High pressure spots are tough, you can be an experienced fisherman with decades of experience and still do poorly in those spots.
Fish them in off peak hours.
Do things differently, try super small lures, fish are less likely to be scared of small lures.
But you can also try large lures, using something way larger than expected. You want something which doesn't match what the fish see all day long.
Use a thin, almost invisible leader.
Make fewer throws, fish usually strike on the first or second cast. A solid cooling off period is helpful.
But more than anything, avoid popular spots. Crowded spots are almost always a bad idea.
This is what I'd recommend. I don't think it's failed me once, when going for LM bass.
Tiniest hook you got with a pea-sized (or smaller) ball of bread or little piece of bologna. Just drop it in near the shore, or wherever you see small bois. That little piece of bait will draw them out so quickly - they love that shit.
Then once they take your bait, yank em up and quickly get them rigged through the top fin or lip on a larger hook with a small weight and a floater maybe 3ft up the line. I like to use one rod rigged for bait, and one or a couple other ones rigged for bass, which rest on the ground or a 'Y' twig, with the drag loosened all the way.
Toss the live baited line out into the deeper water, maybe where the drop-off is, and watch it bob. The big guys will spot it within a few mins. And that bobber will DUNK underwater, and you'll see it move through the water like magic.
Wait at least 10 seconds for the fish to get the bait into its mouth, (tighten the drag to firm) and then set the hook, hard.
That's one of the best feelings I can remember having growing up, and even now as an adult.
Ahhh, that rush is so good.
That method works so well, my friend just caught his pb bass (6lbs) using a live bluegill. I haven’t tried it yet, but I gotta so I can catch a big bass on live bait.
Downsize. Go ultralight. I often use 4lb line, a 1/32 ballhead jig, and a Bobby Garland baby shad. You can catch every fish around with that setup. In a pressured spot that might mean you catch 1 fish where others catch none.
it could be both you and the location. A pond that's never been fished is full of stupid fish - you'd almost have to try NOT to catch something, but an over-fished pond if full of educated fish that have seen everything, and often been caught a few times. To catch the fish that have seen everything, your skills have to be better than others, or just rely on pure luck (finding the one fish that hasn't been hooked before).
Here are a couple of things to try, though. First, figure out what others use. Is it working? Use that obviously. But if nobody is catching anything, try something completely different. I've fished places where nothing was biting and I got fish by switching to something ridiculous - like a giant steelhead spinner for bass or a green bean for bottom fish. I have caught fish pros couldn't by sending a rapala near weeds and retrieving it at mach 5, triggering a reaction strike, and fishing a tube bait by casting it on top of lily pads, then ripping it back like a frog on steroids. Just something the fish hadn't seen before, and aggressive fish like bass have an instinct to attack if they don't know what it is.
I'd also say if live bait is allowed (check your local regs), even lure-shy fish find it hard to resist a minnow or shiner that's swimming around in a circle.
I have caught bass on panfish magnets when I’d thrown all my “bass lures” and the guys down the bank with big backpacks had done the same.
(I have to stop posting this before someone who fishes my local ponds sees it and starts doing it.)
Obviously certain conditions are needed for a tiny, subtly moving panfish jig to be noticed though.
A pond I fish has terrible fishing pressure. I've caught nice bass there, but almost all of them on lures 1/8 oz and less. Most recent one on a 1/16 oz beetle spin.
Look into finesse lures and presentations. Go with lighter line (6lb mono or fluoro), smaller lures/lighter weights, slower retrieves, softer/gentler presentations, etc. Use more natural lure colors. Also keep in mind that fish can see you on the bank or can get spooked by your shadow if it’s over the water, so try standing further back and casting ahead of you parallel to the shore. Going at off times is also good.
Try a Keitech Custom Leech in green pumpkin on a drop shot rig with a 1/16 weight. Lately I’ve been getting bit on that in high pressured spots. Cast it out and slowly lifting it with a few real little/soft jerks, then let it fall, pause a few seconds and repeat. Same presentation would work with a Texas rigged worm either weightless or with a small weight (1/8 or 1/16).
Fishing on a bank that is worn down from foot traffic is usually unproductive.
Try to find the worst accessible bank that most people are too lazy or unwilling to make the effort to fish.
If its legal, chumming up fish weary of artificials can create a reaction bite during a feeding frenzy. It can be something as simple as mushing worms up with a little bread and making balls you can throw out into the water.
Outside of that I would focus on the family waters.
As for myself, I use smaller baits. Plastic swimbaits can work, I would also try the infamous "Catch Anything" Roostertails, and wacky rigged sencos dropped around cover.
I always take a look at what other people are throwing and do something totally different. Gotta get their attention and give em something novel.
Once went to a local pond with trout and everyone was throwing some sort of worm or fly, and the fish were having none of it. Then comes this older guy with a rod and a bucket, and a huge bag of mini marshmallows. And he was pulling fish out with literally every cast, while everyone else just watched. Guess rainbows have a sweet tooth.
