Where Did They Go? Well...

[Nitrofreak]

There seems to be a lot of questions about where all the fish went...well let's see if we can help to give you an idea of what happens as we progress through the winter to spring to summer to fall and back again so that you can be better prepaired for the next time out.

Let's start with Winter since the year changes and begins a new fishing season for most all of us.

Some of us get to enjoy ice fishing, and some of us get to watch re-runs of fishing shows, itching for the weather to break and prepairing for the up coming season by getting our rods and reels cleaned and spooled, our trailers and boats serviced, while you southern folk get to enjoy fishing practically all year long...yes i'm jealous.

The one thing on our minds is always, how good will the fishing be this year? what can I do to increase my success rate and catch not only more, but bigger fish?

Well, one thing hardly anyone ever prepares for is failure, lets face it no one wants to fail, myself included, so what my suggestion would be to do in the winter is start prepairing by doing homework, the first thing on my mind is how cold the winter is, what does that have to do with anything? it has a lot to do with what goes on in your body of water as the fish prepair for spawn and you yourself prepair to fish the spawn, pre, during and post.

The longer and colder the temps stay at or below freezing, the deeper the water freezes... the deeper the cold water layers... the less shallow swimming bait fish there will be surviving the cold water, (these are most commonly threadfin shad) and start dieing off as the water reaches around the 45 degree mark...the less shallow swimming bait fish there are, the more aggressive the fish will be to gear up for the up coming spawn once they reach the shallows...excited yet?

The majority of the fish will come from deeper water haunts they use during the winter, they feed on deeper bait fish that stay deep all winter long (usually Gizzard shad).

Once the weather starts to change, so does the lake and the fish, a clock, if you will, starts ticking down too...let's get it on !!! time, as this happens the fish will follow structure to shallow waters and find males to make nests and settle down and have a bunch of little ones to run around, it's during this time the big females are eating everything in site because they know how much energy they will need to use for the spawn.

Let's start with the Gizzard shad for homework, Gizzard shad are common throughout the eastern shore and west to eastern South Dakota and south to the gulf of Mexico, they thrive in fresh water lakes, reservoirs, rivers and swamps, and can be found in waters such as the upper parts of the Chesapeak Bay.

Adult Gizzard shad measure anywhere from 8 to 14 inches, hhhmmmm, ever wonder why we use big baits in deeper structured waters like spoons and such? a Gizzard shad feeds on zooplankton until it grows larger than about an inch in length, then it's body will transform so that it may consume phytoplankton and algae, it will grind this mix in it's gizzard like stomach, Gizzard shad frequent the bottom to pick up sand and mud to grind their food, in the spring when the water temps reach into the 60's the Gizzard shad visit shallow cover to broadcast their eggs, wow that last part sounded just like another well known fish.

Gizzard shad grow rather quickly and soon become too large for the average size bass, they can reach upwards to around 7 inches in their first year, but they are stll no match for a 5 lb bass as they can easily take even the adult size Gizzard shad.

In the spring as these fish are moving toward the shallows to spawn, it is so important to understand structure and how it relates to these two types of fish in order to be successful especially for the up coming summer months, this is why time on the water is so very important for your homework as well, take some time and visit, read and relate to these differences in structure, the articals in here are very helpful, the advice is priceless.

During post spawn the big girls will still be shallow and can usually be found on flats resting and bulking up after a long hard workout, knowing they are going back to the deep water haunts, at least until fall arives, this is where the threadfin shad has come into the picture.

Threadfin shad need warmer climates, they range from all over the eastern shore West of the Appalachian Mountains down to Florida and West to Eastern Texas and have been introduced into many other places.

Threadfin shad are usually no more than about 4 inches in length, which makes them an easy target, or meal if you will, for bass, they feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton, they leave cover in the shallows and head for open waters in the early am then return to their shallow cover each night, they like waters with current, they are more surface oriented and begin their spawn around May and will scatter their eggs around aquatic vegetation, docks and other shallow cover until around the mid to late part of June.

