Fishing the heat

[Chaddy]

What lures and how do y'all go about fishing when it's hot? I've been to the river last three weekends and haven't even got a bite? It's around 75f here. Thanks in advance for the help. 

[NHBull]

What is the water temp?

Thermocline?

Time of day?

Top water, bottom or suspended?

 

This is all helpfully

 

My best luck has been on the whopper plopper 110 for surface,

5 inch senko wacky and Texas

Deep diving crankbaits

 

A

 

 

[Dorado]

Here in AZ it's all about the time you're on the water rather than what you're using. In the summer I'm fishing from 4AM-8AM. That alarm going off at 2:40 AM hurts sometimes but it's always worth it. 

 

Lipless cranks, mid depth cranks, and  roadrunners with Gulp!Alive! Black Shad minnows have worked consistently here. I need to start drop shotting Roboworms this year. Bottom line, fish super early!

[MichaelCopeland]

The temp where you live is 75F or the water temp? Just curious, because I'd love it to be 75F here in Louisiana. We've been hitting some 90F+ temps here. The water temp has been around 75F though. Only thing I've been able to catch any bass on, so far in this heat are plastic worms (senko style worms and u tail worms) rigged either Carolina(1/4oz weighted) or Texas(weightless and weedless). Fishing them really slow. Worm colors range from tequila sunrise, junebug red and watermelon red black.

[JustJames]

90 still nothing compare to here where 100 is norm and quite often go above 110.

i start my day as early as possible to get some top water bite then switch to chatterbait or Fluke if nothing bite and if I'm not so stubborn I will switch to finesse bottom contact.

For instant, 2 days ago dropshot save my day becuz I started abit too late and the bite was completely shutdown.

[Chaddy]

That's the temperature in the morning when I start about 83 when I stop. Bout 10am is as long as I can stand it. I'm in North Carolina. 

[lo n slo]

9 minutes ago, Chaddy said:

That's the temperature in the morning when I start about 83 when I stop. Bout 10am is as long as I can stand it. I'm in North Carolina. 

nothing wrong with shutting it down at 10, that is what i do alotta the time. get out there before sun up or try late evening, or better yet, go at night. nc brother in the house.

[BigAngus752]

2 hours ago, Chaddy said:

That's the temperature in the morning when I start about 83 when I stop. Bout 10am is as long as I can stand it. I'm in North Carolina. 

I'd be interested to know what your water temp is and what kind of water you are in.  I'm in Illinois and today I fished a lake with a max depth of 60ft and an average depth of 22ft.  The water temp was 82!  Not a good fishing day today.  Remember that the advice you are getting is relative to where the person responding is fishing.  The guys from AZ may be baking in the heat but the fish are used to it and behave accordingly.  You need to think about your median weather and water temp and then adjust your techniques based upon highs and lows relative to where you fish.  @Dorado may be giving you great advice but even though he has a temp well above yours it may be "average" for this time of year for his target fish.  If you are "high" for your target fish you must adjust differently.  

[NiX]

For me water temps are in low 80's high 70's early morning, by 10 am its too hot for me and I head home.

 

It's usally about 90+by 9am-10am here, I am in Sacramento, CA.

 

I'll throw topwater early morning, if that isn't working I start working a jig fast through areas. The higher the sun gets the closer I get to cover.

 

Tight lines, Good luck!

[scaleface]

When its hot I throw a lot of crankbaits and a lot of soft plastics . Buzzbaits early , late and on cloudy days  .  

[Catt]

[Russ E]

If you read Ned Kahde's Blogs on Midwest fishing. some of their most successful fishing is in the middle of the day in summer, using the Ned rig.

it gets hot in Kansas. the water surface temp yesterday at the local lake was 84 degrees at noon.

 

[NYWayfarer]

I have been fishing from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm as anything else is just torture. 

[hawgenvy]

5 hours ago, MichaelCopeland said:

The temp where you live is 75F or the water temp? Just curious, because I'd love it to be 75F here in Louisiana. We've been hitting some 90F+ temps here. The water temp has been around 75F though. Only thing I've been able to catch any bass on, so far in this heat are plastic worms (senko style worms and u tail worms) rigged either Carolina(1/4oz weighted) or Texas(weightless and weedless). Fishing them really slow. Worm colors range from tequila sunrise, junebug red and watermelon red black.

Water temp 75? That's downright cold. Our water's near 90. BTW, I fished in Pineville decades ago, in the 1970s, for sac-a-lait in a massive brush pile with a cane pole from the bank of an oxbow lake by the Red River, with minnows. The good old days. I must have caught a thousand that month and ate every one of 'em, dusted in corn flour and fried.

[MichaelCopeland]

1 hour ago, hawgenvy said:

Water temp 75? That's downright cold. Our water's near 90. BTW, I fished in Pineville decades ago, in the 1970s, for sac-a-lait in a massive brush pile with a cane pole from the bank of an oxbow lake by the Red River, with minnows. The good old days. I must have caught a thousand that month and ate every one of 'em, dusted in corn flour and fried.

I've only been living here for about 3 yrs now and only been back into fishing since late March early April this year. I'm originally from Shreveport. What exactly are sac-a-lait? Can't say I've ever heard of them. Do you remember the name of that oxbow lake by the Red River? The only lake I know of in Pineville by the Red River is Buhlow. Buhlow had a fish kill a couple years ago, not sure why, that's what I was told anyways. There's fish there now. Bass don't seem to be very abundant there, it's not too bad for catfish though.

