Has the bite turned off dramatically for anyone else in the last 2 days?

[Ohioguy25]

I went out yesterday and today on the small stream I fish in southwest Ohio and got next to nothing. I fish live crawdads and nightcrawlers and I almost always catch at least 6 or 7 smallmouth, the last two days I’ve had half of that. Could it be the change in season, too hot, water too cold or just a fluke? I seriously hope that’s not it for the season, seems a little early.

 

Edit: I’m in Ohio, we did not get much of that cold front if at all. Still been in the 70s/80s mostly. However, at night the lows dropped down into the 40s and 50s last weekend, cooling the water considerably then the air temps shot back up to the 80s again during the day. Could this have spooked them?

[The Bassman]

When I used to wade creeks this would be prime time (late summer low water). I'm in central IN so your conditions would be the same. Small creeks are affected noticeably by a couple of things, fishing pressure and rain. I could really sense a drop in action when someone else had been ahead of me. You'd see fresh shoe tracks in the mud and sand. Sometimes it was because I fished a stretch of water too soon where I had been.

[Ohioguy25]

22 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

When I used to wade creeks this would be prime time (late summer low water). I'm in central IN so your conditions would be the same. Small creeks are affected noticeably by a couple of things, fishing pressure and rain. I could really sense a drop in action when someone else had been ahead of me. You'd see fresh shoe tracks in the mud and sand. Sometimes it was because I fished a stretch of water too soon where I had been.

Yeah, what if neither of those two factors is an issue?  Hasn’t rained hardly at all and it was completely quiet as far as traffic goes the last two days.  Any idea what might have caused it to slow down? Could it be the previous busy holiday weekend with 3 days straight of heavy canoe traffic? Lastly, do you think it’s temporary and I still have some good fishing days left?

[Bluebasser86]

The first cooler days are always tough fishing it seems like. I always go out with high expectations because of the nicer weather and I'm almost always disappointed. 

[Todd2]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Lastly, do you think it’s temporary and I still have some good fishing days left?

You should have many good days left. The best Fall Bass bite here doesn't seem to start until October, and I think November is even better most years. After that, I either fish for Crappie or go to the river for Smallies and Saugeye.

[Catt]

Ugh try the last 2 weeks ?

[DitchPanda]

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The first cooler days are always tough fishing it seems like. I always go out with high expectations because of the nicer weather and I'm almost always disappointed. 

Exactly what I said in my post last nite. Went out yesterday 3rd day into a cooldown...cool overcast and water has a little color...fished 2.5 hours and only caught 2

[Bluebasser86]

10 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Exactly what I said in my post last nite. Went out yesterday 3rd day into a cooldown...cool overcast and water has a little color...fished 2.5 hours and only caught 2

I have a guide trip next week on the power plant lake, probably going to be brutal. Seems like everyone always wants to go there when the weather is the worse for it.

[TriStateBassin106]

Bite hasn't turned off for me yet but there was a cooling period in late late august into the first days of september where it struggled to make it to 70 some days and the bite was horrible...but this was because we had a massive cold front that came through New Jersey and screwed everything up, as of now the bite has picked up but since we're in a transition still it could change any day and the bite could suck again. 

[Ohioguy25]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The first cooler days are always tough fishing it seems like. I always go out with high expectations because of the nicer weather and I'm almost always disappointed. 

But it’s not cooler, it’s been in the high 80s the last two days.

4 hours ago, Todd2 said:

You should have many good days left. The best Fall Bass bite here doesn't seem to start until October, and I think November is even better most years. After that, I either fish for Crappie or go to the river for Smallies and Saugeye.

I thought river fishing declines as it gets colder?

[TnRiver46]

Ah, one of the great mysteries of the brown bass. Here today, gone tomorrow. I just keep going day after day until I run into them again, it’s all part of the fun 

[Ohioguy25]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Ah, one of the great mysteries of the brown bass. Here today, gone tomorrow. I just keep going day after day until I run into them again, it’s all part of the fun 

So you think bite will return? Any idea why it slowed?

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

So you think bite will return? Any idea why it slowed?

Yes to the first question, no to the second. My question is how did the solo seining mission with trekking poles go? 

[gim]

I haven't been out fishing this week but we had a massive cold front (record low highs during the day) and our first couple of frosts too.  This usually occurs in October, not September.  I have found that the first cold front of the fall often turns fish off for a week or so.  Then they sense that its simply going to continue until winter so they start feeding again.

 

It is supposed to be 75 again here next week so I think it will go back to what it was like before the cold front.

