Drastic Temperature Changes

[Pensfan87]

The past week here in NC it has gone from 9° this Tuesday to 60° this coming weekend so it will be quite a drastic temperature change in a matter of just 5 days. Any advice on fishing a small lake (7 acres)?......just wondering if the largemouth will still be as lethargic as usual or what?

[Wayne P.]

The water temp is all you need to know, not the air temp. The water temp does not change as fast as the air temp.

[Pensfan87]

Ok that makes sense. The reason I asked is because there is a lot of rock structure in the shallows didn't know If the bass would move closer to warm structure ....i Probably should have mentioned that earlier

[Wayne P.]

Typically when the water is cold and warming temps along with sunshine will warm up the upper water column. The warmest area will be downwind if the wind is blowing or the North area of the lake since that gets the most direct sun rays. Rocks are good IF they are near the deepest water where vertical movement would be occurring.

Keep a thermometer with you to check the surface temps and fish were the warmest water is.

[Pensfan87]

Thank you!!! thats what I needed to know!

[Fish'N Impossible]

check the water temp and that will tell you what you need to know. It takes longer for the water to cool and heat back up than the air. with a bad cold snap like that the surface changes quick but the depth takes a little longer.

[Deleted account]

A 7 acre pond (unless its ridiculously deep) will fluctuate quickly to changing air temps. This can be viewed as a minus by some, but you can use it to your advantage. I fish a couple of local puddles (with big fish in 'em, but that's a different discussion) and this is what I've found, like the Wall Street guys say "The trend is your friend" If you have shallow(ish) water with deeper nearby (if the bottom is dark even better) all you need is 2 or 3 sunny days in the 40s or 50s to warm that a few degrees. Jerkbaits, small squarebills or traps, and a finesse plastic or jig will work well. On the other hand if you have 3 days of Polar Vortex nonsense, or cold grey days with runoff, the fish will retreat to the deeper more stable water. You could target them with a jig, spoon or blade, if you enjoy fishing more than catching, but I stay home and knock off the neglected honey dos. One last thing to keep in mind, is that each body of water is different, and there are particular cycles that often repeat predictably. Now if your lures keep bouncing off the surface, well then I'd check Expedia for good airfares south...

[Megastink]

Let the sun beat down on the shallow rocks for a while. Start fishing at noon or so.