I fish eels often, and I notice that whenever I move to an new location, I get a bass within 5 casts... think its going to a GREAT night, and I keep casting for 2 more hours to get a short. that first keeper keeps me fishing unproductive water for hours... Why is it so easy to get the first, but such a chore to get the second? more eventually come, but is it because my eel is hitting undisturbed water, and they eventually get spooked? I dont think this is the case, but who knows... maybe I got the only one there? any thoughts?

I have experienced very similar situations, however I feel this type of thing is veryspot dependant. I think it has alot to do with the way the bass relate to that specific spot. It could simply be an area that only a couple bass patrol at any given time. Other spots that produce more steady numbers of fish over the course of the night may be spots that bass are constantly moving through. This is just the theory that bass hunt differently depending on the spot (including factors such as tide, current, etc..).

I have experienced very similar situations, however I feel this type of thing is veryspot dependant. I think it has alot to do with the way the bass relate to that specific spot. It could simply be an area that only a couple bass patrol at any given time. Other spots that produce more steady numbers of fish over the course of the night may be spots that bass are constantly moving through. This is just the theory that bass hunt differently depending on the spot (including factors such as tide, current, etc..).

What Vogt said - at least in my experience.

I always chalk it up to there being just a few fish of a larger size in that particular area or stage of the tide.

I always figure that might be it for the spot - but yeah, I always hang out longer than I probably should just to see if the big girl was cruising the area with one of her fat friends :hihi:

The 'fish-of-a-similar-size-schooling-for-efficiency-in-feeding' theory seems to not apply to larger bass very often - the bigger they get, it seems the more likely they are to be loners. Stands to reason - there aren't that many of them around once they attain a certain size. Then they cruise singly or in pairs from what I've experienced first hand.

Not to say there aren't big fish blitzes of schools of cows - it just doesn't happen all that often. The ones that do occur become the stuff of legend for guys who were there - like DZ's experience with the Snowstorm Blitz on BI (in '87 I think it was).

GOOD STUFF, Crafty!!

i always wondered about there cruising/podding habits.
you know; the whole yearmates quandry??

here's sumthin for what it's worth,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
i'm returning some bug trap buoys this am to
this udl's lobster docks and a i see a couple of lobstermen
making way with some of their traps,,,,,,,,,,,,,

so we start to talk about where i got the buoys from and how i came across them, after that he proceeds to tell me of big pods (hundreds) of 50#'ers and up hangin' with his boat as they drop bait fish over the side near the rocks of this unreachable island that is seeable from my biggest producer.

now, is this how they pod or more a function of the Chowbell calling all COWS???

more pertinent to this thread is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
i have noticed that with THIS spot, it is very much a
first cast spot (about 85% of the time) when using eeeeels.
the last three times there. first cast, first take. many different sizes.

1st time; 33"er
2nd time; 40"er
3rd time; 30"er
and there was the night inbetween 2 and 3 that i missed many takes
commencing with the first cast ~~that was a better than average pull.

the most important thing i can glean from this is, at THAT spot
with eeeeels (rigged/live/sluggos) i bess be game ready from the gitgo!! that being said, i have had nights when the bite continued and that place was stacked with varying sizes from teeners to COWS. and the bite lasted for upwards of an hour,,,,,,,,,,,i hear yer dilemma, ivanputski, very TOUGH to leave a place when the first cast finds its target. and there is the age old debate of why/when is the best time to leave?

Hey BD, when someone tells you a fish story, ask to see a picture of the fish first :hihi:

Not to say it's not possible, though - lobster tails were the prime bass bait well over a hundred years ago for the guys fishing off of the old bass stands ;)

Yes, the first cast bass dilemma. Very often I find that these fish are what I call “resident bass”, those bass that live in a very general area and are not actively migrating. In the case of most locations there are certain “lies” within each area that are preferred locations to feed. These preferred lies (or feeding stations) are often guarded by loner bass (or a small group of bass) that will chase away all others. What I often see happen in these locations is you catch or stick a bass almost immediately, then nothing. If this happens I give these locations time to lie fallow then come back to them later when another bass has often moved in to claim the spot. During the spring and fall migrations these same areas may stack up with fish as the bass may be in a schooling mode. One more thing - these preferred lies often require a precise cast to put your offering through the strike zone as resident bass may not move far from the structure. Try and make note of which corner of a boulder field, bar, or reef your strikes come from – more often than not they will always produce (unless the structure changes, example sand bar).

DZ

Because the fish was there first and saw no lures or eels until you presented one. It's like being the first guy into an hotel bar 45 minutes after a planeload of nurses returning from a convention was just grounded due to snow and given free rooms.

Because the fish was there first and saw no lures or eels until you presented one. It's like being the first guy into an hotel bar 45 minutes after a planeload of nurses returning from a convention was just grounded due to snow and given free rooms.

yup, the desperate, agressive, ugly, etc. (i.e. hungry, aggressive) ones go quick. it takes alittle more effort/class/money to land the rest. good analogy.

also, in some areas (mostly quiet, calm ones) i've found that the act of fighting and landing a fish can spook others.

i use eels almost exclusively, and on the first cast of the night, it feels like my heart is going to punch a hole in my chest... The sheer anticipation of that very first eel hitting past productive waters is incredible... i have missed SOLID hits on my first cast because I would cast and start adjusting my wader belt, or repositioning plier sheath on my belt, etc... now I try to be ready, because it usually happens that first 5-10 seconds after the eel hits... OH... SIDE QUESTION: When I cast a PLUG, it lands DIRECTLY where I aim it... when I cast an EEL, it lands at about 1:00 o'clock from where I aimed... slightly right, with same finger release... anyone notice this?

