When is it time to move?

[Doug Hodel]

I'm sure this has come up in the past, but I am wondering when you decide to move from one spot to the next.

I fished FPT yesterday and I found myself in a bit of a dilema. I was in an area that held good quality fish, but I couldn't seem to deliver what they wanted. Not to mention the area had been pounded for 2 days straight. I was being a bit stubborn and sticking it out.

How long do you wait after the bite has seemed to die?

[JamesH]

I say give it a 30 minute rest and then come back. I don't think there is a magic answer, sometimes it's just a matter of being there when they feed. I think that's the hardest decision to make during a tournament, some sit on a honey hole, some make milk runs.

James

[kopper_bass]

Doug,
You should either stay or go .
If you could really define this moment, when to make a move or not, and have it work every time, you would be competing with KVD to be the world's best fisherman ever.

For every story about a "dramatic" change for victory, there is one about a guy "sticking it out" to a win!

It really is a gut thing that you just got to listen to it and go with it. sometimes its going to work and you feel great about it, but when it doesnt work out you need to just accept it and not question your decision. It sounds reasonable that you moved in this situation, since the pressure was big and wasnt letting up on these fish. Who knows?

If its a great spot, i do like doing what James suggested; leave it rest and fish nearby. then come back a few times and try again.

Sorry it didnt work this time, but it might next time.

Kopper

[Marty]

I’m always thinking it is greener on the other side of the fence.

If I’m on fish and I know they are there then you have to ask yourself why would the fish be biting or active at some other location if not at this location. I was once told why leave fish to go and find fish, you just have to figure out what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. But I have stayed at location that had fish and have run out of time also.

[Delaney]

Let the fish tell you when not io move is the best rule

[Rod Rinta]

Nothing I can add to what's been said above, except one thing. Whatever your choice, stay or go, fish like you know you made the right decision. Don't waste your time by second guessing yourself. Make a decision, and have confidence in it, not doubting it.

[Cooch]

I fished FPT yesterday and I found myself in a bit of a dilema. How long do you wait after the bite has seemed to die?

Doug, I have one rule on this River in April & May, if I ain't gawking and sayin', "OMG, look at that pig!", and seeing fish moving all around the boat, I'm gone! We spent Sunday moving around looking fer colonies of fish that were moving up. If I didn't see em, we never even stopped to fish. If I saw one or two, an isolated empty bed up against the bank, we were gone. If I saw giant cruizers out in the grass, we stopped, dropped the t-motor and spent hours catching fish. Some places it required tossing different baits , boat position was different, , longer casts, add a weight, try it weightless, maybe a shakey head, change colors, got to a 4 or 5" Senko, weightless Brush hog, Kreature. Two things were constant, fish plastics, and slow down like ya never wanna see tomorrow!

My choice is very different here at other times of the year though. What works the best fer me, if it pops into my mind that I need ta change/ move, I tend to trust that thought more often than not!

[texas john]

Doug,

I too found myself in this delima on Saturday at the WRl Delta event. My first two spots of the day, both of which have been holding nice fish, were dead, 1 fish in the livewell at 1030-1100. We had fished this one spot for over an hour with just the one fish when I decided we needed to go, for whatever reason the fish were not active there. We made the call to leave and it paid off. first 45 min on the next spot and we had 3 more fish in the well one of which was a 8lber. Sometimes the grass is greener, sometimes its not.

[mark poulson]

Don't you just love it when you leave a spot and someone else pulls up on it, and catches the winning bag?!

[Otay Michael]

I vote Cooch 'best answer'.

[Scott Shambre]

Doug, I had found an areas that for the most part had remained untouched during the prefish days and was holding good prespawn Spots. My key all week to checking these fish was not to stick a single fish all week, my baits were hookless and if I saw a follower or a fish swiped at the bait it was good enough for me.

Game day we were boat 78 out and thru some act of god we were the first boat on the area I had been on. That area kicked out a 4 lb. Spot to my son 5 minutes into the day, but chilled as more boats moved into the general area.

Although we moved around quite a bit, I visited that area 4 more times throughout the day waiting for the fish to "move" in. I think the overall pressure in that part of the lake put a majority of those fish off and if we were gonna get'em, we had to do it early!!!!!!

[MIKE TREMONT]

I'm thinking about moving to Texas, everything is bigger in Texas, right?

Sorry Doug. I really wish I had answer for you. I've never really been that successful at this tournament stuff. The few times I was, I was really in tune with the fish and had a few key spots to keep running back and fourth to. The last couple years and this year especially, any decision I make seems to turn out bad.

Folsom is small enough this time of year with a 40 boat tourney, let alone over 160.

Chalk it up to experience and start looking forward to the next one. Don't beat yourself like someone I know, it don't make it any better.