whats the deal with Chester Woods???

hey all,

was out on chester woods tonight to see if the sunnies were biting. by the number of cars in the parking lot it sure looked like the were. they sure did bite my line though. this is the third time i was out this winter and haven’t caught a single fish yet. last year you couldn’t keep the darn things of your hook. any body no what the deal is.

Funny… just had a conversation with a Rochester native about this very subject. His answer? She’s been pounded into absolute submission. Or that was this gentleman’s opinion. I’ve never fished it… but do know the pressure has increased exponentially over the past two winters.

You know the old saying, “by the time you hear about a hot panfish bite, it’s already too late!” That could be the case here.

i think that that’s a good choice of words. last year there was hardly anyone out there. now the parking lots full every night. but still, even with all this added pressure you’d think you’d at least be able to catch a little one, with the special regs in place and everything.

Certainly there’s no doubt there’s fish remaining to be caught. The added pressure conditions the fish and we are sitting smack-dab in the middle of winter right now which is usually is a slow time on all bodies of water regardless of size or pressure. To compensate for “pounded fish,” downsize everything…. from bait to the line you’re using. Line test from 1 – 3 Lb will help quite a bit, most guys seem to fish 1.5 – 2 lb line, … and go with a very fine spring bobber to aid in bite detection.

There’s better days ahead regarding fishing…. particularly for the crappies that always seem to turn on as ice-out approaches.

Keep us posted on the fishing on Chesterwoods. Certainly it’s no secret any longer so talking about it a bit isn’t likely to hurt much.

They have been catching ”big” bluegills by the dam. Last summer there were some big bass 3-4 pounds and even a few bigger ones caught out there too. Sounds like it is turning into quite a fishery. I have been told that the DNR is managing it for a world class bluegill fishery. Bill

this summer it was a world class bluegill fishery. the fish were everywhere and were all nice ones. last winter was the same, but this winter is a completly diferent story. i know that they’re there, i just don’t no why i can’t catch em’ like before.

the bass fishing in there is also very good. there is a good number of bass that hang around all the submerged trees. some 6+ pounders have been pulled out of there. i think that with the no motor rule and special size limits that the fishing can only get better.