Dilemma: Do you leave fish to find fish?

[Mr. Sandman]

Lets say you have a sure thing going and you can pick away at decent fish that pull the drag good and hard all night...but there are no real sea-monsters in the pack. Do you leave them to find larger fish? I am about to and this could be a bad decision but I think it is what needs to be done.

[fishbones]

The age old quality vs. quantity dilema. I have no problem leaving smaller school fish to look for bigger fish. Especially this time of year, when you can pretty much assure yourself of not getting skunked. I'm going out this weekend and am going to look for big ones first. If we don't find any, we will go to some spots where I know we can get some consistent action and maybe pick up a few nice size fish. If that still doesn't work, I'll bite the bullet and stop at a spot on the way home where I take newbies to guarantee that they will catch something. All small fish, but it gets my buddies hooked on saltwater fishing. I just hope if I end up there, no one I know sees me.

[numbskull]

I often do. The fun is in finding them and figuring out how to get 'em. Once I've got a few decent ones and feel convinced (rightly or wrongly) nothing bigger is around, I'm happy and willing to spend the rest of my time hunting something larger, or trying something different. Although, staying put and fishing through 20lb fish hoping for a bigger one might make more sense, I'd rather be looking than hoping. I think I learn more with that approach and at the end of the night I'm happier if I learned something new than if I ran up my season total of medium sized fish.

[Clogston29]

i'd probably leave after getting decent, say 10-25 lb, fish regularly in a area for a while with nothing bigger thrown in. i'd get bored if it was too easy (not saying its easy, but you know what I mean). you can always go back to them later.

[The Dad Fisherman]

I'll leave smaller to find larger........If only it were that easy though

[Rockport24]

can you tell where that spot is, because I would LOVE that. I have yet to find a place that produces "drag pullers" consistantly. I often leave schoolie bass to find bigger bass, but I'm talking real schoolies, like 22-23 inches and under. I would have a hard time leaving drag pullers because I would be convinced a bigger one is around. However, if you have been fishing the spot a lot and are getting tired of that size fish, move on.
maybe I should just fish with a freshwater set-up and let the schoolies pull drag!!

[piemma]

NEVER!!!!!

[ilovetwofish]

I agree I wish I could find steady fish in the 20-25 pound range I don't think I could leave that spot if I found it.

Originally Posted by Rockport24

can you tell where that spot is, because I would LOVE that. I have yet to find a place that produces "drag pullers" consistantly. I often leave schoolie bass to find bigger bass, but I'm talking real schoolies, like 22-23 inches and under. I would have a hard time leaving drag pullers because I would be convinced a bigger one is around. However, if you have been fishing the spot a lot and are getting tired of that size fish, move on.
maybe I should just fish with a freshwater set-up and let the schoolies pull drag!!

[Guyver]

With the current price of gas, NO!!!

[fishsmith]

Nothing ventured nothing gained.
1/2 the fun is finding them, you've accomplished that by being on them, now you want the trophy. It does blow when you burn all that fuel for not though.

[The Iceman 6]

I would stay.

[vanstaal]

Originally Posted by piemma

NEVER!!!!!

ditto!
thats insane if u do

[eastendlu]

I stick to the old saying "never leave fish to find fish" because everytime i leave to find bigger fish all i get is a big skunk.lol

[tynan19]

Well if you are trying for the prize I would move.

[american spirit]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

Lets say you have a sure thing going and you can pick away at decent fish that pull the drag good and hard all night...but there are no real sea-monsters in the pack. Do you leave them to find larger fish? I am about to and this could be a bad decision but I think it is what needs to be done.

i guess you might not find your 50 if you stick with the old. get in with the new locations. it'll be pissah if it pays off. and now you have one more option to chose from each night you go out.

[joe the plumber]

Don't ever leave a pick.

[bart]

i've seen my buddy pick a 30+ out of a school of dinks and blues way too many times. so no, i don't leave....

[EricW]

I find with fishing time being limited at times, if I am lucky enough to find and get into fish I'll just stay there and be very happy with what I caught. I love being on a beach and seeing blitzing fish around hoping they will come my way. When they do, that is one of my favorite things.

[Brother Brian]

Did it Wed. Left 25" schoolies to find 30" schoolies. The fun is the hunt. The funny thing is that the spot I went to is VERY popular but I went because I knew it was holding bait. There was nothing there so I took a walk and found fish. I watched about seven guys pull up to the popular spot, cast for 15 minutes, get nothing and leave all the while having a pick.

[Back Beach]

First thing I would do is make sure you aren't fishing "wrong" for the big stuff amidst the fish you have in front of you. If you aren't throwing an eel, you may be guilty of being "wrong".
One time on the back we were catching a lot of 15-25# fish on live eels, and one of the new yorkers came down with rigged eels. He proceeded to cull a number of 30# plus fish right next to us while we took nothing over 25#.
Hardly coincidence as I've seen the rigged eels take the largest fish in the school many times.
Take home lesson is make sure you're fishing the right way before you leave fish to find fish.

[cheferson]

Why would rigged eels cull out the larger fish???

[Mike P]

I only leave fish to find more privacy

[Goose]

Depends if the tackle matchs the fish. Its double edged sword and I usualy end up get cut.

[steve]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!!!!!!!!!

[steve]

CASE IN POINT- I was once picking away at small schoolies using live eels and thought about leaving to find bigger fish. Conditions were good and it was about this time of year. Something told me to stick it out and about 15 minutes later I landed a 44 pounder. Ever since that incident I very rarely leave biting fish, even dinks.

[steve]

Just for the record- A very good surffisherman recently told me that he routinely "leaves" 30 pounders to find bigger fish. Now that's confidence! I couldn't do it.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by cheferson

Why would rigged eels cull out the larger fish???

They cast further and get deeper more quickly, which is sometimes the difference between large and larger. You can cover a lot of water efficiently also. Some guys like to make real large(24") riggies too, which are good for real big fish.
The point I failed to make was if you were going dry with plugs or just catching smaller stuff that you should put an eel on before going to another spot.
I will be at that place again tonight, save some room for me.

[steve]

Backbeach is right on!

[shadow]

If your fishing the right spot as in a spot that holds large fish from time to time then don't leave the small fish are in there for a reason the same reason that might bring in a larger fish the spot I'v been at is holding smaller fish in tight and larger fish are out further.

[Clogston29]

in my previous reply I was assuming this is something that has gone on for days and that you've thrown everything you can think of at them to cull out a bigger fish. If I came on to fish like that one night, I wouldn't leave. It would be after 3 or 4 nights of similar action that I would think about leaving.

Backbeach - did anyone try a rubbercore sinker with a live eel in the situation you described by anychance, just curious if that would have taken some of the rigged eel advantage away. Also, were the riggies fished slow or quick. Just curious. I've gotta do up some rigged eels this winter and play around with them. I keep saying I'm gonna do it but just never do.