Are Bass Not Going To Be Active Midday In 100 Degree Weather (Small Pond)?

[mikey5string]

WRB. I understand DH's logic but like you do best early or around dusk. For the last few weeks I have been doing very well with topwater stuff around dusk until about an hour after sunset. Mostly frogs but black buzzbaits also work very well. If there are pads in the lake, throw a frog on them around dusk. Twitch it a few times. If that doesnt work go home because there arent any bass in that lake ; )

[KY Outdoorsman]

hey man, the way i think of it is this. fish r jus like humans, when its hot they wanna stay cool when its cooler theyre more active. i have the same issue because i live in eastern kentucky and weve seen triple digit temps for about a week and a half straight but not getting off subject in this heat these fish r going to seek deeper water bc its cooler for them. the good part is they have to eat sometime. try using maybe a texas rig brush hog and work in along the bottom or even a crank bait which ever you like and good luck!!

[Louisiangler]

Heat will generally make Bass more inactive much like humans. It's logical, the prefer a certain temperature just like we do, the closer to the preferred temperature the more active, the further away the less active. When it gets hot like that I break out te night fishing gear. I have had very good results just waiting them out til the bats start to fly about. And don't think that you need some "special" color for them to see your bait. Nope, it's all about 1) proximity 2) presentation and 3) speed. If its close enough to them they will pretty much tag it regardless of what it is. That's why I like a good Texas rig for that type of fishing, something I can cover a lot of water with but at a slow pace. You can literally drag it right across their face, and if you do, 8 times out of 10 you will get a strike. Presentation is also important, at night Bass tend to rove about more but not a great distances. If you get a bite in one area stay there even if you don't get nothing for the next 20 casts. If you are patient you will get a strike because Bass tend to follow the same pattern of behavior. If he was there earlier he will be back, either him or another. Speed is the last component. At night a slower speed can work to find where they are holding to. After that is determined a higher speed bait can be used to work the up- a crank or a swim bait.

[405z06]

Nobody knows the answer to this. Fish are completely unpredictable. We think we understand a little about them, we want to understand, but we realy don't. Think back to your prior fishing experiences. I have been fishing in April after a viscous cold front where the air temp dropped 30 degrees and it was sleeting. The next day the fish were in 2 inches of water and we caught one every other cast it seemed.

Same lake a few years later in May on a Sunday: Fish were ON. It was one of those day were you catch so many fish it actually gets boring. The next day, with the same temp, same skies, same barometer, same everything, and you couldn't buy a bite.

The poster on the 1st page suggests that big fish feed during daylight hours and most big bass are caught at a certain time. On the other hand, a famous study tracking big bass in Texas found the exact opposite: "Hope also learned that big bass feed predominantly at night, 12 months a year. "Every fish over 7 pounds is a nocturnal feeder,” Hope said. “They may feed periodically during the day. But they do most of their feeding at night, usually in two-hour intervals. They feed for a while and then rest for a while.”

http://www.flwoutdoors.com/fishing-articles/tech-tackle-reviews/143706/bass-that-go-beep/

My point isn't to say somebody is wrong, or somebody is right. The point is that we don't understand these fish .0001% as much as we think we do. Go fishing when you have the time and don't worry about the things you can't control like the weather.

[jiggerpole]

I'm glad you posted that video. I have been observing bass in a 45 acre and 120 acre lake for years that has threadfin shad stocked in it. The bass feed the best on the shad when it's the hottest part of the day. Between 12 - 4.00. I believe that all the shad are balled up at this time of day in the creek channel and the bass are just waiting for them to get close to an ambush point for the attack! The war doesn't last very long most of the time but trying to catch these bass at that time is not that easy. They can really tell the difference between your lure and the shad. You almost have to get a reaction strike from a feeding bass. Most lures just don't fool them consistantly.

[EddieC1981]

Up here in New England it's been hot in the mid 80's -90's. But we haven't got a lot of rain so the ponds I fish are lower than normal. I've fished a few times in the am and mostly after work (5:45-8:30 normally) but I've been getting them casting straight out into the open water and then some by pads or logs near the shore. SLOW is how I've been working them and I've only been using plastic worms (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) But I have been getting steady numbers of at least 2-4 an evening. While I"m trying newer ponds, stick with what you know works at your particular location.