Bass Not Following Seasonal Patterns

[Ozark_Basser]

I went bank fishing today on a local small lake (~30 acres).  It's a shallow lake with a max depth of probably 10 ft or so out in the middle.  The main cover is water willow on the banks and can get pretty thick in some spots where it extends out with points and in the backs of the two large pockets associated with the lake.  There is very little rock in this lake.  There is also some fish attractors that have been placed off shore in deeper water.  Water temperature was 43 degrees so I expected i might get one to come up to a jerkbait off of a main lake point close to one of the fish attractors.  I didn't get a bite and the water was a little dingy so I gave up on the jerkbait and started walking around the lake to see if I could see any fish.

 

When I came to the shallowest pocket of the lake.  I seen about a three pound bass relating to a small patch of water willow in about a foot of water.  I threw a few baits at her, but she didn't commit to anything.  I walked a little deeper into the pocket and seen another good size bass up real shallow like the last, but soon found she wouldn't commit either.  I wasn't too surprised I couldn't get one to bite.  That lake has received a whole lot of pressure the last three months. I seen a good blow up as well in the same area. What was she blowing up on? I assume that baitfish wouldn't be hanging around in that cold shallow water.  Either way, according to seasonal patterns, shouldn't the fish be out deep in the main lake with this cold water temperature? It has warmed up into the sixties the last few days but the water temp has only raised a few degrees.  

 

Before anyone says, "The seasonal patterns are just guidelines." Yes, I know this, but why does it seem that the only time they follow those guidelines is in the spring time.  Pre spawn, spawn, and post spawn are about the only times of the year when I can confidently go out and predict what a good bit of the bass are doing.  I'm pretty good about predicting bass in the summer as well, but mid - late fall and winter can really get me flipped around.  Also, it can be harder to catch bass in these time periods due to colder water temps making it of course even harder to learn more about bass habits this time of year.  

 

Any thoughts?

[everythingthatswims]

They are sunning themselves. I usually see this in the early spring when a warm spell passes through, in fact I see it in most ponds I fish each spring, but it can happen any time a warm spell comes through and heats up the surface. The only way I have caught them when they are sunning is with a fly rod, #14-#16 dry flies fished wet so they sink suuuuuuper slow, but even then you can't catch anything over 15". If a big girl is sunning, she sure as hell won't bite (won't even look at a live shiner). Trust me I have spent way too much time trying to figure out sunning bass, it's best to fish other areas since there will be some that aren't sunning.

[A-Jay]

I went bank fishing today on a local small lake (~30 acres).  It's a shallow lake with a max depth of probably 10 ft or so out in the middle.  The main cover is water willow on the banks and can get pretty thick in some spots where it extends out with points and in the backs of the two large pockets associated with the lake.  There is very little rock in this lake.  There is also some fish attractors that have been placed off shore in deeper water.  Water temperature was 43 degrees so I expected i might get one to come up to a jerkbait off of a main lake point close to one of the fish attractors.  I didn't get a bite and the water was a little dingy so I gave up on the jerkbait and started walking around the lake to see if I could see any fish.

 

When I came to the shallowest pocket of the lake.  I seen about a three pound bass relating to a small patch of water willow in about a foot of water.  I threw a few baits at her, but she didn't commit to anything.  I walked a little deeper into the pocket and seen another good size bass up real shallow like the last, but soon found she wouldn't commit either.  I wasn't too surprised I couldn't get one to bite.  That lake has received a whole lot of pressure the last three months. I seen a good blow up as well in the same area. What was she blowing up on? I assume that baitfish wouldn't be hanging around in that cold shallow water.  Either way, according to seasonal patterns, shouldn't the fish be out deep in the main lake with this cold water temperature? It has warmed up into the sixties the last few days but the water temp has only raised a few degrees.  

 

Before anyone says, "The seasonal patterns are just guidelines." Yes, I know this, but why does it seem that the only time they follow those guidelines is in the spring time.  Pre spawn, spawn, and post spawn are about the only times of the year when I can confidently go out and predict what a good bit of the bass are doing.  I'm pretty good about predicting bass in the summer as well, but mid - late fall and winter can really get me flipped around.  Also, it can be harder to catch bass in these time periods due to colder water temps making it of course even harder to learn more about bass habits this time of year.  

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

  Sounds like you need to spend more time at the lake during the later part of the season.

 

 You'll learn what the seasonal patterns for your area better that way.

