There are places that use to be good but are basically fished out now from live bait. Some places have been hurt badly by the Amish fishing 20 people deep and keeping anything they catch. It doesn't take long to destroy a place like that.

 

I can attest to this, living in Northwest Indiana. Though, on the other hand, you have to consider that most fishermen, Amish included, aren't good fishermen. A lot of people go out with live bait and when they don't catch anything they say "Oh well, the fish just aren't biting!". It took me a while to change from that attitude to an attitude of "Well, they aren't biting on this presentation.. But they will on something else.."

Reading through this thread briefly I see a lot of assumptions being made.

The bluegill are spawning, the bass haven't...the bass have spawned!

High fishing pressure from bucket anglers isn't high fishing pressure from skilled bass anglers.

Limited presention techniques with poor results doesn't equate to high pressured bass.

I am not a tournament bass angler anymore, however tournament fishing will teach you a lot about bass fishing. Every tournament will have several groups of anglers; winners with limits of bass and losers with few or no bass caught on the same lake at the same time. Every tournament angler finds himself in both groups. Know one catches bass every event who relies on a few presention techniques or locations.

When the fishing gets tough you must make a change and adapt to the current conditions.

The bass, according to the OP's observations, were targeting bedding bluegill and didn't use any presentations for that situation.

Tom

Those definitely look like bluegill beds which means the bass are pretty much done. You might find a few on beds but they are done for the most part.

 

 

The bluegill are spawning, the bass haven't...the bass have spawned!

 

I promise, the bass have not spawned.  I go to this lake almost daily.  Ice-out wasn't too long ago.

 

And that's the messed up thing.

 

Something has changed in this lake big time. 

 

Josh

If you see bluegill beds the majority bass have already spawned. the water clarity may have prevented you seeing bass beds or the bass spawned deeper than normal for that lake.

Check your water temps with a swimming pool thermometer, at 2'-3' depth it should be over 67 degrees for bluegill, 70-75 is their prime spawn water temps so the eggs hatch quickly.. Bluegill spawn over a longer time period than bass, up to 3 months, one the reason they are so prolific.

It should be a good time for Senko's and split shot reapers.

Tom

Fish still gotta eat. Triggering a reaction strike may be your best bet. 

I'm assuming that with extreme fishing pressure bass will still eat but only at certain times of the day