High water temps.

[Bucky205]

Alabama, Logan Martin water temps low 90's.  The bite is almost non-existent.  Can see them on the electronics deep but can't get them to bite.  Tons of shad on the surface with nothing chasing them.  Any ideas?

 

[Troy85]

I don’t do it, but I’d say night fishing would probably be your best bet.

[TOXIC]

They gotta eat sometime.  Be there when they do.  Sorry to be so simplistic but it's a fact.  They HAVE to eat to survive.  

[J Francho]

In fact, in warmer water, they have to eat more, because they're cold blooded animals, and with increased body temps comes increased metabolism.

[NHBull]

Actually, the biggest thrill I get is getting a fish that isn't feeding to bite.  For me it is about the hunt. This is a time for deep divers CB, chatterbait, spinners, ect. I would also go out at dusk and see if there is a change in their pattern.

[CrankFate]

45 minutes ago, J Francho said:

In fact, in warmer water, they have to eat more, because they're cold blooded animals, and with increased body temps comes increased metabolism.

?

 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

13 hours ago, Bucky205 said:

Alabama, Logan Martin water temps low 90's.  The bite is almost non-existent.  Can see them on the electronics deep but can't get them to bite.  Tons of shad on the surface with nothing chasing them.  Any ideas?

 

You can always do what I'm doing right now.  Sitting in an air-conditioned room, reading BR, waiting for cooler weather.

[Paul Roberts]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

In fact, in warmer water, they have to eat more, because they're cold blooded animals, and with increased body temps comes increased metabolism.

This is true, but runs roughshod over some important details... 

 

Also bc bass are cold-blooded, they can forgo eating for extended periods. Metabolism is a balance of energy in (food) with energy out (maintenance and activity). Activity is always the most costly. So, behavior can mitigate potential outcomes. An awful lot of bass lose body weight during heat waves.

[Spankey]

15 hours ago, Bucky205 said:

Alabama, Logan Martin water temps low 90's.  The bite is almost non-existent.  Can see them on the electronics deep but can't get them to bite.  Tons of shad on the surface with nothing chasing them.  Any ideas?

 

My water temps are not as high (83 ish). A lot if shad surface activity. Huge schools that make their way around the boat. They are not being pushed by bass or walleye. Low and slow with a split shot rig and drop shot rigs was the ticket Sunday. Tomorrow I'm making my way to the river. Should be a bit cooler.

[The Bassman]

I've always been slow to blame a slow bite on hot weather but my numbers are down right now.  Maybe @Team9nine can chime in.  The guy knows bass.

[Team9nine]

@Paul Roberts has pretty much covered it above. One comment I'd add is that water temps around 88-90 degrees seems to be at or just over the temperature at which bass feed most (the higher temp/higher metabolism thing). Above that, several studies suggest that feeding slows down or even ceases as you approach maximum temps at which bass can survive, generally pinned to the 98-102 deg range. This ties with the behavior mitigation Paul mentioned. Short term survival is more important than feeding in extreme cases. Likewise, it has been noted that it is possible for bass to move down into or even below the thermocline to cooler temperatures but with low oxygen levels on a temporary basis, both of which likely curtail feeding in exchange for energy conservation.

[Paul Roberts]

To add to Brian's post...

 

Peak metabolic efficiency studies put that number at 82 to 88, with majority of them down at the lower end of that range. The variability is probably due to population variability. One would expect southern fish to be able to handle the heat better. But, I'm not aware of any studies that have looked at that. There are, however, studies that looked at the opposite -cold resistance- in which northern fish excel and southern transplants... die. Interestingly, FL Largemouths (floridanus) have shown a similar range for peak metabolism with northern fish -in the low to mid 80s. Lethal temps for all -when metabolic enzymes collapse- is around 100F. Acclimation temps weigh in heavy too -just what the starting temp was. But, the above numbers are pretty sound as fish never experience the drastic alterations that can be tested in the lab.

