Is this a generally slow time of year?

[Ohioguy25]

Haven't had much luck lately, been getting nibbles but can't seem to hook anything. I've been throwing live crawdads that I catch with a hand net right there in the small river I fish in near Dayton Ohio. 6' medium light fast action St. Croix with an Abu Garcia Revo X spinning reel, 8 lb mono test. Size 6 bait holder hook with a split shot.

 

Been casting almost exclusively into where the rapids meet the deep calm pool at the end of the current. Had luck once a few weeks back but since then only nibbles. Are the fish just not eating right now or could it be they are seeing the 8 lb test line and I should switch back to 6?

[Koz]

In my area (the South) the waters reached their peak temperature within the past few weeks and that meant bass were in deeper water where it was available. Deeper water is relative - sometimes it is actual deeper water and sometimes it's small hollows in the bottoms of lagoons. Also, if available, the bass would cling to any available cover (which is few and far between in most of the lagoons I fish).

 

But once the waters start to cool the bass will begin to forage in shallower water close to the shore.

 

So in your area the water is probably cooling quicker than down here and the bass would have moved from that deep, calm pool to shallower waters. That's where I would start casting if I were you.

[WRB]

2 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Haven't had much luck lately, been getting nibbles but can't seem to hook anything. I've been throwing live crawdads that I catch with a hand net right there in the small river I fish in near Dayton Ohio. 6' medium light fast action St. Croix with an Abu Garcia Revo X spinning reel, 8 lb mono test. Size 6 bait holder hook with a split shot.

 

Been casting almost exclusively into where the rapids meet the deep calm pool at the end of the current. Had luck once a few weeks back but since then only nibbles. Are the fish just not eating right now or could it be they are seeing the 8 lb test line and I should switch back to 6?

Fishing with live bait the crawdad needs to be lively and have small claws or no claws for young adult size bass. The nibbles you feel could be crawdad kicking to get away from a bass or the bass trying to declaw the crawdad.

Try removing a Claw by holding the arm with needle nose plier until the crawdad drops the arm off. Also get size 4 drop shot hooks, thinner wire then a bait holder hook. Also nose hook the crawdad carefully through the shell in front of the eyes, no further back so it doesn't kill it. Nose hooking allows the crawdad to swim freely.

Fall is a transition time and bass may have moved to deeper areas.

Tom

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, Koz said:

In my area (the South) the waters reached their peak temperature within the past few weeks and that meant bass were in deeper water where it was available. Deeper water is relative - sometimes it is actual deeper water and sometimes it's small hollows in the bottoms of lagoons. Also, if available, the bass would cling to any available cover (which is few and far between in most of the lagoons I fish).

 

But once the waters start to cool the bass will begin to forage in shallower water close to the shore.

 

So in your area the water is probably cooling quicker than down here and the bass would have moved from that deep, calm pool to shallower waters. That's where I would start casting if I were you.

When I say deep pools I mean 10 ft max, mostly casting right where the rapid transitions to still water and is only 3-5 ft deep. Is this shallow enough? It worked great before. 

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Fishing with live bait the crawdad needs to be lively and have small claws or no claws for young adult size bass. The nibbles you feel could be crawdad kicking to get away from a bass or the bass trying to declaw the crawdad.

Try removing a Claw by holding the arm with needle nose plier until the crawdad drops the arm off. Also get size 4 drop shot hooks, thinner wire then a bait holder hook. Also nose hook the crawdad carefully through the shell in front of the eyes, no further back so it doesn't kill it. Nose hooking allows the crawdad to swim freely.

Fall is a transition time and bass may have moved to deeper areas.

Tom

I thought the guy above you just said they had returned to shallower waters now that it's cooling again?

[WRB]

Are you catching Smallmouth or Largemouth bass in a river ? Flowing river water the temperature is constant as the current mixes it. The bass will be wherever the prey source is most abundant.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

Where I'm at the river smallmouth are chasing threadfin shad on the surface right now and they do this time every year (current permitting) . Is there a dam on the river you are fishing?

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Are you catching Smallmouth or Largemouth bass in a river ? Flowing river water the temperature is constant as the current mixes it. The bass will be wherever the prey source is most abundant.

Tom

Smallmouth, so the water temp shouldn't matter? It was noticeably colder yesterday after having rained.

[WRB]

What is the water temperature?

Smallmouth tend to roam around a lot and prefer cooler water then LMB. Sudden drop in water temperature affects all bass species, in lakes the fish can easily go deeper to find comfortable water temps, in rivers the water temps don't stratify into thermal layer unless they are very deep, next to dam or powerplant outflows.

Bass aren't active feeding all the time, so timing becomes a important factor.

Tom

[Log Catcher]

I went today. Fished a lake i'm still learning about as this was only my third time there. I caught absolutely nothing. I couldn't even get a nibble until I switched to a centipede. This is a very pressured lake so I didn't expect to catch a lot anyway. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

What is the water temperature?

