The hardest season to catch LMB?

[WRB]

^^^^this^^^

Our winter is 45-50 degree water temps and the bass population in deep water 40'-60' and less active suspended around baitfish fish schools. Active cycles are very short meaning hours of fishing with marginal success.

Tom

[Paul Roberts]

I guess for me, it's mid-winter. Sometimes we get thaws that give me open water. I can find the fish, but they are tough to catch, at least in the numbers I know are there. I can be happy with two or three most days.

 

The spawn... I guess actual egg-dropping is a tough go. They are pre-occupied. But then, I haven't cast to a pair of spawners since I was a kid. Now, just pre, and post, yes. To the larger females. They are catchable, being somewhat aggressive just pre, and hungry, just post. But, both seem to require really slow presentations: Falling and killed jigs and plastics the best. Tubes seem to do well then. I simply leave the males alone. They are the smaller fish here, and they have a heck of a job ahead of them.

[Sam]

For me, the toughest time to catch largemouth bass is when the air temperature drops below 70*, starting in November and going through March and I don't fish.

 

Why?  Because I am from south Louisiana and any air temperature of less than 70* means it is cold and I hate cold weather.

 

I will bundle up and fish a late season club tournament, like last year when my buddy and I came in third on the Historic James River in December, but that's about it.

 

It is better to stay inside and watch sports on TV then to try your luck in cold weather.

[Bankbeater]

November through February.  The bite has shut down because of the cold weather.  If you happen to get a warm day with no ice on the water you'll need to be in the right place at the right time. 

[TnRiver46]

We are extremely lucky to have a ton smallmouth and water temps that rarely go below 45, some years never below 50. A smallmouth will feed himself silly at 47-49 degree water temp 

[Catt]

Probably pre-spawn!

 

Only because the bass are scattered, finicky, & the weather is subject to change hourly.

 

My favorites are the dog days of summer & the dead of winter. Because they are predictable! 

[Russ E]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Probably pre-spawn!

 

Only because the bass are scattered, finicky, & the weather is subject to change hourly.

 

My favorites are the dog days of summer & the dead of winter. Because they are predictable! 

This is spot on, for me. Every trip during prespawn is a search mission. I never know where the fish are going to be. Later on in the year they are predictably in certain areas and it is just a matter of finding the right presentation.

[Ksam1234]

Right after ice out ! Can’t get a bite for nothin ! Which is what’s going on right now 

[BoatSquirrel]

In the late summer to early fall when water temps get into the lower 70s, the bass will really scatter, often suspending.  On top of that, the TVA is usually drawing all of our lakes down and it will make you want to mow the lawn instead of fish.

[Hi-Powered Red Neck]

Spring time spawn is the hardest time for me. But it's also some of the most exciting fishing. Locating beds is fairly easy in clear water so it's sight fishing. I'll fish everyday I'm off. Just targeting the big girls. I didn't do so well this year. I had a double digit right off my dock. I stuck her last year post spawn and she was 9.6 with no belly. I only managed to hook one this year. That fish was 6ish, I unhooked her took a quick pic and put her back. By the time I left the house the female where no where to be found. Just the bucks guarding the nests. When I get back home it will be post spawn in most of the lakes around my house. Fishing is about to get good in my area.

[James D.G]

July and August, for me 

[Ksam1234]

It’s crazy to see how many people have a hard time in pre spawn , pre spawn is probably my favorite time on Lake Erie. All the smallmouth are super shallow. 30-50 smallmouth in a 6 hour day are common. Little to huge they are just super aggressive an destroy anything around. My favorite time of year !

[J.Vincent]

Right Now in Michigan on Lake Erie; where the water is 48 to 49 degrees, off colored and raining; the bass don’t know what the heck to do !

[everythingthatswims]

Fall turnover is the worst time for me. Fish just get weird during that time. Cold water pre spawn can be weird too, fishing will be really good for a few days and then really bad for a day or two. IMO, when the water is that cold, they can just decide to not feed for a little bit.

