Do fish have travel routes like a path or road

[antlercarver]

When ice fishing often one hole will out produce all others around. Same hooks, same depth. Next week out same hole as before again brings in more bites,
Sometimes as much as 20 to 1

[lds]

Is this the exact same set up but 2 different people manning different rods. Not saying your wrong but from my experience one hole might get more action for one guy then if you switch holes the action follows the guy that had the action before. I think it may be more to do with subtle differences in presentation you don’t notice. That’s just been my experience but may not always be the case.

[oilngas]

Interesting question. I have a very unscientific theory; there are subtle bottom, gear, bait presentation or vegetation difference that non fish i.e. the fishers don't readily observe. When summer slip bobbering, we notice that the "hot" rod / bait / person may be at a slightly different depth, heavier weight or lighter weight, smaller bobber, minnow install technique, sharper hook, different hook, coloured hook, lighter line, lighter leader, holding their mouth different (as Dad said) etc. At certain times I believe they will all make a difference, the trick is "what's hot today"!!!!

[JareS]

I believe foreign contaminants play a big part in bait fishing/ slower presentations when one rod or person is greatly outfishing the other for seemingly no reason. Cigarette smoke, gasoline etc on your hands when putting on bait. I've even gone as far as wearing those disposable latex gloves when rigging bait, back when I used to smoke darts.

Obvious exception is when your fishing partner is just bad at fishing. Ie- steel leader when ice fishing for Walleye!

[antlercarver]

I may have 8-12 holes and as I move from hole to hole, one seems to produce more bites. When I leave the good hole and my wife move to the good hole again she gets more bites than she had at other holes. Of course next week I get her or grandchildren set up on the good spot . It seems the location is the determining factor.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by antlercarver

I may have 8-12 holes and as I move from hole to hole, one seems to produce more bites. When I leave the good hole and my wife move to the good hole again she gets more bites than she had at other holes. Of course next week I get her or grandchildren set up on the good spot . It seems the location is the determining factor.

I have experienced the same thing many times. There is almost always a magic hole it’s not the bait or the fisherman.

I can’t explain it and it does not matter what species either

[MooseRiverTrapper]

It’s the fisherman. Lure prestation (hanging horizontal after each fish). Bait hooked correctly. Fast twitches, still, pound bottom or 4 feet up, what do they like today. Attention to detail and quick adaptation will outfish everyone around you.

[pikeman06]

I think you all have valid points but the one exception is the central alberta whitefish in the shallows. They seem to have trails through the weedy flats...it really sunk in when the cameras came into play. In lakes like gull the weeds were often 6 or 8 ft long and froze right into the ice but still a bit patchy with the odd bare spot when you really looked close. A hot hole in gull would give you a steady stream of whites while your buddy 15 ft away wouldn't get a sniff. That's why everyone was so possessive of their spots. I could go to the same spot and literally drill a foot away from yesterday's hot hole and repeat the process. If it was ten feet away you might not see a fish. This applies to gull lake and whitefish mind you, but I always figured it was trails or travel lanes the whites would cruise through.