I'm fortunate to have a great small lake near my house to fish, and it produces almost every time I fish it, but i'm restricted to the bank there.

 

Last night, much to my chagrin, I see a large portion of my most productive shoreline swamped with geese and a few ducks. Some were in the water, most were on the shore. The ones in the water were in pretty shallow water.

 

Do the presence of ducks and geese scare away fish for a while?

 

I get so irritated at em'

I'm fortunate to have a great small lake near my house to fish, and it produces almost every time I fish it, but i'm restricted to the bank there.

 

Last night, much to my chagrin, I see a large portion of my most productive shoreline swamped with geese and a few ducks. Some were in the water, most were on the shore. The ones in the water were in pretty shallow water.

 

Do the presence of ducks and geese scare away fish for a while?

 

I get so irritated at em'

 

Nope, it don´t scare them, you have never seen baby ducks/geese being attacked and swallowed by bass ?

I don't think fish really care. I've caught a lot of bass around ducks/geese. A few weeks ago I caught a 20" smallie around about 70-80 ducks and 40+ geese. I wouldn't worry about it personally

Don't snag the ducks, it will be a fiasco!

No, it doens't scare the fish, they're used to it, but you might try taking a shotgun to them......

Go to YouTube and watch baby duck attacked by pike and bass. Watch the homemade duck lures.

It's almost certainly situational. A big commotion, or a new presence, could put fish off a bit. But they'll probably get used to it. Fish and let us know.

In a couple months us Cajuns will start hunting ducks & geese in the morning & fishing for bass, specks, & reds in the afternoon.

All in the same marshes!

My baby ducks arrived. Great winter project. There 12 for $6 plus ship. 2" inches long. I'm thinking a self sticking slot car small lead weight on the bottom, a wire leader with hook and a Buzzbait prop in the front. Some orange yellow plastic for legs. Just found 100 yellow feathers on Amazon for $2.78.

My baby ducks arrived. Great winter project. There 12 for $6 plus ship. 2" inches long. I'm thinking a self sticking slot car small lead weight on the bottom, a wire leader with hook and a Buzzbait prop in the front. Some orange yellow plastic for legs. Just found 100 yellow feathers on Amazon for $2.78.

 

Hmmm, where you at ? ahhhh, the Northeast, well, you shure do need a winter project cuz we fellers down here in the deep south don´t need no "winter" projects, hunt early, pick up your kill, go feeshin in liquid water, finish fishing maybe an hour b4 sunset, go hunting again.

I'm fortunate to have a great small lake near my house to fish, and it produces almost every time I fish it, but i'm restricted to the bank there.

 

Last night, much to my chagrin, I see a large portion of my most productive shoreline swamped with geese and a few ducks. Some were in the water, most were on the shore. The ones in the water were in pretty shallow water.

 

Do the presence of ducks and geese scare away fish for a while?

 

I get so irritated at em'

Have shotgun,will travel.

My lake is swamped with duck hunters. Its hard to fish because I dont want to be rude and blow up a hunters spot and also dont want to tick off someone with a gun.

When I was logging I never cut during bird and deer season during the week. Sunday's was no hunting. But I still seen hunters in the woods.

I was doing work for the state cutting a very large maple tree in the pouring rain. It had very large poison ivory vines. I figured it would keep the dust down. It was bow season. I'm running a 100cc saw with a 32" bar the bow hunter walks up behind me. As I swung the bar out of the cut I seen him in the corner of my eye. If I swung the saw completely around I could of cut him in half. I just let off the throttle. The state ranger called me to cut it. I took seven cords of firewood off that one tree.

Hmmm, where you at ? ahhhh, the Northeast, well, you shure do need a winter project cuz we fellers down here in the deep south don´t need no "winter" projects, hunt early, pick up your kill, go feeshin in liquid water, finish fishing maybe an hour b4 sunset, go hunting again.

Up here in the northeast we cut trees during the winter. I would cut 50-100 cords every winter. No one had a better workplace than me. I could shut the saw off, sit on a stump and hear the falling snow hit the ground. At 64yo those days are gone now. I do little projects now between plowing snow.

I feel like I'm on Candid Camera. 

 

No...waterfowl does not upset our piscatorial counterparts,

in fact wildlife dovetails together better than most of our human subsets 

 

Roger

I feel like I'm on Candid Camera. 

 

No...waterfowl does not upset our piscatorial counterparts,

in fact wildlife dovetails together better than most of our human subsets 

 

Roger

 

I agree with Allen Funt on this one  . . . .I mean Roger.

 

 

 

A-Jay

These ducks eat bait fish.Would not surprise me if theres not a big bass swimming under them somewhere.

These ducks eat bait fish.Would not surprise me if theres not a big bass swimming under them somewhere.

Here's a little trick!

Learn to identify which ducks eat aquatic vegetation!

They will show you where the grass is greener, which is interesting information to have during winter when most grass is dead or dying!

Hmmm, where you at ? ahhhh, the Northeast, well, you shure do need a winter project cuz we fellers down here in the deep south don´t need no "winter" projects, hunt early, pick up your kill, go feeshin in liquid water, finish fishing maybe an hour b4 sunset, go hunting again.

Well that response settles my old age dilemma of what I would do if I moved out of the northeast. I like fishing more so thought I would fish more than hunt, but I like your idea of doing both in the same day. 

Hunt n fish the same day being retired count me in.

These ducks eat bait fish.Would not surprise me if theres not a big bass swimming under them somewhere.

 

Ducks do not eat bait fish, they are vegetarian, but baitfish getting scared while them eating the vegetation and moving away from it yessir !

Ducks do not eat bait fish, they are vegetarian, but baitfish getting scared while them eating the vegetation and moving away from it yessir !

 

Someone needs to tell these ducks then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVU_wOy0zAM

 

I have fished right beside them while they were eating the baitfish.

We have a small lake , 2 acres, that hold quite a few bass and huge bluegill and I have never noticed any detrimental effect. In the spring and late fall we often have > 100 geese and ducks coming and going.. We do have to treat the lake 3-4 times a year as it does get to fertile with excess algae and aquatic grass/weeds because of their droppings. The winter turnover however always has a detrimental effect .

Ducks do not eat bait fish, they are vegetarian...

 

I wish someone would tell that to the Mergansers and Cormorants around here!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

Steaming Pot of Homemade chilly tonight ~ Duck & Gesse all up in here ~ it's bad.

 

 

A-Jay