Then it seems like all the fish just dissappear huh, where did they go? well the answer to that question is in your own body of water, homework is key, understanding structure is key, understanding how important o2 levels are to the activity of bass all relate to when, where, why and how we fish a particular body of water, this is one big reason why when a question is posted you get an overwhelming amount of different opinions from people who have spent their time on the water, not all of the suggestions will make sence but if you look close enough, there will usually be one common denominator that will point you in the right direction, and for you bank beaters it's even tougher I know, But hang in there they will be back in your favorite locations soon enough, so until then keep looking for those productive points in the am and late evening hours and they will lead you to the right location.

During the summer months shortly after the Threadfin shad have spawned, activity slows to a snails pace, it's all in part to water temps on the rise and depleting the useable o2 layers that the fish will frequent to feed, so less dissolved o2 equals less activity, almost like what cold water does in the winter, which in turn should make you slow down as well...way down sometimes, this is also my favorite time for bottom baits, especially jigs, waters 15 feet or deeper will prove to be your better fishing.

Small plastic baits will still catch some shallow for the up coming months, but the bigger fish will be deeper, big bass living in deeper water don't have to come shallow to feed, they have gone back to where the Gizzard shad are abundant to keep them fat and happy, the larger size of these bait fish are the reason why the larger size crank baits, spoons and big worms work so well in deeper structure when fishing for the big bite, this technique will be most likely used for the rest of the summer by a lot of us.

And now we get back to the Fall and into winter after struggling through another tough summer, the bite here is a lot of fun, the boaters are putting away their big pleasure boats for another long winters nap, the jet ski's are still around but nothing like the summer months, the bass tournaments are back into full gear on lakes that have had a lot of boat traffic, and it's like fishing the spring all over again, except without the spawn, Gizzard shad and the threadfin shad are migrating to the backs of the creeks and channels sucking off the goop on boulders and docks and such getting ready for the upcoming winter and the fish are in hot persuit, staging under docks and around various cover to get their fill before their metabolism slows down for the long winter ahead, plastics and cranks and spinners are working hard to find fish for us and give us the fix we need to carry us through the long winter ahead.

Late August through mid to late October will once again give us those bites we have been looking for all summer long, until once again we have to slow way down to catch those lathargic and lazy fish that just won't seem to eat what we present to them, then it's back to the couch dreaming of what the spring will be like once again.

Hope this helps at least a little.

Good luck and be safe !!!

[irnwrkr]

Great info, thanks.

[MCS]

Good post Nitro. I can't wait for fall!

[wakeeater]

nice post! very informative.

[AK-Jax86]

Always very informative thanks for the info nitro

[Jake P]

Very nice and informative. I live for fall fishing!!!

[Nitrofreak]

I agree with you all, fall fishing is a lot of fun, there is nothing like getting on the water and fishing while the others are in the woods hunting, this time of year is my favorite time to fish stumps in the backs of coves or rocky areas around stumps, my go to bait is a zara spook, as long as the bait fish are in the shallows the bass will be too, this can go all the way into mid November and late November before they head out for deeper water, if thats not working then I will switch up to a jig or a creature bait.

The best part about fall fishing is there is no need to be on the water early, the water needs to warm a little so I will usually wait until the sun is up over trees before I head out.

But we still have time to fish those summer patterns for now, don't be afraid to up size your baits and fish deep, be open minded while your out there, this time of year can be just like fishing the dead of winter, think slow and be slow if you need to, and give the larger worms and creature baits a good try on some structure, you might be suprised at what you will find.

Confidence is a key just like knowing structure, build confidence by getting out there and giving it all you got, soon you will be rewarded for your efforts.

Good luck and be safe !!!

[whitwolf]

Threads like this one Is the biggest reasons I come to BR. Thanks Nitro!