What to do? A vexing question

[Iceydan]

This has bothered me since i've been fishing so im wondering what you...experienced people...do. When I get to a spot and you see fish all over your screen but you're pulling up dinker after dinker should I stay or should I go...as the song rightly asks? I mean you get stuck thinking there has to be bigger ones and staying or there has to be bigger ones somewhere else soooo what to do.  This happened to me yesterday and I have to say I'd rather stay in a hole where Im seeing fish and hold out for bigger ones that move to where there's nothing. Anywho whats the consensus on this vexing dilemma?

[Eaglecrg]

What kind of fish are you after?  I'm guessing some kind of panfish?

[trapper2000]

one  of  the  reasons   electronics  can  cost you  fish!!!!   if  you  didn't have a  screen to look at   and  drilled a  hole  and  only  pulled  dinks  would  you move?  then move  now!

[bird21s]

Try to get familiar with the size of the marks. If the mark is more like a rectangle and thin it's a small fish. When the mark starts to look more like a square it's a larger fish. Keepers usually appear larger than your jig on the screen. Dinks tend to be smaller then the mark your jig makes. That's how I can tell.  But I would move. You could get lucky and catch one or two big fish from the pack, but with perch I look for the jumbo school.

[hardwater diehard]

Fish your baits higher ....switching to plastics may entice the larger fish ...switch to  larger bait/presentation ...anther method is to keep what you got on ....catch your dink ...then remove the dink but then present a different bait(on anther rod set up) as mentioned above ...

[dp]

Well, it depends, as usual.  Definitely try lower or higher in the water column.  Then a different bait.  If neither produces bigger fish, then you should make a short move or 2, then a bigger move.  The Vex will without a doubt put more fish on the ice and in your bucket when you learn how to make the right decisions more quickly.

[Finders Keepers]

An Aqua-Vu would tell you exactly what's down there and you can target the larger fish, but in our experience with perch, the larger fish school together. So if you are getting dink perch, move to find the larger size class school.

[Dark Cloud]

yep, bigger baits 2-5 ft above the dinks will tell you if bigger fish are around. You'll also learn to read the signal via size and how it moves - will tell you fish size...

[tubby67]

DC, How are you liking that new Vex.? I tried my new 28 out yesterday works awesome.

[trapper2000]

big baits  high  is  often a  waste  of  tim  usually  when  dinks  are   every where  the  big  fish  are  on the  very  bottom   tight lipped  often  you  can  pull  one  or  two    but  truth your  better  off  moving

[Iceydan]

I guess a big part of the reason is not just because there's a lot of fish on the screen its because last time...last time I caught a limit or 10 big ones on that spot. Kinda of like having a hunting stand that produces a stud buck. When you sit somewhere else and see nothing but squirrels you always want to move back to the other spot. And yes panfish is the target. Perch crappies. Still figuring things out.

[trapper2000]

well iceydan  if you already know what you want to do ...why ask?

[Iceydan]

Well I guess because if there one thing I've learned its you don't know everything. Better to ask and get no answer than not to ask. Fortunately I got some good advice here. Just saying sometimes it'd difficult to leave a spot with fish in it is all H
ow did you figure it out Trapper?

[trapper2000]

bout the  time  I  got the  tenth  dink  and  I remembered something  about  fish  generally  school  by  size  ....... I fish  for  panfish I  drill  a  lot of  holes  to  start moving is  no big  deal

[Iceydan]

That's good info. Again I don't know a lot about it so I ask to cut down on the learning curve. Feels like I rubbed you the wrong way trapper2000. I don't mind working for em which is why I sat there pulling out dinker after dinker. After about 30 was wondering what others would have done in my boots is all

[trapper2000]

noooooooo  not  at  all  ..everyone  fishes  different  ....there is  no  right or  wrong   really  i'm more a  money  fisherman  so if i'm not hitting big  fish   I move  quicker then a  guy  with  his  child just out to have  fun ......another thing I have a  gas  auger  so I  zip a  bunch of holes  and  I hope  around a lot .....sort of  what infisherman preaches .....I like  my  vex!  but it can cost you time  you see fish and  you spend maybe  to much time  attemping to get them to hit instead  of  finding  aggressive  fish!  for me  me  able  to hole hope  is the  guy ...I  fish a lot of  waters  that have  no limits  on perch or  bluegills   so  I  want the  most  good  fish in the least  amount of  time  ......it  doesn't  always  work!  sometimes  your  better taking your  time .....I  was  just  confussed  if  you had a  plan of attack or not ... 

[wackmaster308]

I usually give it like a half an hour if im still getting nothing but dinks I move

[fowl_language]

Fish your baits higher ....switching to plastics may entice the larger fish ...switch to  larger bait/presentation ...anther method is to keep what you got on ....catch your dink ...then remove the dink but then present a different bait(on anther rod set up) as mentioned above ...

100% agree with this, when it happens to me I switch to a higher presentation, if the dinks come up and still hit.  I switch to a larger lure of the same color in a similar type of profile.  Then I fish the bottom again and then bring it up.  If nothing changes in 10 minutes I move.

If I'm fishing in my hub, I crack a beer and sulk in my sorrows cause I'm to lazy to move.