 

A-Jay

[Ozark_Basser]

They are sunning themselves. I usually see this in the early spring when a warm spell passes through, in fact I see it in most ponds I fish each spring, but it can happen any time a warm spell comes through and heats up the surface. The only way I have caught them when they are sunning is with a fly rod, #14-#16 dry flies fished wet so they sink suuuuuuper slow, but even then you can't catch anything over 15". If a big girl is sunning, she sure as hell won't bite (won't even look at a live shiner). Trust me I have spent way too much time trying to figure out sunning bass, it's best to fish other areas since there will be some that aren't sunning.

You're probably right, but they didn't really put off a sunning "vibe" I guess you could say.  One of the bass came straight out of a patch of water willow and also there was activity in the cove from other bass. But, still, I would have to agree now that they were sunning.

 

Either way, the amount of pressure that has been put on this small body of water has gotten a bit ridiculous the past few months, but this little lake was really good when it first cooled down a little after summer so everybody's been coming back expecting the same results, but it's slowed down a lot.  It's too small of an area to be getting pounded every day.  The fish see everything. 

[Ozark_Basser]

  Sounds like you need to spend more time at the lake during the later part of the season.

 

 You'll learn what the seasonal patterns for your area better that way.

 

A-Jay

You're absolutely right.  I've only been down in central Arkansas for a little while, and my boat is back home in NW Arkansas.  I'm getting tired of fishing these little city lakes, but it's a lot better than nothing.  Can't wait to get back home and go back to fishing the White River chain. I should be getting Structure Scan soon as well which should help out with fishing in the winter and late fall tremendously.

[Catt]

Huh, seasonal patterns, uhh nope aint in my my play book!

I don't give seasonal patterns a nanosecond of my time!

Weather patterns & water conditions yelp, seasonal patterns nah

[gulfcaptain]

  Sounds like you need to spend more time at the lake during the later part of the season.

 

 You'll learn what the seasonal patterns for your area better that way.

 

A-Jay

I'd agree with A-Jay, need to spend more time.  Tend to find smaller water body fish act different then larger water fish do.  More pressure with less areas to move.  Spring fish follow water temps and are driven by the urge to spawn.  Very predictable.  Then summer to late fall they move, spread out, do all kinds of things to rebuild their fat and energy supplies for the next year before winter starts. You will always have fish that stay shallow, but it does sound like the fish you saw were sunning themselves and the water willow was probably absorbing the suns heat as well.  But if you spend more time on those bodies of water later in the year you will learn what works and where.  Added fishing pressure on a body of water just means in order to be successful you need to work harder and be more efficient in your presentations and techniques.  

[Wayne P.]

Huh, seasonal patterns, uhh nope aint in my my play book!

I don't give seasonal patterns a nanosecond of my time!

Weather patterns & water conditions yelp, seasonal patterns nah

Exactly, fish don't have a calendar/season,. they adjust to the current conditions.

[WRB]

Bass do have a calendar season; cold water period or winter, pre spawn or cold water warming, spawn or cold water warmed to 62-67 dergrees, post spawn or bass completed the spawn, summer or warm water period and fall, water cooling to cold water period....1 year cycle.

Ponds are not big enough to offer bass many places to go, they adapt to their environment. Shallow calm sun warmed water may be a few degrees warmer than any other water in your pond, bass seek the warmest water during cold water periods. The weather has a direct affect on bass location and their prey, it all works together.

Tom

[Catt]

Sorry Tom but even the spawn is controlled by weather & water conditions!

I've seen the spawn start in late Feburary & early March which down here is still winter but weather & water conditions were favorable.

We have fishing season, football season, & hunting season

[Sam]

We have a second spawn on some rivers in Virginia, like the Mattaponi.

 

I have seen schools of baby bass in the middle of summer on the Mattaponi.

 

I guess the bass have not read and seen all the literature they are supposed to follow for their spawns.

 

This is natural and is designed by Mother Nature to drive us nuts.
 

[Paul Roberts]

...

Before anyone says, "The seasonal patterns are just guidelines." Yes, I know this, but why does it seem that the only time they follow those guidelines is in the spring time.  Pre spawn, spawn, and post spawn are about the only times of the year when I can confidently go out and predict what a good bit of the bass are doing.  I'm pretty good about predicting bass in the summer as well, but mid - late fall and winter can really get me flipped around.  Also, it can be harder to catch bass in these time periods due to colder water temps making it of course even harder to learn more about bass habits this time of year.  

 

Any thoughts?

