasing the hooked fished back to the boat. I went back the next day with my Wife. We never got a bite.


Be safe,
Rayzor
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Re: Where do they go [Re: Bruce Allen] #13559677 05/16/20 02:31 AM
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Donald Harper Online Happy
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Originally Posted by Bruce Allen
you two (Stephen and Donald) should pair up and put on classes like Dean Stroman did years ago.

I do classes here at the house on the lake of your choice. It is a full day and lunch at 407 BBQ.


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Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13559690 05/16/20 02:55 AM
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bradnitro175 Online Content
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Usually just use the cover and depth their on.i can barely do my taxes ain't got time for a log book


Originally Posted by Trickster
BIG FAT BASS LIVES MATTER


Re: Where do they go [Re: Greg W] #13560393 05/16/20 06:51 PM
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Donald Harper Online Happy
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A log book is essential if you want to get really good on a body of water. All of the lakes that I wanted to be the best I could be on required a system that I followed for one full year and did not fish any other bodies of water until I was satisfied that each part of the system was finished. Keeping a log over a long period of time will produce those WayPoints that you can pull up on at a specific time and catch a quality fish. I would have over 200 Waypoints sitting on irregular features and there is no way I could have remembered the time the fish bit, what I caught it on, the depth, weather conditions and lake conditions without this log. By the end of the year and fishing each of them at different times of the day you will be able to narrow those 200 down to the best 9 on the lake.
- I wanted the 3 best top water spots.
- The 3 best mid-range hot spots.
- The 3 best deep water spots.
On tournament day I went through the 9 spots and took what was available and never set and hammered a spot. The fish were not always there during certain seasons; but I was happy most of the time with what they gave me year after year.


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Websiite Sponsors:
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