Finding a Spring Pattern

[Quarry Man]

My lake in NEPA is shallow and has a ton of docks. I caught 10 lmbs this morning between 5am and 11am. Water temps started at low 63* and ended at high 64*. It rained a bit the night before, and was very cloudy until around 8:15. I started catching them at 7;45, all about 1.75 lbs and just off the docks, not in and under them. Caught them on a spinnerbait and chatterbait. Caught one bass on a seiko under a pontoon. The beginning area I fished is usually the most productive area but I had no bites. I started catching em in a usually too shallow area, where the stiff breeze was blowing. on the other side of the lake, I caught 4 or five more offshore in about 5', probably 50 yards from the bank. One was likely a female, but the rest were males. on my last cast, I caught a 3.75 fat female way under a dock on a chatterbait.

 

yesterday on the same lake, I got bit towards the end of casting towards docks. I lost a massive smallmouth near the boat, and caught another in 6'.

 

what is going on? I normally catch em under the docks but not today, and I struggled

[Todd2]

1 hour ago, Quarry Man said:

My lake in NEPA is shallow and has a ton of docks. I caught 10 lmbs this morning between 5am and 11am. Water temps started at low 63* and ended at high 64*. It rained a bit the night before, and was very cloudy until around 8:15. I started catching them at 7;45, all about 1.75 lbs and just off the docks, not in and under them. Caught them on a spinnerbait and chatterbait. Caught one bass on a seiko under a pontoon. The beginning area I fished is usually the most productive area but I had no bites. I started catching em in a usually too shallow area, where the stiff breeze was blowing. on the other side of the lake, I caught 4 or five more offshore in about 5', probably 50 yards from the bank. One was likely a female, but the rest were males. on my last cast, I caught a 3.75 fat female way under a dock on a chatterbait.

 

yesterday on the same lake, I got bit towards the end of casting towards docks. I lost a massive smallmouth near the boat, and caught another in 6'.

 

what is going on? I normally catch em under the docks but not today, and I struggled

Post Spawn funk?

[Quarry Man]

10 minutes ago, Todd2 said:

Post Spawn funk?

you think they already spawned?

[OCdockskipper]

Prespawn, spawn & post spawn can be tough to pattern for a couple of reasons. 

 

First, the fish are doing what they are doing based on reproductive urges and actions as opposed to feeding urges and actions.  That is why you may find bass during this time out in the light on a sunny day or hunkered under a dock even though it is low light conditions.

 

Second, why they strike a lure at this time is also different, for the same reason.  It may look like a great day for topwater action, but if a fish is on a bed focused on bringing in a girlfriend, a different technique is needed.

 

Lastly, all of the fish are not at the same phase at the same time.  It is very possible that the fish you caught deeper were prespawn, the one on the Senko was a bed fish (even if you weren't sight fishing) and the one under the dock was postspawn. 

 

With so many fish doing different things at the same time, pattern fishing is difficult to do.  Junk fishing is often the order of the day.

[813basstard]

Don’t forget the weather. Overcast and wind usually makes them move around more and not be as stuck to a certain thing or things. Spinnerbait/chatterbait/swim jig are without question the starting pitchers when clouds and wind are present.