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

So you think bite will return? Any idea why it slowed?

Have you had much rain lately? Smallmouth are notoriously tough in dirty water..if you had a bunch of rain that could me the culprit. If you've had rain but it didnt dirty the water then it's likely the bass moved. Id target new shallow cover if the water has rose...also id target inflows like small creeks and ditches that dump into your creek.

[Todd2]

2 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

 

I thought river fishing declines as it gets colder?

I think it's more of a species thing. We don't have a large smallie population in the lake, but up in the headwaters we catch them and Saugeye, even in the Winter. But I also like bundling up and just vertical fishing for Crappie on main lake creek mouths in the cold. From mid December until March, Largemouth are very slow for me. A Shad Rap helped me some last Winter though. Anything beats the couch, unless it's extremely cold.

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yes to the first question, no to the second. My question is how did the solo seining mission with trekking poles go? 

I still haven’t attempted it, just got the trekking poles in yesterday. Gonna try this weekend, ill let you know!

[Ohioguy25]

30 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Have you had much rain lately? Smallmouth are notoriously tough in dirty water..if you had a bunch of rain that could me the culprit. If you've had rain but it didnt dirty the water then it's likely the bass moved. Id target new shallow cover if the water has rose...also id target inflows like small creeks and ditches that dump into your creek.

No rain, dry as a bone and boiling hot. Seems like perfect conditions, gonna try again today hopefully better. Is it possible because it’s been colder at night around here it’s theowing them off? Over the weekend it dropped into the 40s one night, water was freezing when I got in Tuesday, warmer yesterday and lows are back into the 60s now. Think that was it?

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I haven't been out fishing this week but we had a massive cold front (record low highs during the day) and our first couple of frosts too.  This usually occurs in October, not September.  I have found that the first cold front of the fall often turns fish off for a week or so.  Then they sense that its simply going to continue until winter so they start feeding again.

 

It is supposed to be 75 again here next week so I think it will go back to what it was like before the cold front.

Where do you live, Wisconsin? Still pretty hot here.

[gim]

14 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Where do you live, Wisconsin? Still pretty hot here.

Central Minnesota

[Tatsu Dave]

Weather cooled last couple weeks and water temps dropped 8-10 degrees, fishing really turned on and things were good. Then we had almost a week of hot days and much warmer nights and water temp climbed right back up to where it was before the cool down. Fished last three days straight and the fish are coming very hard and bite seems limited to first 1-2 hours of morning. Hoping things go back to normal and temps come back down to normal.......heck we usually get our first killing frost (mid thirties or lower) by the 17th of the month. Instead today it was 85 degrees and we're in the sixties at night. It should turn around pretty quickly however.

[Bankbeater]

I was catching a few bass yesterday on jigs and plastics. Nothing on topwater, or moving baits. 

[Log Catcher]

I had posted in another thread about how bad my fishing has been this year. I went again today to a lake I have only fished twice now. Still no luck. Had a few bites but nothing got serious about really taking it. Water temp was 77 when I got there and 81 when I left. Air temp about 85 and mostly sunny skies. Maybe someday things will get better for me.

[Ohioguy25]

4 hours ago, Tatsu Dave said:

Weather cooled last couple weeks and water temps dropped 8-10 degrees, fishing really turned on and things were good. Then we had almost a week of hot days and much warmer nights and water temp climbed right back up to where it was before the cool down. Fished last three days straight and the fish are coming very hard and bite seems limited to first 1-2 hours of morning. Hoping things go back to normal and temps come back down to normal.......heck we usually get our first killing frost (mid thirties or lower) by the 17th of the month. Instead today it was 85 degrees and we're in the sixties at night. It should turn around pretty quickly however.

Are you fishing lakes/ponds or rivers? What state?

[Tatsu Dave]

20 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Are you fishing lakes/ponds or rivers? What state?

Lakes with rivers that run in and out of them.   Maine 

[Ohioguy25]

On 9/10/2020 at 11:40 AM, TriStateBassin106 said:

Bite hasn't turned off for me yet but there was a cooling period in late late august into the first days of september where it struggled to make it to 70 some days and the bite was horrible...but this was because we had a massive cold front that came through New Jersey and screwed everything up, as of now the bite has picked up but since we're in a transition still it could change any day and the bite could suck again. 

I’m in Ohio, we did not get much of that cold front if at all. Still been in the 70s/80s mostly. However, at night the lows dropped down into the 40s and 50s last weekend, cooling the water considerably then the air temps shot back up to the 80s again during the day. Could this have spooked them?