Bite Shut Down

[ZB85]

Going to try and keep this short. Last week i was killing it at a small local lake with a black and blue chatterbait. The lake is really low though due to drought conditions. Most the spots I was fishing were probably two feet at the deepest. I went out yesterday and only had one bite. Weather wasnt much different compared to last week except yesterday we had blue bird skies. I can't figure out what would make the bite just shut down like it did. Any ideas?

[jhoffman]

was there a front of any type that came through? the bluebird skies tell me you might have just missed one, my bass get lock jaw post frontal. I fished yesterday and threw everything from swimbaits to shakey heads and the only thing they would hit is a really small jerkbait. Think a 78sp or a size 8 xrap. When they hit it was like lightening fast if you didnt set it they were gone.

[CDMeyer]

Maybe the bait fish moved, and the bass followed?

[CDMeyer]

As far as what to do, you said you caught em' in the shallows try the same techniques unless it was surface bait, in the same structure they were on in the shallows, just in the offshore regions

[papajoe222]

"Except bluebird skies" This says high barometric pressure to me and that spells COLD FRONT. Don't be fooled into thinking that cold fronts are always accompanied by cold or cooler temps. If you see a high pressure area pushing through your area on a weather map, you have a frontal condition moving through.

Pre-front conditions normally will be accompanied by active feeding and post-frontal conditions, especially cold fronts, will normally shut the bite down or at the very least reduce a fish's aggressiveness.

Sounds like you hit the pre-front bite one day and the post-front the next.

[ZB85]

Good info, thanks!

[WIGuide]

With the water being that shallow and dropping, they may have been pulling off of that spot when you were fishing before. I would try the first brake line, or any ditch running out of the shallow area. As previously stated before, it also sounds like you were fishing frontal conditions which means you would need to slow down.

[WRB]

Simple mistake we all make; you were fishing memories and not the moment.

The bass were up and active, several lures may have worked, you used a specific lure that worked for you under the prevailing conditions.

The bass changed activity level, whatever bait they were looking for moved, the light conditions or time of day changed you didn't.

Tom

[ZB85]

What kind of presentation would you have switched too?

[Scorcher214]

With the bluebird skies, probably would have tried downsizing, and fished a little slower and tighter to cover.

[bigbill]

I throw a ritual of lures on any given day. I never limit myself to rely on what worked last year or even last week or yesterday most of the time it ain't gonna work. I throw different colored baits, different size of the baits. I like to stay between 1 7/8" to 2 1/8" in lure length.

Presentation really matters. What speed is the key. I'm too excited when I fish cast and probably reel to fast expecting that first strike. I finally slow down and get into the zone.

Armed with my newly purchased older combo c lector in testing it for a week fishing in one exact spot at the same time with the days being equal condition wise but I figure the hues in the water is what's different. One day redapplecraw was hot. No other color worked. Another day browncraw was hot. Again no other color worked. Another day all the colors worked it was so hot bite wise I think a bare hook could catch fish. Another day greencraw was hot, no other color worked. The combo c lector picked one color. The other days it picked a blend of colors. I was new at bass fishing and figured the combo c LECTOR would jump start my knowledge. Nothing beats the time on the water. But it did teach me about lure color.

To back up the color choices the combo c lector made. In the same spot the bass were hot after my rebel BIG CLAW crawfish crank in chartreuse. I was hooking up bass as fast as I could release them. My son tried everything in our tackle boxes but only the big claw was catching fish. I had other cranks in chartreuse in crawfish but the other brands caught nothing.

It's the style of lure, our presentation, the color and the light and water conditions. The unknown factor we don't think about is the PH.

I firmly believe in fishing one area really heavy all year having success the following year using the same lures I find the bite way off. I'm thinking the place is fished out. I was dead wrong my lures from the last season we're no longer fooling them. I see a new lure clean house all over again.

Throw a ritual of different lures and colors/sizes. Till you get action. A squirt of bass scent doesn't hurt either.

[einscodek]

What time of day did you fish on both days?

[WRB]

What kind of presentation would you have switched too?

Considering bass are only active feeding a small percentage of the day(10-15%) and neutral (catchable with slow presentations) about 50%, I would use slower bottom or near bottom contact lures. You were fishing shallow water,move out into deeper water or find a ditch, channel, rocks or cover, etc., that offers deeper water close to where you caught bass the day before.

Deeper bass are less affected by barometric pressure changes or bright sunlight.

Tom

[ZB85]

What time of day did you fish on both days?

evenings, 4pm-8pm when i got off work. sunday 1pm-8pm