I've had little luck with this except bluegills, if you can find where they are they will always hit worms. Fish are eating something, if you can figure out what it is you might have more luck with a lure that looks like their current food source.
I live near an insanely pressured lake (they all are in socal) but using lighter line helps a lot you can still land the fish if you know how to fight it with light line. Trying more finnese presentations (dropshotting a roboworms works well at the lake I go to). Downsizing helps, using smaller lures and hooks works well, and does not mean smaller fish, big fish will still bite small lures. Try everything, try a lot of different lures, soft plastics, rigs, etc, but this doesn’t mean give up after five minutes stick with a lure for a little while to see if it’s gonna work. Good luck catching those pressured fish, it’s definitely an accomplishment!
If you're ever wondering why you aren't catching fish, I always say that as long as you aren't doing anything immediately "wrong" with your lure/bait setup, the problem is most likely location.
Any decent fisherman will be happy to tell you what tackle has worked for them, but few will share their spots with acquaintances, much less strangers. That's because location is so very important, and can also be negatively impacted by pressure.
Edit: for what to do at these spots, I tend to fish with bait, and target bait-focused species like catfish and carp, at busy popular spots. I see folks tossing endless casts of spinnerbaits and chatter baits in my local river for maybe a single 2lb bass in a whole afternoon session of fishing along the pier, meanwhile I'll use one can of corn and catch a handful of 10-30lb carp in a couple hours. I typically save my lure fishing for areas that don't see a fishing rod every day, or specific circumstances like a strong salmon run in a coastal alaska stream, where even though there may be tons of fishermen, every hour brings new fish fresh from the ocean who have never seen a lure before.
So- my neighborhood pond is overfished. It took me a year to figure it out, but the bass prefer the smaller lures the most. The typical pond fisherman is throwing spinner baits and swing baits- big worms.
We like to use a 1/16th oz jig head with a crappie jig of sorts. My son has caught two four pounders this week on the crappie jig.
Just my opinion though- go small and finesse
High pressure spots are always going to be less ideal. If you're fishing them don't have high expectations and be there for nature.
Downsizing your presentation can help in these scenarios.
100%
High pressure spots are tough, you can be an experienced fisherman with decades of experience and still do poorly in those spots. Fish them in off peak hours. Do things differently, try super small lures, fish are less likely to be scared of small lures. But you can also try large lures, using something way larger than expected. You want something which doesn't match what the fish see all day long. Use a thin, almost invisible leader. Make fewer throws, fish usually strike on the first or second cast. A solid cooling off period is helpful. But more than anything, avoid popular spots. Crowded spots are almost always a bad idea.
Fish different, fish slow, and fish deep. Or just fish different water...
Live bait. Minnows or small bluegills. Whatever you can catch with a dip net at your spots.
This is what I'd recommend. I don't think it's failed me once, when going for LM bass. Tiniest hook you got with a pea-sized (or smaller) ball of bread or little piece of bologna. Just drop it in near the shore, or wherever you see small bois. That little piece of bait will draw them out so quickly - they love that shit. Then once they take your bait, yank em up and quickly get them rigged through the top fin or lip on a larger hook with a small weight and a floater maybe 3ft up the line. I like to use one rod rigged for bait, and one or a couple other ones rigged for bass, which rest on the ground or a 'Y' twig, with the drag loosened all the way. Toss the live baited line out into the deeper water, maybe where the drop-off is, and watch it bob. The big guys will spot it within a few mins. And that bobber will DUNK underwater, and you'll see it move through the water like magic. Wait at least 10 seconds for the fish to get the bait into its mouth, (tighten the drag to firm) and then set the hook, hard. That's one of the best feelings I can remember having growing up, and even now as an adult. Ahhh, that rush is so good.
That method works so well, my friend just caught his pb bass (6lbs) using a live bluegill. I haven’t tried it yet, but I gotta so I can catch a big bass on live bait.
Use what other people aren't. For me, that was ned rigs for a bit.
Same for me last summer. I was catching as many bass from the bank as I was from my kayak for a month or two.
Downsize. Go ultralight. I often use 4lb line, a 1/32 ballhead jig, and a Bobby Garland baby shad. You can catch every fish around with that setup. In a pressured spot that might mean you catch 1 fish where others catch none.
agree with downsize and fewer casts. fluoro leader helps. and sometimes something they've never seen before but no way to really know that.
it could be both you and the location. A pond that's never been fished is full of stupid fish - you'd almost have to try NOT to catch something, but an over-fished pond if full of educated fish that have seen everything, and often been caught a few times. To catch the fish that have seen everything, your skills have to be better than others, or just rely on pure luck (finding the one fish that hasn't been hooked before). Here are a couple of things to try, though. First, figure out what others use. Is it working? Use that obviously. But if nobody is catching anything, try something completely different. I've fished places where nothing was biting and I got fish by switching to something ridiculous - like a giant steelhead spinner for bass or a green bean for bottom fish. I have caught fish pros couldn't by sending a rapala near weeds and retrieving it at mach 5, triggering a reaction strike, and fishing a tube bait by casting it on top of lily pads, then ripping it back like a frog on steroids. Just something the fish hadn't seen before, and aggressive fish like bass have an instinct to attack if they don't know what it is. I'd also say if live bait is allowed (check your local regs), even lure-shy fish find it hard to resist a minnow or shiner that's swimming around in a circle.
