How do Bass react to sudden warm temps?

[TriStateBassin106]

Hey BR, 

 

Today I went on my first Post Pandemic Fishing trip, a neighborhood pond here in NY that is quite pressured, one thing I noticed is that since we've had high temps in the 70s for the past two days many bait fish such as bream and cruising bass have started to appear along the bank I couldn't get the water temp but it was still pretty cold, for the week coming up the air temp is supposed to drop down into the 50s and 60s again.

 

How do Bass react to these short periods of warmer weather after it cools? Do they continue with the spawn? Or do they retreat back to winter mode? 

[PhishLI]

I did a wade last night and for the 1st time in weeks there were bluegill holding tight to the bank. 3 days ago the water temp made it uncomfortable to be in for extended stretches. Last night it wasn't an issue at all. The water temps jumped up quite a bit in this shallow lake.

 

Water temps are only 51 here, but males are staging near the flats already, and they're eating aggressively. A few more days of warmth and they'll be on beds. Algae blooms/mats exploded with just 2 days of stable higher temps. Those will help with heat retention in the shallows where they bed. A serious drop in air temp with wind would need to take place to drive them off.

[Hartwood71]

I’ve fished southern NY state (near Montecello) about a dozen times this spring; as recently as today.  Been catching a lot of pre-spawn bass over the last two months in water ranging from 38 degrees to now 61 degrees (today).  Just yesterday that water temp was 49.   Still no vegetation growing so the fish have continued to stick to structure.   Given they generally spawn in water from 55-65 degrees, once they’re ready to pop, they do.   So I think this warm spell is going to get the water temps at this latitude high enough for the majority of the spawn to take place over the next couple weeks.    That said, I haven’t yet seem any big mammas on beds, but I did see my first bass fry today!   

[Boomstick]

From my experience, a really warm day when the water is still cold doesn't have a really huge short term effect. It will help warm the water so they begin spawning or even better, before that happens feeding in preparation for the spawn, but in terms of a day like today being a really good day to fish, it doesn't seem to usually work out that way.

However I have found the opposite is true in the summer when the water is hot. If you have a cool day after a heatwave, that evening can produce an unbelievable bite if you find their feeding spots.

[TriStateBassin106]

On 5/3/2020 at 7:16 PM, Hartwood71 said:

I’ve fished southern NY state (near Montecello) about a dozen times this spring; as recently as today.  Been catching a lot of pre-spawn bass over the last two months in water ranging from 38 degrees to now 61 degrees (today).  Just yesterday that water temp was 49.   Still no vegetation growing so the fish have continued to stick to structure.   Given they generally spawn in water from 55-65 degrees, once they’re ready to pop, they do.   So I think this warm spell is going to get the water temps at this latitude high enough for the majority of the spawn to take place over the next couple weeks.    That said, I haven’t yet seem any big mammas on beds, but I did see my first bass fry today!   

Went back to the pond today and got skunked hard, water temps were a solid 50 and a kid next to me managed to get one on a spinnerbait, tried spinnerbaits and finesse jigs, how do I catch these fish in this low water temp lol?

[Hartwood71]

Bummer. Stick with it.  You’ll find your confidence baits.   
 

Are you bank fishing or from floating position?

[TriStateBassin106]

13 minutes ago, Hartwood71 said:

Bummer. Stick with it.  You’ll find your confidence baits.   
 

Are you bank fishing or from floating position?

Bank fishing, it's a park pond with a fountain in the middle, not only does it recieve anglers fishing but cormorants eat fish there often, in the summer time they've gone crazy for T rigs and senkos. 

[Hammer 4]

19 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Bank fishing, it's a park pond with a fountain in the middle, not only does it recieve anglers fishing but cormorants eat fish there often, in the summer time they've gone crazy for T rigs and senkos. 

Sounds exactly like one of park ponds I fish. Try this next time, use a spinning rig with 8 lb mono, or fluro, use whatever hook you like, but small enough to nose hook a 4" worm, then crimp on a 1/8 oz split shot about 12 to 16" behind the hook. Cast it out let it sink, but not hit the bottom, reel slowly to keep it just off the bottom, give it a Gentle twitch now and then. This is my go to when things get really tough. Good luck. 

[Cgrinder]

1 hour ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Went back to the pond today and got skunked hard, water temps were a solid 50 and a kid next to me managed to get one on a spinnerbait, tried spinnerbaits and finesse jigs, how do I catch these fish in this low water temp lol?

The entire month of April, I hammered fish on a Texas rigged creature with a light weight. If they didn't immediately chow down on a swim jig, the Texan got called in. Jerkbait, hard or soft, is another good idea.

[WRB]

Bass don't have a clue what the air temps are, only water temps. It takes several warm days and nights to worm water and that is the only factor meaningful.

Tom

[PhishLI]

Looks like we're back to cooler temps all of a sudden with max highs in the high 50s or just touching 60 and night time lows in the mid 40s or less. But it's the north winds and chop that help to suck the heat out of the spawning shallows and they're back too. It doesn't matter much as bass season here closes for the spawn May 1st through thru the 2nd week of June. The problem is googans pulling guarding males off beds when it opens again on schedule but the spawn is late.

