hardwater shanty towns

[Kentucky Windage]

What's your thoughts on villages out on the ice and how it affects the fishing? Noise and fishing pressure move them off OR keeps them around because of the buffet fisherman are offering?

Do you saddle up with the crowd OR avoid like the plague?

Discuss!

 

[Fishmission]

Avoid. I go out of my way to not fish by anyone. I think it affects the bite big time. I seem to be in the minority though. See Audubon cities lately?

 

[luvcatchingbass]

I personally avoid the crowds for the most part. There have been a couple occasions where I set up near the outside of one in a large basin and it has paid off at sunset

 

[Bfishn]

I avoid at all costs. I’ve never quite understood why ice fisherman like to bunch up so much. i Never set up within probably 100 yds of anybody else and stay even further away from large groups. I purposely then surround myself with tip-ups to keep people away. If your closer to my tip-up than I am, your too close.

Sometimes on a hot perch lake it can be tough to get away, but for the most part I avoid the “hot lake” and local spots at the big lakes.

 

[walleyeman_1875]

I typically avoid the ice house cities. Problem is you can't see if anyone is catching fish. My go-to-method is to find a group of people fishing outdoors and bust out the binoculars. You can eliminate alot of unproductive water this way!!

In all seriousness, if you're new to the water, join the crowd. If it doesn't pay off, at least you can get a sense of the depth, details that the fish were biting on the previous weekend and you can search out similar areas.

 

[AR-15]

Just like summer, 1 boat then 2 then 10

 

[Stan's Dad]

Gst would like to see waters and lakes privatized. People forget that

 

[bigcatpike]

I stay far away if at all possible. If I must fish near the crowd, I fish on the outside of them.

- - - Updated - - -

Just like summer, 1 boat then 2 then 10

Last summer at Devils Lake we were jigging just outside some trees with no one within a mile or two of us. Next thing we know some dumbass from MN got the idea he was going to drift outside those trees and ended with his boat literally rubbing up against ours. Shoved his boat away and told him how f***ing stupid he was. Didnt even make an effort to stay away. In the summer I also avoid crowds like the plague.

 

[Migrator Man]

Depends on what you are fishing. The perch schools on Devils can be schooled up tight together and you have to be within the group to get on the school. That's about the only time I would fish in a big group.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Look at your camera. Depends on the lake. Sometime fish like the noise they come swimming in

 

[KDM]

I tend to avoid these places. I enjoy my solitude when fishing and get a particular kick out of finding my own fish. It always puts a smile on my face when I drive past the shanty town spots with a bucket of fish I caught on my own someplace else.

 

[Lou63]

hard or soft water I avoid crowds when ever possible, some lakes the shore fishing is limited so have to put up with others. one lake I avoid a lot close to home the people in the campground allow their kids to run free (I am talking 3 and 4 year olds) and I get tired real quick telling them to leave my fish basket, poles, tackle box etc alone.

 

[Allen Gamble]

On a lake i'm used to fishing i'll avoid them or just go to another lake, but if it's a lake i'm not accustomed to i'll probably fish the outskirts of a shanty city.

Summer fishing is where I enjoy my solitude the most. Hardwater i'm already pent up in a house for 3/4 of the year.

 

[Lapper]

Funny how every response here is to avoid the city but yet the cities still happen....

 

[Allen Gamble]

Funny how every response here is to avoid the city but yet the cities still happen....

I was thinking the same last night.... it's not like we all are a part of the city and hiding it, but it shows how many people fish and don't partake in this site. I now know when I'm out fishing and I see another person in the middle of nowhere avoiding the crowd like the plague, they're probably a member of NDA.

 

[KDM]

Funny how every response here is to avoid the city but yet the cities still happen....

Lots of good reasons to fish in a shanty town. I submit that in many of these shanty towns, the membership is made up of local folks that like to fish, but also like to chat, eat, drink, play cards, bring the kids to play, and all manner of other activities where having close neighbors is an advantage. Additionally, if you get a big snowfall, somebody in the shanty town usually has a toy to at least get the houses off if needed. If catching fish was fun, but of less importance than being social and having a good time, I would probably find a shanty town full of like minded folks and let the good times roll. However, I prefer to use the Bullhead Tourney for that sort of thing. (Grin)

 

[NDSportsman]

I try to avoid being too close to others but some spots are well known producers. Easier to get away from crowds on bigger bodies of water. Some people like the comradery of others I suppose. To each their own.

 

[wby257]

Funny how every response here is to avoid the city but yet the cities still happen....

I was in one of the cities on Fri and Sat. Fri was a little slow but Sat made up for it big time. One of them days where everything you put down the hole they took. Great day of fishing. I got spooked when the wind came up. Packed everything up and took off,snow was blowing so hard was hard to tell how much snow you were driving in.

 

[H82bogey]

Just like summer, 1 boat then 2 then 10

Yup. This is the worst. I've long had that opinion that most people on the big lake(Sak), believe that if there is a boat there, they must be catching fish and will pull in to fish as well. And the more boats, the more fish must be being caught. Now I understand some areas of the lake are not secrets and will always have multiple boats fishing, example, independence Island, but I always find it funny when someone is fishing a very random spot and all of a sudden a boat passing by cranks the wheel hard over and turns and fishes right on top of the other boat.

 

[snow]

We travel all over Mn,sodak and nebraska icefishing,its the same where ever ya go,you can setup w/o a sole in site,then bang here comes your best friend ya never seen before,camps right next to ya,then his friends come out and the next thing ya know your sourrounded bye idiots and ya gotta move,generator's going.music blaring etc...f'that.Some of these folks will try to open your shack door to see what ya got...