“Lookers”

[Petros]

Don’t know about everybody else but this year I’m seeing more lookers than ever before. The bite has been way off for me. I’ve seen the word slow in so many posts. Is there something going on here? Opinions.

[Stickhick86]

Been wondering that myself. Can't tell you how many times I see a fish rise up to my jig on the flasher just to disappear.

[NEWLEE]

I'm having the same kind of year. Been out 5 times and have only caught as many fish as I should have in one outing. A buddy of mine fishes the same water and has slayed them a couple times when I wasn't there so just keep after it and your day will come.

[beerduck]

one time I used a camera and a fishfinder the same day and was surprised at first to see how many lookers no biters there were on the finder then I put down the camera to see the fish were sucking in the tip of my wax worm then spitting without the slightest detection I actually took a 22 fly hook and rigged it on my jighead as a trailer hook and buried it in the wax worm when the fish  bit the tip of the worm I set the hook my buddy beside me couldn't detect a bite and I was pulling up big perch

[Ken18621]

one time I used a camera and a fishfinder the same day and was surprised at first to see how many lookers no biters there were on the finder then I put down the camera to see the fish were sucking in the tip of my wax worm then spitting without the slightest detection I actually took a 22 fly hook and rigged it on my jighead as a trailer hook and buried it in the wax worm when the fish  bit the tip of the worm I set the hook my buddy beside me couldn't detect a bite and I was pulling up big perch

This is sound advice,  last night  a buddy and I  were fishing 8 feet apart and he was outfishing me by at least 6 to 1. Once I  put a spring bobber on I was able to start hooking up again.
 The bite might be there , it might be so subtle that it wasn't detected.

[Magic2]

I agree. Lot of baitfish with the mild winters past few years? Very choosey. Lot of pressure too where I fish?

[icecoldchrome]

I agree 1000% last year I got on the ice one day and cought a ton of fish this year I've been on the ice a ton with not so many fish I'm making alot I can watch them look at it and when I do get a bite  it seams very light

[sloughdog]

I think the sudden cold and freeze up killed a lot of weeds very quickly and may have also killed some fish. I’m already seeing dead shad in the ice at Shawnee. This sudden kill off is sucking the oxygen out of the water because decomposition of dead stuff takes oxygen. With lower levels of oxygen, the fish just aren’t feeding/active.
I’m hoping the recent rain and inflow of water re-oxygentated the lakes and the bite will come on. Lakes where the inflow muddied the water might take a little longer for the bite to come on. Time will tell.

[Magic2]

That cold be...hope it killed more then just some shad...the walleye I have managed to catch looked like they were going to explode. Giants with massive bodies and little shrunken heads. Like someone on steroids. The only way I can get them to strike is to work the bait to play to their opportunistic instinct. I'm not very experienced though so I could be doing it all wrong.

[hard water jim]

I have found the bite to be very soft this year to the point you have to watch the end of your rod for ever so slight movement. When I see the movement I just raise the rod very slowly about 6" and let it drop slow also and had good luck with getting them to hit. Almost have to tease them in slow motion. The other thing is I am almost dead sticking while holding the pole. Used a flasher for the first time yesterday and marked very few fish but was able to tease the few I did mark into biting with the above method.

[clayboy]

Very inconsistent weather. So the ups and downs and pressure changes don't do well for the fish either. If you get 3 good stable days in a row the bite gets hot

[smally hunter]

I've slammed the fish every time I've been out except 2 trips and both of those can be chalked up as I just didn't find them. My best suggestion is to give them what they want.  I've had times where iv had to switch baits over a dozen times to find what they wanted . On the most tentative days I've switched to a tiny presentation with one maggot or a plastic . Just what has helped for me

[Fishslayer3]

I've been having the same problem, lots of lookers and not many takers. And the takers have been so light I end up missing more than I catch. Even running a very small jig with one waxie and a very light spring bobber I'm still not getting many hook ups. 

[icecoldchrome]

I've been battling this all year and the past two nights it has been the worse last night at keystone  with in 2 hours I had 31 marks come right up to the jig. Out of them marks half hit but it was so light of a hit you would swear they where minnows. The wild thing was the fish I landed where nice size perch crappie and trout seemed like the bigger the fish I lighter the hit IDK about you guys but watching them come up to the bait on the flasher and not hit starts to get under my skin after while

[Crappiehunter1981]

The flasher is a blessing and a curse...... 

[SirCranksalot]

IMO, the main purpose of a FF is to keep the fisherman entertained so he doesn't get bored or frustrated and give up.  Without one it's sometimes easy to think that there are no fish down there but the FF tells you otherwise. I guess the flip side is that after seeing so many peepers and window shoppers but no biters, frustration replaces hope. 

[captain54]

My son and I fish Presque isle Thursday and Friday. We probably caught 200 gills/ seeds,crappie,perch and LM bass. It was without a doubt the slightest bite I think I've ever seen. We caught 25-30  LM Bass and a lot of them where 3-4 lbs and the didn't even hit any different than the panfish. I swear if I wasn't using a Tickle Stick,I'd never have seen the hit. I have several rods and most have a spring bobber on them,still they barely move it,the Tickle and a 19" Wicked 13 UL saved the day for us.