 

All this CAN be moot however, when there's food involved. Bass have been known to feed in water >100F in power plant lakes, but for very limited periods. The problem with a high or peak metabolism is that while low to mid 80's could allow for maximal growth, the fish has to eat enough food to at least cover maintenance, much less grow. And that's tough to do in most waters. And they have to expend the energy to catch that food. If there's enough food, you may find a good bite in 90+F water. I believe Brian has found just such a thing on his shad filled reservoirs. In my vegetated bluegill based waters, things can simply shut down for periods -at least during the daylight hours.

[CrankFate]

6 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

This is true, but runs roughshod over some important details... 

 

Also bc bass are cold-blooded, they can forgo eating for extended periods. 

That gets a ? too. They can survive weeks without eating. Fish regularly go 5-10 days withou any food. Sharks go from Australia to Hawaii on one meal before the monthlong trip and great whites aren’t even truly cold blooded. Is it shark week yet?

[Falkus]

Not yet, starts on the 22nd of July (Shark Week) 

 

I am having the same problem lately, the weather has gotten the lake so hot that I only fish during the morning.

As you can see that I am up at 2:51am typing this

 

[HeyCoach]

On 7/12/2018 at 8:47 PM, Bucky205 said:

Alabama, Logan Martin water temps low 90's.  The bite is almost non-existent.  Can see them on the electronics deep but can't get them to bite.  Tons of shad on the surface with nothing chasing them.  Any ideas?

 

I went bank fishing at Logan Martin last night with no luck.

[CrankFate]

On 7/14/2018 at 2:51 AM, Burke said:

Not yet, starts on the 22nd of July (Shark Week) 

 

I am having the same problem lately, the weather has gotten the lake so hot that I only fish during the morning.

As you can see that I am up at 2:51am typing this

 

Waiting for this rain to clear......  

[Bankbeater]

In lakes that I know the first thing I do is start looking for thick vegetation. I also like to fish where there are a lot of bugs flying around.  The bugs seem to get the food chain in motion.

[soflabasser]

Fish at night

[Angry John]

19 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

Fish at night

This is my new major effort for this year.  I have done a few night trips in the past but I got ac new yak and I am rigging up for serious night time fishing.  Can you say red lights.

[Bucky205]

On 7/18/2018 at 11:13 AM, LTBAndrew said:

finding those areas with the most oxygen are the key 

 

How do you find the water that has high O2, I think that would be huge.  They change the water level on  Logan Martin winter and summer so the grass doesn't get well established.  Not a lot of structure other than docks.  Deep docks and working the deep ledges is my primary summertime strategy.  It's just really slow right now.  The article said to fish shallow, fish deep.  Throw larger baits, throw smaller baits.  So it pretty much ran the gambit of possibilities.  I appreciate all the advice.

[Bigbruce]

So glad I’m not the only one that is having a hard time. I almost threw my tackle bag in the water this morning as I approached my third day of getting skunked. I’m definitely interested in hearing ways some of you guys still catch fish in this heat.

 

In central Texas water temp is in the low 90s, with outside air temps around 107 F. Also we are in a major drought so water levels are extremely low. I was trying to get out early morning to beat the heat, but only got a few reaction strikes. I’m also a bank angler which causes problems as I can’t get to deep waters.

[Angry John]

Crankbaits have been the only recent producer for me.  

[sfpalatka]

I have had the same experience with high temps and bait fish swimming around not being harassed. I went to several locations where I knew there were shell bars in deeper water. I was finally able to locate them between 16 to 18ft using a 6xd. 

[IgotWood]

First light with a big ribbon tail worm would be my approach. I deal with this on my local lake. I like to get there early, when it's still dark. Locate the fish, get into position and throw a 10'-12" t-rigged worm with a very light, 1/8-1/4oz. Let it fall, and let it sit for a good 10 seconds. Lift the rod tip up to 12 o'clock, and let it fall again, wait, repeat. It's slow and boring, but man, I've caught a LOT of fish, and big fish doing this. On my lake, this bite is good about an hour before sunrise to about an hour after sunrise. This is a good technique for me when daytime temps are peaking over 90 degrees. Usually in July and August. Give it a try!