How long do you stay?

[zippyduck]

How long do you stay in an area without bites?
How long with one bite?

I have to admit that this is probably my biggest problem on the water, A lot, not on the water but thats another story.

OK back to how long to stay on a spot, I tend to give every area at least a half hour. I know it should be shorter, I think.

What scenarios makes you move and what ones keep you there? 

[ItsJason]

Probably the same, around a half hour. It depends if it's late fall/winter/early spring though. I'll stay in a spot a lot longer if the water is really cold and the fish are sluggish.
If it's good conditions and warm, and I have a decent sized area that holds (or could hold) fish, I generally make about 3 rounds of "fan" casting. If nothing I'll often move on after that. If the area looks particularly juicy, I might pick up a good finesse rig and follow up with another few sets of casts, but that's about it.

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[BrandonK]

Spawn and I can see them there, longer than usual. Otherwise, very very short. If they arent interested I'll go find some that are.

Probably a downfall for me as I'm in a kayak and it's hard to cover much water. However, if I am not positive there's fish there and I am not getting bit or seeing positive signs of potential, I'm gone to the next structure


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[Wizard]

It depends on conditions and what I see. First, there has to be enough forage and bass in the area to make staying worthwhile. A couple of things we need to remember. Bass need to feed at some point of the day and not all bass feed at the same time. I may stay and wait for the feeding period. If you leave, bass at the next spot may also not be active. Now, if I fish through a supposedly prime lunar period with few or no bites, I leave. I finished well in some tournaments where I stayed and the bass started feeding. The old rub of do you leave bass to find bass is usually decided by the angler's patience.

Wizard

[Smallie_Stalker]

It's a tough decision when you're fighting a tournament clock. 

I never left an area until I felt I had fished it thoroughly from every angle possible. Sometimes when fishing shallow I would fish down a shoreline and not get a bite then I would turn the boat around and go back down the same shoreline in the opposite direction and pick up a few bites. I was also taught to pick cover apart from the outside to inside so that can take some time too.
I'm sure it probably cost me a few checks but if I didn't so it this way I'd have a nagging voice in the back of my head for the rest of the day. Figured It'd save me from second guessing myself in the long run.

[zippyduck]

Ok,

I like to stay on deeper bites much longer than a shallow bite.
Exceptions are in the spring. Then it is a keep up or get left behind scenario. You never know for sure where they are in the spawn. So being mobile and following the fish in and out is going to require fast moves.

Winter and summer bites require you to stay on your fish till they are hungry or you fire them up or head to other fish that might be on the chew.

[D.W. Verts]

It just depends so much on how confident I am in the pattern that I'm running.

Deeper fish, or current-oriented fish are a different deal altogether. No bites, no baitfish, I'm gone.

Good topic.