Highly correlated but slightly different point for plug guys like myself:

Arrive at spot, tie on a plug, cast, catch a fish or two, then quiet.

Change plug, cast, catch a fish or two, then quiet again.

Change plug yet again, cast, catch more fish, quiet again.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

great thread..

happened to me on MV. few fish with eels then it would get quiet.. i would find a new rock and i would start to get hits again

In my experience,if you are lucky enough to get a good bass on the first cast or three,then nothing,you should move.You just caught THE large fish behind that rock(or hump,or sandbar).There may be a bunch of shorts close by,but probably no more large.Reason being,the one you got was dominant,and pushed away the competition.

pure gold, and is going straight into the strategies files........
i am already familiar with the resident bass characteristics of this place
they average between 34"-36" pre-Fall Run, and 37"-40" during the Run!!
is it any wonder why i LOVE this spot??

what you guys have shared makes perfectly good sense, as well!!

EXACTLY, DZ, about the precise cast for the preferred lie!!
there are 3 "cast here" spots within that SPOT that are ALWAYS
where the fish are,,,,,,,,,,,,Thank YOU very much for putting words
and experience to help me to define this most productive location.

also, animal, thanks for the suggestions about when to move, especially since i've found that the biggest beotch of the night is ALWAYS the first bass caught in this locale,,,,,,,,,,,,,GREAT Stuff, gentlemen, thanks a million!!

one last thought, however,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

is it possible that pods of trophies hang out?? just wondering if you guys remember any multiple trophy nights from the shore ~not blitz related~ that say one or two surfcasters were able to go over 100#'s on only two fish??

Because the fish was there first and saw no lures or eels until you presented one. It's like being the first guy into an hotel bar 45 minutes after a planeload of nurses returning from a convention was just grounded due to snow and given free rooms.

verrrry interesting and hilarious as well, Joe!!
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

*are you shore it's NOT my excellent presentations of the slithering slimy ones??*

i like the ideas of the quick retrieve along the bottom, as well. works great in SW FL for
Reds w/ Johnson's sprite 3/4 gold spoons :heybaby: :heybaby:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

nice stuff Clogs,,,,,,,,,,,,i TRULY apprecaite all these S-B nuggets of knowledge that should serve to help me to be more productive with my fishing windows of opportunty. if i can only pry myself away from these places, i'm sure that this will lead to hitting MORE productive water in MORE places; to hopefully yield MORE "first cast" lahhhhge. AMEN!!

Thanks again, everyone who added their valuable insights and experiences,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ahhh yesss another light goes on in tha HOUSE that MoSaxxy is still building :bl: :bl: :bl:

Its resident fish many times. One of my old time surf mentors suggested I find a bunch of "one cast wonder" spots and fish them in a rotation during the night if they're located close enough together to maintain efficiency. Get your one fish and either move to the next spot or go home. Most times this is the case with big fish as one will come home and roost on a spot until captured. During the migratory times of year, you may want to stick it out or come back to the spot later in the night. Often times you'll return to the spot on the next tide/next night and another "one cast wonder" will take place.

Oh yes, always take into consideration your experience with your "spot" or "spots" before applying the above mentioned method.

It is especially true in the canal driftin eels. Its like what, is there one f'n fish sittin there just waitin for somethin to go by and then thats it? We race to be the first one with an eel in the water at each spot.
Fish are strange creatures with tails.

We race to be the first one with an eel in the water at each spot.

If you're lucky I'll have to go potty and leave you unattended for a few minutes.:fishin:

A simple change of plugs often negates the one fish wonder spot effect. You may have to rotate several to keep busy.

A simple change of plugs often negates the one fish wonder spot effect. You may have to rotate several to keep busy.

I hear ya Flap. Its true with plugs , but if they won't take an eel there's likely nobody(big) home. Have sometimes switched from an eel to plug and taken fish too. Used to rotate rebel-needle-nils master @ chatham inlet and it worked well. Of course you could bounce a single sand eel and hammer them all night if they were there.

I hear ya Flap. Its true with plugs , but if they won't take an eel there's likely nobody(big) home. Have sometimes switched from an eel to plug and taken fish too. Used to rotate rebel-needle-nils master @ chatham inlet and it worked well. Of course you could bounce a single sand eel and hammer them all night if they were there.

Roger that on the eel.:uhuh:

Its resident fish many times. One of my old time surf mentors suggested I find a bunch of "one cast wonder" spots and fish them in a rotation during the night if they're located close enough together to maintain efficiency. Get your one fish and either move to the next spot or go home. Most times this is the case with big fish as one will come home and roost on a spot until captured. During the migratory times of year, you may want to stick it out or come back to the spot later in the night. Often times you'll return to the spot on the next tide/next night and another "one cast wonder" will take place.

Oh yes, always take into consideration your experience with your "spot" or "spots" before applying the above mentioned method.

Excellent point, Back Beach - goes hand in hand with another tip of a similar sort that an older friend told me in the beginning, think of rocks as game trails (if you hunt, too) -

Some parts of the game are pretty predictable, other parts...well, not so much :hihi:

Iron Mike told me he would give his fishing buddies a beverage, then go make the first cast without them.