[ww2farmer]

These are the times I struggle for largemouth and typically target smallmouth instead.

 #1: right now.... just after ice out until the water gets into the upper 40s. A largemouth or two a day is the norm, but usually have moderate to excellent success with smallmouth.

#2: the summer to fall transition......they just seem to scatter for a while and putting patterns together is tuff. Everything caught this time of year has to be worked for, and it's all junk fishing. Smallmouth are often not that willing this time of year either. It's possibly my least favorite time of year.

#3: late in the fall.... when water temps get below 45, largemouth fishing stops for me and I target smallmouth exclusively again until I call it a season.

[TnRiver46]

15 hours ago, BoatSquirrel said:

In the late summer to early fall when water temps get into the lower 70s, the bass will really scatter, often suspending.  On top of that, the TVA is usually drawing all of our lakes down and it will make you want to mow the lawn instead of fish.

Shoot you can have those early September yellow jacket mowing sessions.........

[Dogface]

Winter for me. My plugs keep bouncing on the ice. It gets better when the ice melts.?

[bazzelite19]

I would say late summer and early fall. Ofcourse winter time as well. 

[Wizzlebiz]

During spawn will be the hardest for me since I refuse to mess with the reproductive cycles of the fish I like to catch. Cant catch them if I wont go. Lol

[N Florida Mike]

For me it’s summer, esp. late summer. We don’t have long cold winters, but it gets tough after a cold front for a few days too.

I love spring and fall. I do well all stages of spawn here.

[skekoam]

I've been at a local golf course pond twice now and skunked both times.  I know fish are there too.  About two months ago I fished the same ponds and pulled 8-9 small ones, but it was still fun.  I just used a senko dragging across the bottom and nothing.  Even tried casting out towards the middle (deeper water) and not even a bite.  

[AstroFishingTV]

Going fishing in the winter may be a day where you can barely catch five but those five that you do catch are worth talking about! Winter is the best time to catch your PB bass. I caught mine around this time last year, throwing a crankbait on a road bed. There can also be days your only catch one. That's part of fishing, we call it that for a reason, we don't call it catching. ?

[WRB]

If you look up the results of every bass tournement about 10% of the angers blank.

We all have days where nothing goes right, even during a good seasonal period.

Anyone thinking they had a bad day only catching 5 bass is kidding themselves.

It reminds of gamblers who only remember winning but are always broke.

Tom

[Bird]

I fish mainly clear bodies of water so site fishing for beds is an effective way to land some good fish during spawn but some reservations doing so.

 

I'm one of those that have a great deal of respect for the fish I'm catching, or trying so can't help but to feel a little guilty dropping a bait in a bed but it is a great time to land really good fish. 

 

The hardest season around here to catch fish is winter by far.....especially when your sit'n around the woodstove. 

 

 

[FishingGeekTX]

I too am curious about how the seasons will actually play out. 

 

This year I caught fish moderately easily late spring on mostly topwater in shallows/grass, in some cases all day at a moderate place. 

 

As summer heated up, I caught progressively fewer, but I did not change where I fished all that much.

Come fall, I caught 0-5% of the spring fish, in the shallows *even in the magic dawn hour.  However, in every case I have fished at a particular lake since it's been colder (think 50-60, not winter yet), when I found the fish they were all clumped up so much that I caught fish every 1-2 casts for hours...madness.  I suspect on big water lakes, that's also possible, but my guess is finding them becomes the entire game..and could result in many a skunked trip if they are not found.

 

I found them in the deepest bowls one day, and another similar weather day, none deep, they were all fairly shallow feeding mid-day where shallows meet steep drop-offs.

I'll be trying again this week for 3 in a row where it's a bonanza.  SO nice too, I don' thave to get up early, just casually take a trip mid-morning and fish for 3-4 hours...so much less hectic than getting up at 5am.