10 Minute Rule

[Sisco Sisk]

Greetins all,

I heard something interesting the other day and thought I'd run it past everyone. While watching one the many Bass Fising shows last Saturday, I heard Marty Stone say that one of the the weekend anglers biggest mistakes is staying in one place too long. He stated that he has a 10 minute rule fishing familar water and a 20 minute rule exploring unfamiliar water. This meaning ...if he doesn't get bit in that amount of time, he's moving to a new location.



Thoughts?

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Depends on how big of water we're talikng about here.

If it's a small lake my my local lake and gets pounded in certain areas...I pay no attention to that because the areas I fish are long offshore points and ledges and I could spend many hours on it before even boating a fish but, usually are gooduns'

 

[Bill Hutchison]

With the price of gas might have to extend that time a little :lol: I seen the same thing I'm guilty of sitting on a spot for to long sometimes.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Our lake gets pounded so bad, I actually spend alot of time looking for new "off the wall" areas that most wouldn't think about fishing.

Alot of peple go by me and I know they're thinking ,"why is that guy fishing out in the middle of lake"?

Problem is...idiots try to get as close as they can!:angry:

 

[Scott Smith]

I won a tournament several weeks ago (3 hour NBAA tourny) by camping out on a spot for 2 hours and 50 minutes. I caught one fish within the first 5 minutes of the tourny, then went fishless until 10 minutes before the end of the tourny. I was familiar with the spot, knew the fish should be there with the conditions I was presented and it was just a matter of finding the right bait and waiting for them to show up and/or turn on. While Stones strategy may work on occasion...I think your better off fishing a spot that your familiar with, where you know the fish should be with the conditions that are presented to you and then figuring out how to get them to bite. I've screwed myself alot by running and gunning...I try to avoid doing that now.

 

[william Clark]

I didn't fully agree with that either but I guess I am one of those guys he is talking about. With my heavily pressured lake I make myself fish no faster that setting 10 on my minn kota.

That has helped me many times catch a fish that a boat just passed up.

I guess it is how you take what he said. I wouldn't stay in one "spot" that long unless I was c-rigging a known producing spot or a brush pile with stubborn fish that you just know are there. Clark

 

[Tony Payne]

sheesh... all these rules...



It all depends upon your confidence level..... confidence in your location, confidence in your timing, confidence in the 'mood' of the fish.



Folks like Marty and other 'pro' anglers are looking at covering water, usually trying to pick off the most active fish as quickly as possible... they simply don't have time (in thier mind) to try and figure out what the fish (in the area) might actually want, and they prefer to make as many casts as possible...



Myself, it's a bit of a mixture... I'm certainly spending less time on any given trip in an area that isnt producing, but only after having established that one of a few primary techniques will not work... 10 minutes simply isnt enough time for me to adequately determine anything much.



Now, keep in mind that my 10 minutes is probably more like an hour to these pros, as they probably make 6-7 times the casts/adjustments to my one.





Also, I've seen alot (and I do mean alot) of tourny guys run up to a point, make 4 casts and gun off.... now either they know something I don't, or they just didn;t want to catch the fish that we then went and cuaght off of that same area (working slower).



One of the main things I ahve been doing is listening to myself more (easy to do since I never shut up)... If my 'gut' tells me to try a little longer, i do, but the moment it tells me it's time to go, we go.

 

[Texas Transplant]

I know that last year, I was going through a very dry spell fishing. So I started going out and doing a 30 minute rule. I camp out way too long in an area.



When I used the 30 minute rule, I found I seemed to do better. However, I really need to work on it.



I fished with a guy 3 years ago in a Federation tournament on my home lake. In 8 hours, we moved 35 times. He caught a small limit. I got 2 from the back.



Tex

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I just love coming in behind someone who has moved off a spot and pulling a fish. What he didn't say was how long you stay depending on what bait you are throwing. It takes a while for me to work an area with a senko but I know that if they are there I will get them. Then it depends on how well I read the water.



TOXIC

 

[Kevin Kern]

I believe that Kevin Van Dam, who is considered a "power fisherman" covers as much area as he can trying to catch the aggressive fish. His strategy is to cover the maximum amount of water in the amount of time he has and figures he will catch many more fish than most and put him in a cull situation earlier than most. This gives him a chance to cull more fish and end up with slightly bigger fish.



Bass fishing is so unpredictable for most of us. There are times when fast is best, slow is best, big is best, little is best, deep is best, shallow is best, red is best, black is best, logs are best, rip rap is best, weeds are best. I think you just have to try a little of everything.



I have stayed on spots where I knew there were fish because I had caught so many there in the last few days. I might throw a crankbait 30 times into one tree top because I know there are fish there. Just a couple of weeks ago my dad and I were fishing a lake here in southern Indiana. We were about half way back in a good size cove. We were fishing a downed tree that came out into the water about 50 feet. The water at the deep end of the tree was about 8' deep. We were throwing crankbaits and just bumping them all the way down the tree until we had completely covered the tree, so we were quite a distance from the bank. I had lost one a week or two earlier that I guessed at 7 pounds. We each made a large number of casts and my dad finally said "I think we have covered this tree pretty well" and I said "I know there are fish here lets work it a little more". We each made several more casts just as we had been and all the sudden my dad gets a hold of one that weighs 5 pounds. A few cast later I catch one that was around 4 pounds. It was my belief that fish were there that made me stay the extra time which in the end allowed us to make the catch. If someone else came through there and made 5-10 casts they may not have caught anything.



There are just so many variables in fishing, you just have to get out and fish as much as you can and figure out what works best for you on the lakes you frequent. I think you can increase your odds of catching more and bigger fish by really learing a particular lake really well as opposed to trying to learn 10 lakes really well. As Jimmy Houston says "The guys that catch the most fish, go out early in the morning and stay late".



Kevin

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Of course I'm not talking tourny fishin' either...I don't do em' anymore.

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Guys - I don't know if it is 10 minutes or not, but I know at my age when I have to pee again it's time to move to another location. Don't like to fish stained water nor above normal temperature water, either. LOL

 

[TOMMY RICH]

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[TritonGlenn]

Bill,

You live in Virginia, and you don't like to "fish stained water"??? That kind of narrows it down to a few lakes, your bathtub, and the neighbors pool, doesn't it??? :lol::lol::lol:

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Glenn - I was referring to yellow stained water. LOL