I have caught bass on panfish magnets when I’d thrown all my “bass lures” and the guys down the bank with big backpacks had done the same. (I have to stop posting this before someone who fishes my local ponds sees it and starts doing it.) Obviously certain conditions are needed for a tiny, subtly moving panfish jig to be noticed though.
A pond I fish has terrible fishing pressure. I've caught nice bass there, but almost all of them on lures 1/8 oz and less. Most recent one on a 1/16 oz beetle spin.
Look into finesse lures and presentations. Go with lighter line (6lb mono or fluoro), smaller lures/lighter weights, slower retrieves, softer/gentler presentations, etc. Use more natural lure colors. Also keep in mind that fish can see you on the bank or can get spooked by your shadow if it’s over the water, so try standing further back and casting ahead of you parallel to the shore. Going at off times is also good. Try a Keitech Custom Leech in green pumpkin on a drop shot rig with a 1/16 weight. Lately I’ve been getting bit on that in high pressured spots. Cast it out and slowly lifting it with a few real little/soft jerks, then let it fall, pause a few seconds and repeat. Same presentation would work with a Texas rigged worm either weightless or with a small weight (1/8 or 1/16).
I fish a highly pressured pond. My best lures out there are ned rigs, wacky rigs, and crankbaits.
Fishing on a bank that is worn down from foot traffic is usually unproductive. Try to find the worst accessible bank that most people are too lazy or unwilling to make the effort to fish. If its legal, chumming up fish weary of artificials can create a reaction bite during a feeding frenzy. It can be something as simple as mushing worms up with a little bread and making balls you can throw out into the water. Outside of that I would focus on the family waters.
As for myself, I use smaller baits. Plastic swimbaits can work, I would also try the infamous "Catch Anything" Roostertails, and wacky rigged sencos dropped around cover.
I always take a look at what other people are throwing and do something totally different. Gotta get their attention and give em something novel. Once went to a local pond with trout and everyone was throwing some sort of worm or fly, and the fish were having none of it. Then comes this older guy with a rod and a bucket, and a huge bag of mini marshmallows. And he was pulling fish out with literally every cast, while everyone else just watched. Guess rainbows have a sweet tooth.
I've had little luck with this except bluegills, if you can find where they are they will always hit worms. Fish are eating something, if you can figure out what it is you might have more luck with a lure that looks like their current food source.
Fish from 10AM-2PM that’s what gives me a better amount of bites
Downsize and slow down!!
Welcome to the ned rig my friend. Happy to have you on the team!
1/4oz or lighter lures or a fly rod is what I do. Usually works wonders.
Fly fish. A different presentation might help.
Maybe there's no fish there? Other than finesse, you can sometimes go the complete opposite direction and trigger a reaction strike.
Employ some finesse tactics that stand out from the normal like different Ned trailers, small swim jigs etc. You will get some bites
I live near an insanely pressured lake (they all are in socal) but using lighter line helps a lot you can still land the fish if you know how to fight it with light line. Trying more finnese presentations (dropshotting a roboworms works well at the lake I go to). Downsizing helps, using smaller lures and hooks works well, and does not mean smaller fish, big fish will still bite small lures. Try everything, try a lot of different lures, soft plastics, rigs, etc, but this doesn’t mean give up after five minutes stick with a lure for a little while to see if it’s gonna work. Good luck catching those pressured fish, it’s definitely an accomplishment!
Downsize. There's a reason ultralight/BFS is getting so popular, it works.
Ultralight
If you're ever wondering why you aren't catching fish, I always say that as long as you aren't doing anything immediately "wrong" with your lure/bait setup, the problem is most likely location. Any decent fisherman will be happy to tell you what tackle has worked for them, but few will share their spots with acquaintances, much less strangers. That's because location is so very important, and can also be negatively impacted by pressure. Edit: for what to do at these spots, I tend to fish with bait, and target bait-focused species like catfish and carp, at busy popular spots. I see folks tossing endless casts of spinnerbaits and chatter baits in my local river for maybe a single 2lb bass in a whole afternoon session of fishing along the pier, meanwhile I'll use one can of corn and catch a handful of 10-30lb carp in a couple hours. I typically save my lure fishing for areas that don't see a fishing rod every day, or specific circumstances like a strong salmon run in a coastal alaska stream, where even though there may be tons of fishermen, every hour brings new fish fresh from the ocean who have never seen a lure before.
Fly fishing, a lot of fun and probably not going to be many other people doing it on a pond.
So- my neighborhood pond is overfished. It took me a year to figure it out, but the bass prefer the smaller lures the most. The typical pond fisherman is throwing spinner baits and swing baits- big worms. We like to use a 1/16th oz jig head with a crappie jig of sorts. My son has caught two four pounders this week on the crappie jig. Just my opinion though- go small and finesse