Fishing near the crowds

I’m not the type to fish in the crowds. But, how many of you guys fish near the crowds with success?

Do you look for likely fish holding structure nearby? What do you look for when wanting to fish a known area for holding fish, but don’t want to sit in the crowd?

For crappies, the crowds are over basin area’s for a reason. The edges can produce great fishing if you refuse to settle for stump sitting and keep moving till you find pods of fish.

Shallower, smaller structure for walleyes get a little more challenging.

i steer clear from the crowds as well. what i do when dealing with the crowds is look for secondary locations. case in point a few years ago on mille lacs i wanted to put my buddies wheel house on the inside turn of a mud flat and it was peppered with people…..just down from that inside turn we found a really nice steep break maybe a few hundred yards away from where everyone else was set up and it payed off

-b-

Fishing the edge of a crowd can sometimes be productive if fish are on a flat. If there is structure, seek something similar.

I have found a crowd makes a lot of noise which can spook fish and push them away or give them lock jaw.

Non-expert disclaimer here also.

People are bunched up in palaces for a reason. There’s some quality structure and known production.

But, I avoid those places. I don’t care where you are, if you can find places and populations of fish that are pressured less, you’re more likely to get favorable reactions from the fish, and probably more likely to find quality fish.

I like to try and find bottom comp transitions out away from crowds when possible. This is where side imaging in the summer along with a GPS are invaluable to ice fishing.

Yesterday I went to a lake I have never been to-crowds tend to gather at the center of a hole on a basin type panfish lake-thats where we saw people. we went to the edge of the hole because the weather was nice, pre-storm. If I was forced to go out there on Thurs. after the storm and below zero I would go into the center of the mob set up a shack and finesse. This approach works for me-Good Luck

I second the “edge of the crowd” mentality. Often times guys are sitting on key structure with fish loaded below them. HOWEVER, these pressured fish can sometimes be a lot tougher to catch. Pods of fish that may located on nearby secondary features are sometimes much more aggressive in my experience.
My ice strategy is to try and be one of the first on obvious structures but as the season progresses it’s time to venture out away from the obvious.
If I can find 1 or 2 new locations each season that’s ever more rewarding than sitting in the same ol’ places year after year.

i agree with all the responses. i typically look for something similar to what the crowd is sitting on and try it. it almost always produces just as well. i think a lot of times guys set up in a crowd just because theres a crowd there and don’t want to try to find the fish. just know what youre looking for as far as structures and depths!

Kyle Wills wrote:

What do you look for when wanting to fish a known area for holding fish, but don’t want to sit in the crowd?

Depends on species. As a general rule, I’ll follow either a weed edge or contour line depending on what I’m chasing. Like stated above, noise is probably the #1 thing that turns fish off. As the season progresses, active fish seem to move out and away from major crowds – especially with vehicle traffic.