Smallmouth tend to roam around a lot and prefer cooler water then LMB. Sudden drop in water temperature affects all bass species, in lakes the fish can easily go deeper to find comfortable water temps, in rivers the water temps don't stratify into thermal layer unless they are very deep, next to dam or powerplant outflows.

Bass aren't active feeding all the time, so timing becomes a important factor.

Tom

Gotcha, it's about 71 degrees right now. When I went yesterday it was slightly cooler, it should be even warmer tomorrow and sunday as it's been pretty hot and will be all weekend. Should the fishing improve?

[WRB]

 71 degrees would mean it's the fall transition, the bass should be feeding aggressively until it reaches 58 degrees the winter transition period, then they tend to slow down because their metabolism is controlled by the water temps being cold blooded animals. Crawdads start to burrow into clay banks when the water temps drop below 58 degreesand bass key on them.

Tom

[Arnfishin]

Guessing you are fishing the Little Miami River? With all the rain we got recently, its tough. I don't fish live bait, but a rebel wee craw, single tail grub, or topwater have always produced for me on the LMR. Fish riffles and and pockets of still water near current. We caught a few three pounders on the Great Miami today but it wasn't fast action. 

[Ohioguy25]

18 hours ago, Arnfishin said:

Guessing you are fishing the Little Miami River? With all the rain we got recently, its tough. I don't fish live bait, but a rebel wee craw, single tail grub, or topwater have always produced for me on the LMR. Fish riffles and and pockets of still water near current. We caught a few three pounders on the Great Miami today but it wasn't fast action. 

Yup, LMR. So you think it's the rain? I hope so, I'd like to catch some before it gets cold.

[IgotWood]

This is generally a slow time for me. My lake doesn’t normally pick up again until mid October. However, the couple most recent outings have been lots of fun for me. I’ve been experimenting and learning a few baits which I normally neglect, and I am being rewarded quite well. Try switching it up. Try something new to you. If you don’t catch, at least you will learn a little bit about that particular bait. 

[geo g]

The answer to your question is Yes.  In our shallow waters in South Florida, bass will hunker down in the thick vegetation, not deep.    With water temps close to 90* the deep water is low in O2 with lots of dying derby, so the bass move into the shallows with thick green vegetation.  The veggies pump out O2 all day and the bait fish and bass love that.  Good time to go flipping the thick green stuff.

 

The only exception to this rule will be if you can find a freshwater spring down deep in the  lake bottom. The spring is pumping out 72* water with constant current.  O2 will be good here, with a constant temp in summer, or during those extreme winter cold fronts too.  You have just found a honey hole good all year during all extremes, they are hidden treasures usually well known by the old time locals.  You will be catching when everyone else is struggling.  Don't tell anyone!

[Raul]

It's the slowest time of the year for me not because fish don't bite, it's because it rains like mad almost every day and presonally, I don't like fishing in the rain.

[Ratherbfishing]

Generally, yes.  The water temps are about as high as they're going to get and hot water holds less oxygen than cool water.  As a result, the bass will tend to be be more lethargic.  (Bass do not always go deep but shallow ones will look for cooler temperatures-often in heavy, matted cover).  When they do feed, they tend to partake of larger meals as the smaller "first of the year" prey will either have been picked off or will have grown.  I take exception to the theory that a bass who has recently fed will not eat again  HOWEVER, combined with being more lethargic, a well-fed bass can be harder to seduce.  None of this is to say you cannot find or catch late summer bass BUT it definitely can be harder.

[BigSkyBasser]

The first real cooldown after summer seems to kill the bite here for a day or two, but after that you can generally find some of the best fall fishing around. I like to make long casts with suspending jerkbaits using a fairly long pause (5-10 seconds.) This should help you find active fish that may not be feeding off the bottom if they're not eating live bait.

 

I went out to a pond last Friday that had already started to turn over, and the Largemouth  and trout were destroying my Vision 110. But before I tied that on, I was getting skunked alternating between a drop shop and a wacky rigged senko.

[Arnfishin]

On 9/16/2018 at 9:00 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

Yup, LMR. So you think it's the rain? I hope so, I'd like to catch some before it gets cold.

Sorry for the late response. High waters make it tough on LMR. So much more room for the fish to spread out. I went out for two hours this past weekend and caught three on topwater and missed three strikes. Which is a good day for me on LMR. Try a whopper plopper 110. They usually hit as the bait is just about to hit the current. Honestly I think this is the best time of year for LMR. If you can get out the next three weeks, do it. 

[soflabasser]

Reading this subject makes me appreciate how good the month of September was for me. My top 5 bass for September had a combined length of +117 inches and well over 30 pound limit for those 5 bass. These bass where caught from land in public water and it was even more memorable since my better half was with me. This month has been very good for me as well and it will only get better as the year progresses.