Forums36
Topics40,962
Posts557,962
Members18,501
|
Most Online3,612 Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
1 members (Boondoggle),
823
guests, and
259
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 73 Likes: 1
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 73 Likes: 1 |
Need some help!!
On my 9 ac pond in Chester SC -All BG, LMB, and HSB only want to eat fish food!!!
Fish refuse all artificial lures (flies, soft plastics, spinner baits, jigs ,spinners, crank baits, topwater baits, etc.) and BG are actually reluctant to eat a live worm or cricket! Water quality is great, great deep water and edge cover, top notch surface and diffuser aeration, have excellent live forage (BG, Threadfin shad, Tilapia, Crayfish) Have good numbers of 1 lb. to 6 lb. LMB and 3 lb. to 6 lb. HSB . Have been able to occasionally catch some fish on artificial fish food bait and flies but refusal to catch fish on all artificial lure has become frustrating and disappointing.
3- Feeders operating two times per day distributing approx.150 lbs. Aquamax 600 per month Total.
Considering several options -1. Eliminate feeding totally., 2. Feed every other week.,3.Feed every other month. etc.
Any suggestions or similar experience will be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks, Al Allison
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,952 Likes: 184
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,952 Likes: 184 |
Have you tried lip hooking live shiners? Small split weight and lite wire hook very small cork(optional) that usually works . Small bg 2” long hard for them to resist
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,384 Likes: 606
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,384 Likes: 606 |
Several of the people that run heavy feed schedules say to turn off the feeders a few days prior to a known fishing day.
The Stubby Steve's lures that actually use a fish pellet as the bait also get many "thumbs ups" on the forum for being effective for several different species of fish.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76
|
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76 |
What FishinRod said. Turn off the feeder a day, a couple of days, before fishing. Your fish food is actually supplemental food, so the fish won't suffer from lack of pellets now and again.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,973 Likes: 276
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,973 Likes: 276 |
Several of the people that run heavy feed schedules say to turn off the feeders a few days prior to a known fishing day.
The Stubby Steve's lures that actually use a fish pellet as the bait also get many "thumbs ups" on the forum for being effective for several different species of fish. +2
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 73 Likes: 1
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 73 Likes: 1 |
I appreciate the replies. I mostly fly fish but my friends all use other artificials and the lack of catchability seems to transfer to all. Stubby Steves has worked in the past but now does not work. I made a cork fly that replicates fish food and use a small #12 black hook, but BG, HSB, and LMB now turn away. My pond has large population of Threadfin shad but it is rare that you see any surface feeding. These predators seem to be prefer the fish food!
I found a Post by Bill Cody from 2013 and he stated that he cut his feeders off for 2 months to encourage his HSB to eat over abundant BG and indicated that HSB were also reluctant to strike artificials while running feeders. I will turn off feeders for several weeks to see if the fish become more aggressive.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,973 Likes: 276
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,973 Likes: 276 |
Try chumming with fish feed when you use the Stubby Steve's (a George Glazener trick).
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76
|
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 534 Likes: 76 |
+1 to what Theo said. During many of my fishing sprees, I chum with small quantities of pellets and mealworms. Once that small toss is just about cleaned up, the fish are eagerly searching for more. Something will hit my next presented fly, lure, baited hook immediately.
I was amazed at the skill our guides in Baja had. They could draw a dorado, roosterfish. tuna not only right up to the boat, but to a 10 square foot area of water close to the boat or out aways. We'd be poised to drop our offering right into that sweet spot with immediate hookup.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,499 Likes: 266
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,499 Likes: 266 |
I can assure you that on a 9 acre pond and using 150 lbs of food a mth - the fish are eating way more than just fish food. Basic energetics would require much more just to maintain stasis. BTW non-catchability is a heritable trait in most pond species. There are lots of threads here on both subjects.
|
1 member likes this:
FishinRod |
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,312 Likes: 300
Moderator
|
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,312 Likes: 300 |
Al, since you fly fish, try some glo bugs and color them with a brown marker. They come in several sizes, and they sink, or can float if you have a floatant like Gink or Fly Agra.
Glo bugs have caught oodles of trout over the years, and I use the brown ones here.
Back in the day, George used to make his own pellet flies. There's an old thread on the forum showing the steps, but there's not much to it. He'd use a hole puncher on thin foam, then wrap the punch out in stockings, and then tie it off. He'd hook the pellet in the excess material, not the pellet itself.
AL
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
|
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68 |
Pellets wrapped in panty hose are our go to with finicky pellet trained fish - I cast it just like a nymph rig on my fly rods. Cody keeps us in steady supply of used panty hose...I don't ask.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
|
1 member likes this:
DrLuke |
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,973 Likes: 276
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,973 Likes: 276 |
Assorted sizes, I assume.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57
|
|