wheres the smallies at?

[pike slayer]

hey, so today i headed to one of my favorite smallie lakes called tilley lake. i brought a buddy in that has only fished it once before and got skunked. i've fished it 30-40times and never left the lake empty handed. the past 3 years i've just nailed bass in there getting 30+ bass in a day. this year i go there and the best i've done is 11 bass but i catch hardly any small ones anymore. like today all we got was 2 fish, one was just under 5lbs and a 2lber. usually you cant keep the little bass off your lines. my tried tested and true lures in there are x-raps in the #8 size or the x-shad in the #6. i'm wondering whats going on? did the bass have a bad spawning year? theres commrants now on the lake for the past 2-3years, could they have wiped them out? the walleye fishing appears to be the same and my buddy caught the first speck out of there that me or him have ever seen. i'm not complaining about the 3-5lb bass ive been catching but im worried about the future of this lake now. or is it me? my old tricks just arent working anymore? hahaha what are your guys thoughts? pic from today!

Edited August 23, 2009 by worm dangler

[Cudz]

Nice fish.

I have seen photos of comorants eating 12+ " walleye so it is indeed possible.

[Dean Ellison]

Any gobies there yet. They pester the nests till the bass are driven off them, then devour all the roe and fry.

[pike slayer]

this is an inland lake and the chances of a goby getting in there are very small unless someone plans on using one as bait. i think this bird season i'm gonna stop at the lake real quick with my 20g and see if that does anything haha! this lake is usually an awesome smallie/walleye lake and i would hate to see it turn to crap.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

the tilleys are heavily pressured. if fish stocks crash, i'd look at angling pressure before i'd blame the cormorants or a "bad spawning year"...

[pike slayer]

tilley does get hit pretty hard but its been getting hit hard for the past 20+ years since ppl have been able to get in there with trucks. my grandfather told me stories about back in the 40s-50s when they just got to the tilleys and he was one of the first guys being on the lakes being a part owner of the property and hiring loggers to go in get pulp and he said it was unbelievable fishing. anyways for a lake being constantly hit for so long why would it just fall through now, i say pressure has actually been down a bit cause of the launch is getting worse and hardly anyone has the guts or a truck to make it back up and having to go down the creek and portage over the beaver dam leaves the not so hardcore fisher ppl going else where.

[johnnyb]

I dunno....if it's accessible... I'll bet a devoted group of poachers could do some serious damage...

[oates]

I've found the same on the Grand and maybe the Thames. Not catching many but when I do, they are 3lb+

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

tilley does get hit pretty hard but its been getting hit hard for the past 20+ years since ppl have been able to get in there with trucks. my grandfather told me stories about back in the 40s-50s when they just got to the tilleys and he was one of the first guys being on the lakes being a part owner of the property and hiring loggers to go in get pulp and he said it was unbelievable fishing. anyways for a lake being constantly hit for so long why would it just fall through now, i say pressure has actually been down a bit cause of the launch is getting worse and hardly anyone has the guts or a truck to make it back up and having to go down the creek and portage over the beaver dam leaves the not so hardcore fisher ppl going else where.

 

 

that lake is SOOOOOO easily accessible...i'm not sure what you mean by the "not so hardcore" fisher people because anybody willing to carry a boat 75 metres or run a canoe down a short creek can fish it. hell, 2 winters ago I went icefishing there in a toyota camry. if you can drive RIGHT to a small lake in winter, in a toyota camry, chances are LOTS of people fish it.

[pike slayer]

i was saying less ppl must go there with the creek being damned up and the launch a complete mud hole but ya it still gets hit hard but its been like that for 20+ years, why would it just fall out and not be able to take the pressure now? and most ppl fish walleye in there not bass. i personally think it isnt fishing pressure unless natives decided to net it.