Another factor to look at to assist getting on these fish......
I usually just go when I can and find a pattern to suit the conditions.....
yep, I also go when I can, and try to find patterns, my game though is to try and find them faster, and more efficiently than the day before. we all know how important depth is, so if I can go to cover and structure in a more probable depth that holds fish, it can save me from fishing many spots at different depths that dont hold fish.
Time goes by fast on the water, and I want to spend my time catching fish, not aimlessly searching cover or structure until I happen upon fish.
For those who have it all worked out already, and dont need any improvements, I say keep doing what your doing.
For those who have only been fishing for a few years, I say, when you look back 5 to 10 years from now, and reflect on what you learned, either by trial and error, or what someone told you, and you tried, you will be amazed by how little you actually knew.
Heres an example, there are many aspects to a pattern,. years back if I saw a pile of fish on cover or structure, I would catch one or two, but found it hard to pull myself off when they were down there, but wouldnt bite. sit there for an hour. Since then I have figured out that one or 2 fish from a pile, can be what the pattern is for that day.
My gameplan quickly switches to fishing many piles, quickly, to pick off those one or two fish on each pile that are aggressive. not to sit on one spot, trying to trick them into biting, or wait for them to turn on. 10 minutes, and im gone, I may circle back to it later, but im not going to let moss grow on the bottom of my boat. many thoughts run thru the mind like, I caught 15 off this spot last week, what time was it? maybe im early, gonna give it a bit.. a half hour goes by.,,. then, well its the same time now, maybe they want a different color bait, hmmm still not biting, maybe change the size profile, hmmm nothing, and an hour and a half has gone by. we try to convince ourselves we should get the same results this time, that we got last time. it takes discipline to pick up and leave a pile that you know has a bunch of fish on, when you caught a nice on or 2, and see them on sonar.
Sometimes there is a pattern within a pattern and patterns can change hourly.
fishing is all abt collecting information, and observing the particulars. then applying what you observed them to decide a gameplan.
I never go fishing with just a drift around and hope to find a few mentality. I check moon phase, lake levels, seasonal contributions such as mayfly hatch, cricket locations, grasshopper, UV index, wind conditions thru the week, water color, ect
Maybe I put to much work into it, but it pays off, is fun, and rewarding for me anyway.
Sometimes the anticipation, planning, and preparation is more fun than the actual event. watching the whole process come to fruition, as planned.
When you talk to people fishing the same lake that are getting skunked, and cant figure it out, and say well the fish just arent biting, because we couldnt catch any, and being we consider ourselves the lake experts we are sure they just wont bite.
it gives great satisfaction when your home cleaning a nice mess of fish, because you did your research, kept an open mind, you made a solid plan, then implemented it on the same lake they are fishing.
Heres a perfect example, many people on lakes I fish have determined that spawn is over, because its late may, but that is not the case. They are fishing deeper water on the main lake, and cant catch many . right away, they convince themselves that they just arent biting., they are in transition, and not feeding, the list goes on and on,. they are so engrained in the TIME of year aspect, and the WATER temperature they cannot get past it. Fish dont know what time it is and water temp matters very little.
Over time I have learned that small fish are the last to leave the brush in the fall and first to arrive in the spring, so when I fished deeper piles, and caught mostly immature fish, I immediately headed back to spawning areas. last year that wasnt the case, they were done for the most part at this time. Because I have overcame the time/spawn correlation myth, it gave me insight to go recheck spawning areas and they were there.