Author Topic: one hit wonder  (Read 3102 times)

Offline Salmonquest

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one hit wonder
« on: Dec 06, 2017, 11:42 AM »
I can't remember the last time I've got more than one flag in a full day of fishing. I often get one early and things look good but then nothing more. I update my baits, vary depths. I mean if it worked once it stands to reason that it should hit again. The same happens with my walleye fishing.

does anyone else experience this?

I get that the area may not be holding a lot of fish but I can't think of any other reason.

Offline Mr spearer

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #1 on: Dec 06, 2017, 12:34 PM »
Try moving your tipups after a half hour or so to a different hole if your not getting flags. If im not getting a flag every half hour or so i move to new hole or move 20 30 yards and punch some new holes and give that another half hour and so on. Hope that helps...

Offline onestring

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #2 on: Dec 06, 2017, 01:08 PM »
what i do is when i start out i drill out a grid maybe 20 holes or so sometimes more that way if one isn't producing you can change location very quick also you can jig the open holes  but i usually jig in hut but its very important to change locations if one isnt producing keep moving till you find them and then when you find them it's on

Offline stripernut

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #3 on: Dec 06, 2017, 02:15 PM »
Quote
Try moving your tipups after a half hour or so to a different hole if your not getting flags. If im not getting a flag every half hour or so i move to new hole or move 20 30 yards and punch some new holes and give that another half hour and so on. Hope that helps...

x2

Most of the time I move my tipups every 45 min (when not getting flags) and only jig the same hole for about 3 min, if nothing is happening...

Offline ActiveTrapChecker

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #4 on: Dec 06, 2017, 02:21 PM »
Many days i have failed to move when fishing tipups regardless of the success.
I look forward to seeing what being more mobile does for me

Offline Salmonquest

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #5 on: Dec 07, 2017, 07:12 AM »
Thanks guys I do need to move them more. I guess my thinking is once I catch one....it means I did find the fish and the area is possibly productive. Often it's afternoon into evening and I keep convincing myself that as the evening goes on.

Offline Open-Handed Fish Slap

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #6 on: Dec 07, 2017, 07:45 AM »
So I have learned a lot from having a boat and bottom fishing the ocean the last couple years.... 

I am not a lazy fisherman but I always think I've researched a spot and it looks great and I'm going to punch my hole in the ice, drop my line down and wait... that spot has to hit, it looks perfect... and wait.... and wait.... and then right before I go to pull the tip up, I think to myself, it's only a matter of time, I better wait it out.  By the end of the day, the trap hasn't hit and I haven't moved it. 

I get that fish are mobile and can potentially hit anywhere at any time, and from fishing with pike guys for years "Big girls like to roam the flats," but from drift fishing the wide open ocean it's apparent that fish are where they are and that's generally where they are going to be,  weather and other conditions may move them to a different spot, but then chances are that's where they will hang up for a while.  It's possible you may be right on the fish and they just aren't biting, but that shouldn't always be the case.  And you can undoubtedly attract fish away from one location and into another with different baits and presentations.  I literally have spots on my GPS in the ocean that are no bigger than a 30ft radius that I will guarantee multiple hookups on the drift, 5 feet north or south you can sit there for 6 hours with 5 lines in the water and never get a nibble.

So in conclusion, amidst all my rambling, it's definitely harder to keep punching holes and moving gear to find those spots than it is motoring or drifting in a boat, but the point is that the fish are generally in those spots

If that makes sense...
It's like tailgating with the possibility of catching a fish!

Offline 32footsteps

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #7 on: Dec 08, 2017, 10:29 PM »
Tip ups are not a Ronco Rotisserie where you set it and forget it but that’s the mindset most have.

For panfish I’m constantly moving them around until I get locked in. For pike I run deadbait 99% of the time. I won’t move from hole to hole as much for pike but my sets are being worked constantly. Every 15 minutes I’m walking around and lifting them about a foot and setting them back down. It moves the oils around but more importantly it can and will cause a reaction strike.

Pike will stalk their prey. They’ll watch something for an ungodly amount of time and won’t move unless it moves or if they sense it could be stolen from them. By lifting them a foot they will often freak out. Countless times I’ve had flags pop up within a minute or two of doing the lift. Guys think I’m nuts for working them like this but as theirs sit dormant and mine are going up they get the hint.

The other thing to consider is to work through the area with a jig pole and wax worm. If you run into a bunch of small panfish it’s a sign that predators are nowhere to be found. With dead bait I check it within 30 minutes. If the bellies are eaten out it’s the same deal. Small panfish will feast on the bellies of dead bait. If I see that I also know there are no predators around.

Offline Doeslayer

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #8 on: Dec 08, 2017, 11:23 PM »
I hand Aug my holes and smoke too much.... I'm also always on foot so I'm only so mobile... I try to do research while summer fishing for structure so when winter comes I set up where I think the fish will be... Some days I catch fish some I don't.... But like someone else said I mess with my tipups... And sometimes I'll just put a different minnow on... So.e fish just look tastier than others I'd imagine maybe the one that isn't catching looks unappetizing... Heck idk lol
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Offline stripernut

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #9 on: Dec 09, 2017, 08:27 AM »
I fish on foot and drag lots of gear... Often you don't need to move far at all, some days just a few feet is the difference from a hot hole to a wasteland... I have seen this many times, we will find a hot hole and cut holes all around it (within 4 feet) and not get a flag on another hole and still get fish from the "hot" hole... Those are the days I wish my camera was working...

Often when I do seminars on ice fishing I ask how many anglers have boats? Then I ask the same anglers how many fish from permanent shanties? Lastly, I ask them how many anchors their boat in one spot all summer long? It normally gets a laugh, but my point is cutting a hole in the ice and dropping a line is like a cast and many anglers seem to be fine with "casting" to the same spot all day (some all season) even if they are not getting fish. I don't fish like that in the open water and I don't fish like that when ice fishing. I cast until I find the fish (unless I am being lazy) and when I do, I keep "casting" to that same spot and others like it...

Offline WalleyeAdventurer

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #10 on: Dec 09, 2017, 10:00 AM »
I hear you.  Usually I get a flag, run out and the fish has dropped the treble and eaten the minnow or it's just perch messing with my tipups.  The afternoon bite usually is pretty slow so I'd try and go fish deeper water until the evening bite comes.
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Offline deadsmelthead

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Re: one hit wonder
« Reply #11 on: Jan 07, 2018, 06:58 PM »
I guess for me it would be of the ut most importance to know im fishing where fish have been caught.All the rest of the stuff as far as dropped baits and such.. ehhh, get to your traps faster. Pike will drop a bait at the 1st sign of something afoul... 😀
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