bent rod chaser's

Bent rod syndrome will be on lake st clair from now until the end of time and thats a fact that unfortunately exist. Theres nothing like catching a big smallie land it,unhook it and suddenly look up to see a dozen boats circling you like buzzards on a rotten carcass. But another fact is that even though LSC is a huge lake there are substantial sized weedbeds in certain areas that people find and mark on their GPS that hundreds of other people have also found and marked along with humps, depressions, rock beds, and boulders. As much as you are right in some people out there are lurking around the lake looking to steal spots there are just as many people if not more that have already found those same spots before you even happened on them and many more people will eventually find them in the future. So when you go out and see someone on "your spot" just take a deep breath and hit another spot you know or do like I do sometimes and fish the spots around the the spot because what ever it was you found that held bass in that area more than likely there are similar spots just like that near by. Don't let it get the best of you. If you love fishing as much as I do you won't give it up over finding people sitting on your spot.

QUOTE(sirfishalot @ Aug 3 2009, 11:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Bent rod syndrome will be on lake st clair from now until the end of time and thats a fact that unfortunately exist. Theres nothing like catching a big smallie land it,unhook it and suddenly look up to see a dozen boats circling you like buzzards on a rotten carcass. But another fact is that even though LSC is a huge lake there are substantial sized weedbeds in certain areas that people find and mark on their GPS that hundreds of other people have also found and marked along with humps, depressions, rock beds, and boulders. As much as you are right in some people out there are lurking around the lake looking to steal spots there are just as many people if not more that have already found those same spots before you even happened on them and many more people will eventually find them in the future. So when you go out and see someone on "your spot" just take a deep breath and hit another spot you know or do like I do sometimes and fish the spots around the the spot because what ever it was you found that held bass in that area more than likely there are similar spots just like that near by. Don't let it get the best of you. If you love fishing as much as I do you won't give it up over finding people sitting on your spot.
Agreed. Worse thing you can do is to let on to someone how good the spot is - maybe they don't know the potential and will never figure it out. Eventually they will give up on it. If I'm sitting somewhere that I truly want to hold near and dear, as soon as I see a boat coming I pick up and leave. Don't even let them get close.

The most important thing I've learned about finding good spots is to remember that I'm not the smartest guy out there. How egotistical is it of me to think that there's no way anyone else could ever find something that I found? 90% of my fishing time is spent during the week when barely no one else is out there. Going into the Stren tournament I was really proud of four of the spots that I found. Nice little spots that held some real nice fish, and I had never ever seen another boat fishing them. A few days before the tournament I was running around timing my runs, and you know I saw guys fishing three of them? Broke my heart. Oh, well. That's how it goes.

As long as people give reports, print newsletters and sell books on spots this will happen.

When you see a boat stop AND you have a fish on, thats when its bad.

The best advice I can give is to keep your head down and fish your area/spot like no one is around. If you happen to come to it and another boat is right on it or you dont want to show someone else how to fish it, go on to the next spot. If you do decide to stop, please respect the person that was there first. You can set a great example by doing that. Alos dont be afraid to start a conversation with that person (if you are THAT close).

No one owns the water and because you dont see anyone on it while you are fishing it one day, doesnt mean that others dont know about it and have already fished it.

Alot of discussion about this lately and personally I have seen all sides of it. After fishing the lake for 20+ years, you will learn more and more. I still do. Heck I found a rockpile Sunday 50 yards from a spot I have fished for years.....I will be out again this week investigating further!

lol, this is a horrible thing to see on your way to your honey hole. another boat.

ive been hitting 1 general area for perch, well i noticed 2 boats on my way out, and they're always in their same spot, until this past week, as i pass their spot, i noticed they werent out that day, was kinda shock'd, then i rounded the weeds and there they were, about 40 yrds from where i sit.

no problem whatsoever, just cruise back by their spot, toss out almost a pound or more in sinkers and act like you have some huge fish tuggin and pullin, lol then hit another spot, before you know it, your spot is free and clear.

people can be like fish, and your the bait. they not only notice that your there, they usually know how long your there to. try to move around a little bit.

i try not to get mad out there, thats the 1 of the reasons why im fishing. take a deep breathe and remember your fishing. good luck on your next trip out there.

I thought I had a great spot going before the state fish off...I had a Stren Pro from Tennesee...I think his last name was Bull or something like that come right up on us his first day out in practice and mark our spot as a way point..He stayed right with me the whole day as I worked that area...I was in a tournament so I kept at it..Basically he saw me pull over 18lbs out of there...He came back on Thursday..(The day before the state fish off) and pulled 17lbs out of there the first day of his stren...I got out there Friday and there were 3 stren boats working that area......
I got a lesson how alot of Pros use locals to help them pattern, but at the same time there probably isn't much that I could do about it and should have had more productive areas to run to after all of that pressure....
I don't let boats in the area freak me out too bad....As long as they stay 2 cast lengths away I just keep at it and hope that I can put the heat on them.....One other thing..Controlled drifts and keeping track of your productive trails for the day can make all of the difference....I have seen anglers just off from the productive drifts fail miserably...
I have also had boats pull up..fish an hour or so and not catch anything and leave....I may only be fishing for 5 big bites all day.. I really don't think they get that....

QUOTE(motocross269 @ Aug 4 2009, 06:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I thought I had a great spot going before the state fish off...I had a Stren Pro from Tennesee...I think his last name was Bull or something like that come right up on us his first day out in practice and mark our spot as a way point..He stayed right with me the whole day as I worked that area...I was in a tournament so I kept at it..Basically he saw me pull over 18lbs out of there...He came back on Thursday..(The day before the state fish off) and pulled 17lbs out of there the first day of his stren...I got out there Friday and there were 3 stren boats working that area......
I got a lesson how alot of Pros use locals to help them pattern, but at the same time there probably isn't much that I could do about it and should have had more productive areas to run to after all of that pressure....
I don't let boats in the area freak me out too bad....As long as they stay 2 cast lengths away I just keep at it and hope that I can put the heat on them.....One other thing..Controlled drifts and keeping track of your productive trails for the day can make all of the difference....I have seen anglers just off from the productive drifts fail miserably...
I have also had boats pull up..fish an hour or so and not catch anything and leave....I may only be fishing for 5 big bites all day.. I really don't think they get that....
Unfortunately, he can get away with that in a Stren tournament. From the rules:
QUOTE4. Off-limits, practice and competition

• There will be no practice period or off-limits period prior to the pretournament meeting. Contestants may not enter tournament waters to locate bass or potential fishing waters after the start of the pretournament meeting except during tournament hours.
• Once competition is under way, contestants may not obtain fishing patterns or locations from noncompetitors or follow a noncompetitor's boat or participate in the practice of "hole sitting" or the placing of markers by anyone. Anglers eliminated after each round of competition are considered noncompetitors.

If it was an FLW Tour event, he would have been in violation. Restrictions against following a non-competitor's boat extends through the official practice period. Several FLW guys got in trouble during practice at the FLW Kentucky Lake tournament when they were busted following BASS Elite guys during their tournament. Knuckleheads.

I had a Stren boat come up on me in practice and try to watch. I put down my rod, waved at him, then folded my arms across my chest and stared at him until he left.