Seasonal patterns are broad strokes. They are a revelation to newbs. But they won’t necessarily tell you what’s happening on a given day, esp in a small water body. As others above said, immediate conditions are where it’s at bc we don’t fish seasons, we fish moment by moment. OK... that was essentially saying that seasonal patterns are just guidelines.

 

Thoughts on your question…

 

The reproductive period is the most defined period in a bass's life bc selective pressures are pretty intense then (bc eggs, fry, and fingerlings are where by far the majority of mortality –the hatchet– falls, serving to filter out deviations over time. However, when you really look at it close on any given year, the spawn has plenty of variability too.

 

Also, it's easiest when location is simplified, like with the majority of bass in the lake piling up shallow -esp when you're standing on shore. Location is easier, the fish are visible in many cases, and fish are feeding pretty recklessly through much of the spring. (There's also a great bit of reckless feeding going on in early summer, and again in mid fall, and lots of other times, but those windows are much narrower. When you hit em you might say "Wow. Classic fall pattern right there!" )

 

Outside of the spawn, the rest of the year bass have a much broader range and focus, mainly finding enough food, which involves all sorts of other species -the entire food web is at play, which is linked to all sorts of ecological variables. No two lakes are the same bowl of soup, and no two seasons come out the same. There are trends we observe, but collected largely in hindsight. Which is another way of coming round to talking about seasonal periods being just guidelines again.

[Ozark_Basser]

Went back today and caught a keeper sized fish in the same pocket where I seen the other two yesterday.  He was buried up in a patch of water willow that had a thick mat of floating stalks of water willow in the middle.  I have a feeling a good bit of fish stay buried up in these sorts of spots all year round on this little lake.  I toned down my bait a little today as well. A 6 in roboworm on a shakey head was the only way I got bit today with the water temp still holding at 43 degrees. I find it hard to not want to burn a spinnerbait through or pitch a big jig into some grass patches when I see them though.  I'm a power fisherman at heart, and I think that's why the colder months have always been harder for me.  

 

 

Huh, seasonal patterns, uhh nope aint in my my play book!

I don't give seasonal patterns a nanosecond of my time!

Weather patterns & water conditions yelp, seasonal patterns nah

 

I feel this way too except in the spring when bass set up prespawn in areas close to where the HAVE to spawn so they are pretty predictable, feeding heavily, and often follow a textbook seasonal pattern.  Same with spawn.  Post spawn is a little trickier for me, but I still do pretty well most of the time.  

[Lund Explorer]

Went back today and caught a keeper sized fish in the same pocket where I seen the other two yesterday.  He was buried up in a patch of water willow that had a thick mat of floating stalks of water willow in the middle.  I have a feeling a good bit of fish stay buried up in these sorts of spots all year round on this little lake.  I toned down my bait a little today as well. A 6 in roboworm on a shakey head was the only way I got bit today with the water temp still holding at 43 degrees. I find it hard to not want to burn a spinnerbait through or pitch a big jig into some grass patches when I see them though.  I'm a power fisherman at heart, and I think that's why the colder months have always been harder for me.  

 

 

You "toned down" your bait and caught one.  You find it hard not to burn a spinnerbait or pitch a big jig because you are a self-professed power fisherman at heart.

 

I'd say its a toss up that either these fish have to learn what seasonal patterns you want them to act on, or you are going to have to adapt.

 

The best choices are always the hardest ones!

[J Francho]

 

Seasonal patterns are broad strokes.

 

DING DING DING!!!!!!!

[WRB]

Sorry Tom but even the spawn is controlled by weather & water conditions!

I've seen the spawn start in late Feburary & early March which down here is still winter but weather & water conditions were favorable.

We have fishing season, football season, & hunting season

Weather may affect when the seasonal periods occur and how long or short those periods are, the spawn isn't a weather event, it's a seasonal period, depending on water temperature wherever the bass are located.

Tom

[Paul Roberts]

Weather may affect when the seasonal periods occur and how long or short those periods are, the spawn isn't a weather event, it's a seasonal period, depending on water temperature wherever the bass are located.

Tom

 Luckily the two coincide. Otherwise, I guess we wouldn't have any bass to chase after.

[Catt]

Weather may affect when the seasonal periods occur and how long or short those periods are, the spawn isn't a weather event, it's a seasonal period, depending on water temperature wherever the bass are located.

Tom

Spawn happens in the spring!

Yelp y'all go with that!

I'll follow weather patterns & water condition!