[Raul]

13 hours ago, Chaddy said:

What lures and how do y'all go about fishing when it's hot? I've been to the river last three weekends and haven't even got a bite? It's around 75f here. Thanks in advance for the help. 

 

75 ..... dude where you at, the North Pole or what ?

[Bankbeater]

Around here the bass have been in vegetation that is in deep water, or close to deep water.

[Mike L]

Last week on the Big O it was 74 at 6:00 in the morning!

By weigh in at 2:00, the air temp was 91 and the water was 88!

 

C' mon down!

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

[Sam]

15 hours ago, NHBull said:

What is the water temp?

Thermocline?

Time of day?

Top water, bottom or suspended?

 

This is all helpfully

 

My best luck has been on the whopper plopper 110 for surface,

5 inch senko wacky and Texas

Deep diving crankbaits

 

A

 

 

 

Please add your physical location to your avatar and we can give you more precise answers.

 

As for temperatures, there are two: air and water.

 

The water temperature is what is important. If you ever read about the "Hot Side of Lake Anna" which is caused by the nuclear plant's water discharge flow, the air temperatures can  be in the 30's and the water temperatures in the 70's.  You fish for 70* water while freezing your fanny off.

 

River temperatures are usually lower than lakes due to the current. In Virginia we have tidal rivers so water is flowing in and out of the tidal rivers all day and night.  No time for the water to sit there and get hot other than for a pit. A lake can be different, with both static and flowing water temperatures depending if there is a river feeding the impoundment. So let us know if you are fishing a tidal river.

 

When the water temps rise the bass will go deep for the cooler and more oxygenated habitat. So pull away from the bank, about 50 yards, and throw to the bank and then back to the boat.  Look for eddies, rocks, grass, boathouses, docks, submerged trees and anything that can create a place for the bass to feel safe, enjoy the cooler water, and have a good ambush point. Use your electronics to find humps and holes plus submerged structure that could hold bass.

 

You may have to get up earlier and hit the river at day break with a Cavitron (with trailer hook) or a Whooper Plopper to aggravate them into striking your bait as they feed first thing in the morning. And in the early morning the bass will run to the bank and grab breakfast and then go deep to rest. So be in the water and ready to fish as the sun rises.

 

Then go with your crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits and jigs/pigs on the bottom and wacky rigged  Senkos.  Always throw a wacky rigged Senko. Don't forget your Carolina Rig with a lizard and your drop shot with about 18 inches between the hook and sinker using a small worm.

 

So let us know where you are located via your avatar and also what baits are you throwing? What rivers do you fish? Ever fallen out of your boat (just kidding)?

 

Give us something solid to work with and welcome to the Forums

 

 

[hawgenvy]

21 hours ago, MichaelCopeland said:

I've only been living here for about 3 yrs now and only been back into fishing since late March early April this year. I'm originally from Shreveport. What exactly are sac-a-lait? Can't say I've ever heard of them. Do you remember the name of that oxbow lake by the Red River? The only lake I know of in Pineville by the Red River is Buhlow. Buhlow had a fish kill a couple years ago, not sure why, that's what I was told anyways. There's fish there now. Bass don't seem to be very abundant there, it's not too bad for catfish though.

Can't recall the name of the lake.  Sac a lait is what they call crappie in south Louisiana. In New Orleans crappie are known as "sac a lait", which means literally "bag of milk." I suppose it's a Cajun or creole term. Here in Florida crappie are called speckled perch or specks. I recall that in New Orleans largemouth bass were called green trout and bowfin were called choupique.

[Outdoors]

Usually a worm with a weight, but I've actually caught a bass off a devil's horse before in temperature around the 80s. It could've just been a lucky cast and landed right in front of it.

[MichaelCopeland]

On 7/15/2017 at 10:18 PM, hawgenvy said:

Water temp 75? That's downright cold. Our water's near 90. BTW, I fished in Pineville decades ago, in the 1970s, for sac-a-lait in a massive brush pile with a cane pole from the bank of an oxbow lake by the Red River, with minnows. The good old days. I must have caught a thousand that month and ate every one of 'em, dusted in corn flour and fried.

I'm thinking the main reason the water temp is around 75 or so is because of the rain we've been getting lately. For the past month or so it seems to rain more days than not. Plus there's lots of boaters on most waters also. Other than that it's been pretty hot here in Pineville.

[Koz]

On 7/15/2017 at 5:07 PM, Chaddy said:

What lures and how do y'all go about fishing when it's hot? I've been to the river last three weekends and haven't even got a bite? It's around 75f here. Thanks in advance for the help. 

 

What I wouldn't give for 75 degree weather (or water temp) now. It's been in the 90's here with 70% humidity and heat index 107+ but we've been fishing 6pm - 8:30 pm when the heat index is down to 99.  It's been brutal out there.

 

As for the bass, they've been hitting Senkos, trick worms, and the Whopper Ploppers (90 and 110). We've had zero hits on frogs, chatterbaits, or even jigs.

[Outdoor Zack]

Went on a trip a couple days ago and temp was about 87.  Only fish caught between the three of us was on my GP/blue trick worm on a 1/16 oz. T-rig.    

Tossed it into weeds along a shaded bank.  

 

Fish was about 1lb but was very aggressive (exploded on the worm as it hit the water and fought all the way back to the boat). 

[huffman1988]

Ive been catching them on dropshot in the day time and jigs at night. Water temp was 85 yesterday when I was at the lake. Caught 2 smallies and 1 largemouth on a 4.5 inch rob worm on a drop shot.