Is Bass Fishing a Seasonal Sport?

[tander]

We really can fish year round in Mississippi. Most of the time January is the only month I don't fish, our coldest month.

[Taxnat]

On 11/20/2020 at 12:31 PM, TnRiver46 said:

 I feel like it hits triple digits a lot of places more often than Florida. There’s some spots in the Midwest that seem to be upper 90s to 100 fairly often in summer . Georgia and Alabama have always felt like the hottest places on the face of the earth to me 

Ocean breezes “vent” the heat. Just like bass we gravitate to shade on the sunny summer days. Shorts year around. 

[lynxcat]

On 11/20/2020 at 5:59 AM, Captain Phil said:

I've noticed the fishing talk on this forum has changed lately.  I would guess to many of you bass fishing is a seasonal sport?  It's got to be difficult to launch your boat when the lake is iced over.   I have lived in Florida all my life where it is possible to fish 365 days a year.  Sometimes you wish you had stayed home, but it's possible.  In Florida, the winter is the best time to fish.  The summers are so hot, only the young and strong can make it out past 9 AM.  Our spawning season starts around Christmas.  I have seen bass on beds in June.   Dodging cold fronts is the main problem in winter.  Our bass don't like cold water.  Our fish really turn on when we have stable warm periods in winter.  Our best fishing month is April.  Fall is great too.  What do you guys do in the winter months?

 

 

Live in North Texas and I fish year around. I would hate it if I had to close up shop for 4-5 months per year. 

[Bluebasser86]

Nope, I fish year round, even when it's extremely cold out.

[Hammer 4]

Here in So. Cali, there's only maybe a week or so that I don't fish due to weather, i.e. a hard rain, or super gusty winds. Although out climate is changing, as it's getting cooler than in past years, and getting Older, hard to get motivated to go out on those sub 50 degree days anymore..

[Captain Phil]

22 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Nice Bass btw and Sweet Hat ! 

A-Jay

That hat is a new addition to my wardrobe.  It looks silly, but it covers most of my head and is much cooler than a tradition fishing hat.  I look like an old man sitting in a pontoon boat.  If the shoe fits, wear it.   ?

[Bankbeater]

Around here my season is usually from mid March until the end of November. It will be longer or shorter depending on the air temps and if the water freezes. 

[Sphynx]

I have the unfortunate circumstance of having whatever weather happens to be wherever I am sent, I have spent Christmas fishing private ponds in Alabama, and Florida to being stuck near Duluth, and northern Wisconsin, from Oregon, and Washington to Virginia and the Carolinas, and everything in between. Some places are great fishing destinations year round, others it's a 3 season sport, if I had my way about things, it'd be a year round thing every year. 

On 11/20/2020 at 9:57 AM, roadwarrior said:

The Midwest is just as hot and humid as the Mid South and most of the
Deep South. I moved from Kansas City in 1980. That summer we has a

two moth drought and over ten days of 100+ temperatures, not to mention

the oppressive humidity.  Memphis is the same in summer, but generally

more pleasant in the winter. 

I think spending a full late spring to early fall someplace like deep southeast or gulf coast Texas, southern Louisiana/Mississippi or Alabama might change your mind on that, the midwest gets hot don't get me wrong, but after having owned a home in Louisiana and having lived in Texas, and having worked many summers in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas I can absolutely say with confidence that overall, the midwest summer is far, far more enjoyable than the southern article.

[Elkins45]

As much as I love to bass fish I'm not particularly good at it. I figure if I'm not going to catch anything then why punish myself while doing it, so I won't fish in the extremes of hot and cold. I do musky fish in the fall when it's a bit nippy but that's generally considered the most productive time around here.

[r3825]

Seasonal for sure here,  boat and gear is put away until spring,  sad times.

[Cdn Angler]

Bass fishing here in Canada is essentially toast as of now with avg  temps below zero and ice forming.  

 

Bass fishing is prohibited prior to and during the spawn, so I can't target a bass until about June 18th.  So for me bass fishing is mostly a 4 month/year hobby.  

 

I'll be twiddling my thumbs for quite some time. 

[Captain Phil]

1 hour ago, Cdn Angler said:

Bass fishing here in Canada is essentially toast as of now with avg  temps below zero and ice forming. 

Some years back, I used to fish Lac Seul in Canada every year in August.  The fishing was always great.  The two guys I fished with would troll for walleyes while I would cast plugs from the front of the boat.  We caught boat loads of nice walleyes and always had enough for shore lunch.  I caught pike all day long.   Most were small with a few over 10 pounds. I read somewhere that the bigger fish bite better in the fall, so I made a trip back up the second week in September.  The weather dropped into the forties with a 30 mph wind.  Thank God I had a pair of fur lined boots with me!   We didn't catch many fish on that trip.  The fish we did catch were huge.  I ended up with a 10 pound walleye on a big Cisco Kid plug and a 25 pound northern on a spinnerbait.  Both fish are mounted on my office wall.  You guys are tough!!!

[Cdn Angler]

21 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Some years back, I used to fish Lac Seul in Canada every year in August.  The fishing was always great.  The two guys I fished with would troll for walleyes while I would cast plugs from the front of the boat.  We caught boat loads of nice walleyes and always had enough for shore lunch.  I caught pike all day long.   Most were small with a few over 10 pounds. I read somewhere that the bigger fish bite better in the fall, so I made a trip back up the second week in September.  The weather dropped into the forties with a 30 mph wind.  Thank God I had a pair of fur lined boots with me!   We didn't catch many fish on that trip.  The fish we did catch were huge.  I ended up with a 10 pound walleye on a big Cisco Kid plug and a 25 pound northern on a spinnerbait.  Both fish are mounted on my office wall.  You guys are tough!!!

 

You were way up there and those are some giant fish!  I think when our bite is hot it's on fire as there are just less days when a fish can eat in a year and they see fewer lures. Fall here can be crazy, but like you experienced there is also a risk of a major temperature drop that kills it. So tough to find that balance. 

 

Currently looking out the window at a snowstorm and I"d hazard that the bass wouldn't be too bitey today.  

[Captain Phil]

Here in Florida, our winter bass don't get out of bed until 10 AM.  It seems they're on the same time schedule as me. ☺️

[Mike L]

If the grass is growin I’m fishin!

There really isn’t a bad time to go down here. Different seasons for me just means going to different parts of different lakes using mostly the same techniques. 
 

Sometimes Ma Bass will force a change up depending on temp and pressure, but most times it’s all the same. 
 

 

 

Mike