[TriStateBassin106]

5 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Looks like we're back to cooler temps all of a sudden with max highs in the high 50s or just touching 60 and night time lows in the mid 40s or less. But it's the north winds and chop that help to suck the heat out of the spawning shallows and they're back too. It doesn't matter much as bass season here closes for the spawn May 1st through thru the 2nd week of June. The problem is googans pulling guarding males off beds when it opens again on schedule but the spawn is late.

I noticed that about the North East, as a kid I always remembered bass spawning as late as june, I was guilty of catching them on beds but never saw any cruisers or females until around memorial day weekend, I still haven't caught my first bass of the season yet. Probably won't get one until the later half of the month. 

7 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Sounds exactly like one of park ponds I fish. Try this next time, use a spinning rig with 8 lb mono, or fluro, use whatever hook you like, but small enough to nose hook a 4" worm, then crimp on a 1/8 oz split shot about 12 to 16" behind the hook. Cast it out let it sink, but not hit the bottom, reel slowly to keep it just off the bottom, give it a Gentle twitch now and then. This is my go to when things get really tough. Good luck. 

Would a curly tail Grub work in that aspect? 

[BurrStone]

Had a tough day on a big lake in western Connecticut on Sunday- water was between 49 and 51 degrees - and the only thing that caught a fish was a curly tail grub. Fortunately this was the fish.

[Hammer 4]

8 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I noticed that about the North East, as a kid I always remembered bass spawning as late as june, I was guilty of catching them on beds but never saw any cruisers or females until around memorial day weekend, I still haven't caught my first bass of the season yet. Probably won't get one until the later half of the month. 

Would a curly tail Grub work in that aspect? 

 

8 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Would a curly tail Grub work in that aspect?

It could. I use 4" roboworms, mostly hologram shad color.

[CrankFate]

13 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I always remembered bass spawning as late as june

They go as late as mid August. Believe it or not.

[BigAngus752]

When the water gets heavy pressure you have to pull out the stuff they don't see.  I like the classics:

[Hammer 4]

1 minute ago, BigAngus752 said:

When the water gets heavy pressure you have to pull out the stuff they don't see.  I like the classics:

I still have an unopened bag of those..

[BigAngus752]

Just now, Hammer 4 said:

I still have an unopened bag of those..

I have several.  I buy them at my local Walmart for a few bucks.  Something I don't mind losing.  

[Hammer 4]

Mine were bought in the mid 80's..lol

[Armtx77]

13 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

I still have an unopened bag of those..

That is old school.

[the reel ess]

Bass react slowly to warm air temps because the water does. But we react quickly because we're dying to get out there. In the spring, when planning a day off to go fishing, I'll look for the third or fourth day of warm temps.

19 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

I still have an unopened bag of those..

They still sell something like these in my local hardware store. my dad and I used to make them, minus the propeller.

[rtwvumtneer6]

I've got a freeze warning overnight and high of 60 by tomorrow afternoon.  I probably won't change much from what I've been doing.

 

For small ponds I generally take a lure I can work at or near the surface, something I can work on the bottom, and something for in between.  Some days these are all 3 the same lure, just varying the retrieve.  

 

These little bursts of warm/cold probably effect my wardrobe much more than the fish.  

[GioFromNJ]

On 5/6/2020 at 5:11 PM, rtwvumtneer6 said:

I've got a freeze warning overnight and high of 60 by tomorrow afternoon.  I probably won't change much from what I've been doing.

 

For small ponds I generally take a lure I can work at or near the surface, something I can work on the bottom, and something for in between.  Some days these are all 3 the same lure, just varying the retrieve.  

 

These little bursts of warm/cold probably effect my wardrobe much more than the fish.  

agreed on the wardrobe lol -- i've also found that keeping the same bait but varying the retrieval speed to be a huge factor. when it's colder i take more pauses and am less erratic with the jerk - goes a long way. 

 

[Eddie101]

On 5/5/2020 at 12:08 AM, TriStateBassin106 said:

Went back to the pond today and got skunked hard, water temps were a solid 50 and a kid next to me managed to get one on a spinnerbait, tried spinnerbaits and finesse jigs, how do I catch these fish in this low water temp lol?

In 45 some degree water temp here in Maryland, I caught two  - using Fin-S-fish and Baby one minus - on eight lb test line. Nothing to write home about but, hey, at least I caught something!

[CrankFate]

On 5/3/2020 at 6:08 PM, TriStateBassin106 said:

Hey BR, 

 

Today I went on my first Post Pandemic Fishing trip, a neighborhood pond here in NY that is quite pressured, one thing I noticed is that since we've had high temps in the 70s for the past two days many bait fish such as bream and cruising bass have started to appear along the bank I couldn't get the water temp but it was still pretty cold, for the week coming up the air temp is supposed to drop down into the 50s and 60s again.

 

How do Bass react to these short periods of warmer weather after it cools? Do they continue with the spawn? Or do they retreat back to winter mode? 

Bream?