Fished the potholes from the 21st through the 24th, with 1 small largemouth caught the whole time. Average lake temp was 51- 52 degrees, and the wind kept trying to blow everyone off the lake. The 1st day of the potholes open was cancelled due to the wind. Maybe next time...

Going to Potholes on Monday and tuesday of next week. Looking forward to a slay fest again.
Russ

Yeah we went up into the crab creek area, there were 2 boats that we talked to, one of which had one fish. We heard that there was a 6+ pound smallie caught on Sunday, though. I didn't hear where.

D of F & W wants to knock down the numbers of sm allies at that size specified to increase the trophy size and cut down on overfeeding by the multitudes of smaller fish, saving the food for the others.
At least that is what they said at the winter meeting.

I fished Potholes last Thursday (20th) and we caught quite a few nice smallies against the Dam and the rocks between Goose Island and the dam.
This was only after searching for Largies in the dunes.
I only found a couple largies and they were real spooky.
The water is as high as I have ever seen it.
According to my buddy who lives in Moses Hole,
the wind has still been blowing, especially in the afternoon and early evening.

Mike

Well for the last couple of years I've realized that someone will always catch te fish. I know wind seemed to be a problem for me and I have to learn to produce more bites at certain lakes in the wind. Usually wind means a great spinnerbug bite, but when that isn't working I have to learn to be efficient on other patterns. I let the wind get the best of me this time. Wind-1 Maglio-0. I'll get better. I must or drowned in the mid ranks. This one has been hard for me to swallow......especially with the time I put into the Potholes last year. Bring on July!

My issue is not relative to whether I catch fish and place high in an event.  When I committ to spending time on the water, I am just looking to spend it relaxing on my boat with a good friend.  Frankly, at my age, I REALLY don't give a damn about catching.  I just want to enjoy a relaxing time on the water.  In retrospect and in my youth, I would have went after the smallies in my hole.  That would have required a run across some fairly rough water, though it likely would have been fishable.  I realized that, but made a choice to see more water in the dunes, but it did not seem to click .  I have resigned myself to the mid-ranks until such time as I can spend more of it on the water pre-fishing.  I guess I am just too "scared".  If only I was as brave and strong as others, then I could be the greatest WBC angler ever .  BTW, Rob, it is now WIND - 12 Kirk - 2.  Not much chance of a lead change from this keyboard.

When I first started fishing with the club I went several tournaments without catching a fish.  I was starting from scratch and did not understand the subilties of presentations etc.  Then fishing from the back of Russ's boat I finally found my first Bass, a nice 1 1/2 lb Lg Mouth.  I kept repeating the same presentation and by golly I caught another one.  I ended up catching 3 that day, my first success in catching a bass under  tournament conditions.

The next tournament I tried the same technique, confident that I had "cracked" the code...wrong, skunked again.  As I sat around listening to others (more successful than I) it became clear to me that catching became more prevelant as ones knowledge of the types of baits and presentations increased as well as when and where to use them.

I have been studying our friend the bass intensely since that time and have been fortunate enough to have managed to become fairly consistent at catching a few in the tournaments, even managing to take home a little hardware.   

Pre-fishing is a game of exploring, trying to establish the most likely place to actually find active fish.  Once you are basically familiar with a body of water, the need for constant "pre-fishing" is debatable.  But the need to understand how the time of year, temps, weather conditions etc affect Micropterus salmoides or Micropterus dolomieu is what separates the more successful fishermen from the aspiring fishermen. 

Each time we are out and focused on the conditions, baits, presentations etc, we gain a little insight into our favorite sport.  This translates into increased success in catching bass under tournament conditions.  But eventually we hit a ceiling.  The question then becomes, what is keeping me from being more consistent? 

I personally keep a very detailed journal for each lake I fish.  I add information every time I fish, but also listen very carefully to others and their experiences, noting time of year, methods and presentations, water temperature, weather, and depth of presentations.  I read the journal frequently, noting anything that has changed.  I especially note whether dinks or smaller bass were being caught, or if fish over 3 lbs were being caught.  Because bigger fish congregate in certain areas consistently at different times of the year.

But back to the basic question:

Pre-fish:  Absolutely cause it is fun and you can learn something.

Will it guarantee you success:  Not necessarily, if you know the lake, be prepared to change up your style depending on the weather, time of year etc.  Have a plan for all conditions or you may become very frustrated.

I too am interested in hearing what others have to say about this particular subject. 

BillB