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Posts: 242
| I hear a lot about "feeding windows" and have experieced flurries of fish in a short period of time, then nothing for a long while to then experience another flurry. Here is my question. Would it be better to fish a location all day that you know has fish and wait for this feeding window or is it better to just search various hot spots looking for an active fish that may not suscribe to the feeding window theory? I ask this because there are a few lakes I know rather well and I feel like by moving too much I could be missing these feeding windows, but sitting in one area all day is rather boring for me. I was just wondering how you guys approach and view this question. Thanks. |
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | Honestly, Both are good options, But sometimes picking three to four close together spots with different structure is the way to go. If you think about it. Sitting on one spot with one specific type of structure might hurt you. Even though it had held fish in the past (or even yesterday) does not mean that the weather conditions permit it to hold fish every second of every day, or at all.
Feeding windows are huge contributor in action on the water. But that is not to say that you can't catch muskies at any time of the day. The "windows" are just more promising (generally) to find more active fish. Not to say that they are always going to be active during those windows.
I think sitting on one spot all day, is not only boring, but hurts you more than helps you. If anything find "your" spot right at, and before the feeding windows are supposed to open or close. I like to find four "competitive spots". meaning four spots with totally different structure. One with rocks, one with weeds, one shallow inside edge and one deep outer edge, sand, cabbage... ect. Pick a few and hit each one hard. If you move a fish on one spot, find more just like it for the feeding windows. If you find fish on more than one spot, try to put together the similarities and differences to try and figure out a pattern, then go from there. But unless that "one" spot you speak of is a magical spot where the fish area always there and always eat. I would pick a few different ones that are in the same general facility. That way you can bounce in between all of them without spending to much time driving from one to the other and find what works for you on that day, depending on conditions.
We all know that you can't totally predict where they will be at any given moment, if we could. this would not be as challenging, thus not as much fun.
Edited by FAT-SKI 7/8/2013 1:58 PM
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Posts: 1220
| I think most of the really "great" spots have fish on them virtually all the time. Most of the time, they are not feeding and very few of us are inclined to wait! |
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Posts: 247
Location: Uxbridge Ontario | From what I beleive, muskie are pretty much constantly in motion. And it mean they are either feeding, cruising or suspending. You can catch fish at all stages, but they have to be fished differently.
Specifically speaking about feeding windows, and when to hit fish when they should be active; active windows are something requires time on the water to physically determine when and where. Most generally speaking, last hour of light, activity picks up. But I have a few local waters to me that I know to have a bait in the water at 9:30am, 11:30am to 1pm and 4pm and where the last hour of light is very rarely productive.... and if so strictly a topwater affair. But that is only learned from years fishing that body. As for the where to fish, as mentioned, fish a varriety of spots and you will often generate follows throughout the day with very little interest in you lure. I watch for follow behavior to change and that can be a good indication that they are starting to get aggressive. Could be a number of deep slow follows with change follows right on the bait or a fish that chases a figure 8. Also, stricks a long way from the boat good aggressive behavior. When I feel this is happening if usually go back to the biggest fish I have seen that day, of super productive stops that I know produce fish. |
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