I have been fishing a small lake "169 acres idle speed" quite a bit this summer. I usually do ok there but nothing ever over 3lbs. I remember when the wildlife shocked this lake,the hawgs that were there. Problem is,theres 5 tournys a week.Yea 5 different bass tournys ,5 different days. Its sad really with a 12 inch limit. Upsets me because i have seen the quility of larger bass vanish over the past few years. I know they are there,just spooked im assuming. Any advice on how to put the odds in my favor in a sad situation like this? I have been fishing way after dark hoping for a little better luck.  I even watch the weigh ins with very little over a 3lbs "big fish". Maybe they have gone deep. Im sure a few of you guys have experienced this before. input?  >

I suggest reading articles on "finesse" fishing.

I also suggest using your sonar and take a week to map out the lake, looking for bottom structure such as humps, holes, points, rocks, hard bottom areas, underwater islands, creek channels, roadbeds and drop offs.

Also try to find natural cover such as grass, pads, brushpiles, weeds, wood and where creeks enter the lake.

Look for man-made objects such as concrete blocks, brushpiles, and any othe structure you can find or that you have placed in secret places in the lake.

Keep the map secret.

Then, try your luck on the places you find.  The bass may be holding in 10 to 15 feet of water or next to a drop off or an outside portion of an underwater creek channel or where two creeks intersect.

Look for deep areas that have an easy route to the shallows as the bass will hold in 10 to 15 feet and then dart to the shoreline for a meal, as you know.

In other words, study your body of water, taking the time not to fish but to conduct research.

Then...use finesse presentations such as the drop shot, split shot, shaky head, hollow body swimming minnows, mojo, small/skinny worms on light line give it another try. Flouro test from 6 to 8 pounds is also helps the presentations.

As for worms, try the *** brand to present a different type of worm action.

Now, after all that, consider using baits the fish have not seen much, such as a Chatterbait, the wonderful Rage Tails, a swimming worm and even a jitterbug.  

If all of this does not work, you may have to consider trying to get the lake stocked once again by your state agencies.

Good luck and let us know how you do.  

J-Boogie, get over it. Everyone these days has to deal with fishing pressure. nothing worse than hitting the water and seeing boats sitting on your fishing areas. there are things you can do to offset this:

Be sneaky. Don't laugh at this one. Fish become wary of boats and fishermen. Dropping a lid,  throwing the TM  into the water, or running the TM on short high burst will cause the fish to shut down. Be as quite as possible. Run the TM on a low constant speed or use the wind to blow you across an area.

Keep the sun at your back and make long cast.

Make multiple cast to a target and at different angles

Try to fish the wind. It will help comoflage you and the boat. It also will energize the food chain and it tends to have less pressure due to the fact that most anglers try to stay out of it.

Map the deeper areas to locate any offshore structure and cover that others have not taken the time to locate.

If you must follow others down a bank or grass line throw something different or fish it at different angles or depths. Multiple cast to a target will help.

Fish at night.

Good luck.

Re-read the post by fishfordollars a few times. Many (most) of the

public lakes in Texas get fished to death, but still produce monsters

on a regular basis!

8-)

thanks guys for the advice.It is a clear water lake as well which makes it worse. Oh ,and trust me, ill be fishing before the boats are turned loose and the fishing does in fact shut down real quick. The largest bass ive caught there have been on grassy points at 12ft out or so using 7 inch zoom worm and small line. Ive seen huge results while practicing my presentation.Most of the tourny guys have none. Its a nice day here ,may go scout them out soon

Just don't let it get in your head. Most anglers are just chunking and winding. they pick off the more agressive fish. Get in and truly fish the spots. you will find many more. They just need someone to slow down and force feed them.

Heck, if I only fished a spot no one else had touched I would never wet a hook.

yea i noticed the other day the moss is here on most of the banks.6 ft out too. Maybe time to pull out mr frog ;D

Well i tried some different things this evening.I found a spot which is highly overlooked on this lake.I also found a weed line where a rocky knoll came up from 16ft to 8. I pitched a watermelon "bitzy bug" jig with a black n blue trailer onto the edge of the moss .After about the second hop ,this lil guy nailed it. Dunno how much it weighed but i grabbed a pic with the cell cam just to thank you guys.  

He weighs at least 10 pounds!  ;D   ;D   ;D

Glad we were able to help.

Keep those pics coming.  

Congratulations.

Glad to be able to help.

Remember, 90% of fishing success is between your ears.

Good luck.

Looks to be about 3lbs from what I can tell.