Daily Movement of Largemouth Bass?

[AJ Hauser]

Hey all! I'm sure this issue has been addressed like... once or... maybe twice... ?

 

I'm wondering what your general thoughts were in terms of largemouth bass daily movement? I am usually able to fish in the early morning and sometimes the afternoon here in Illinois. It's HOT right now. I bank fish a lot. Next week I am lucky enough to be headed to a new lake. It's 16 acres with an average depth of 35 feet. As you probably guessed, this is similar to a strip pit or borrow pit, which means rocks and sand and probably fairly decent water clarity with steep banks & shorelines. Might be some light weeds present, and of course there is muck on everything in this state so I assume some algae wads up near shore in spots. 

 

How would you attack a lake like this?

 

What would you think the daily movement(s) of the bass would probably be, based on what you've experienced in terms of behavior on your trips out?

 

Thanks much - talk soon!

[DitchPanda]

Well I've never fished that type of pit but I can tell you what I've experienced lately. Early morning I'm able to get some fish up shallow on top water and weightless senkos. Starting about 9 am the fish move but you can still find some shallow along shade lines..think over hanging trees. A popper and a frog both produce and have a wacky worm for follow up. After it really starts to warm up I've been catching them on a Texas rigged worm drug thru brush or rock piles.

[Team9nine]

Plan on night fishing it this time of year - you might struggle otherwise ?

[AJ Hauser]

21 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Well I've never fished that type of pit but I can tell you what I've experienced lately. Early morning I'm able to get some fish up shallow on top water and weightless senkos. Starting about 9 am the fish move but you can still find some shallow along shade lines..think over hanging trees. A popper and a frog both produce and have a wacky worm for follow up. After it really starts to warm up I've been catching them on a Texas rigged worm drug thru brush or rock piles.

 

Thanks @DitchPanda - much appreciated! When you switch to the TX rig are you working out deeper? If so, any thoughts on why they move? Is it a temperature / heat thing or... whaddya think?

19 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Plan on night fishing it this time of year - you might struggle otherwise ?

 

Really? For bigguns'? It is super hot... appreciate the feedback! 

[DitchPanda]

Yep I'm fishing brush that's in 4-10fow. As the temp rises and the sun gets higher the bass seem to move to the first piece of cover they can find in the closest deeper water. There are almost always some up shallow tho even in the hottest part of summer.

[Team9nine]

11 minutes ago, AJH said:

 

Thanks @DitchPanda - much appreciated! When you switch to the TX rig are you working out deeper? If so, any thoughts on why they move? Is it a temperature / heat thing or... whaddya think?

 

Really? For bigguns'? It is super hot... appreciate the feedback! 

 

Around here, clear water deep strip pits usually mean suspended bass that don’t feed a lot through the day. They wait for cover of darkness to move and feed through summer, unless you can find some good weed growth. You’ll just have to wait and see. 

[WRB]

Is this small lake spring or stream water fed?

The reason for this question is to determine if thermocline is a high possibly.

Daily activity or hourly activity differs on every body of water.

With that said search the net for my Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior Calendar for general behavior activity.

Tom

[AJ Hauser]

22 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

Around here, clear water deep strip pits usually mean suspended bass that don’t feed a lot through the day. They wait for cover of darkness to move and feed through summer, unless you can find some good weed growth. You’ll just have to wait and see. 

 

Thanks, I appreciate the insight. Do bass see well at night or is it more of a lateral line / dark colors that silhouette against the surface kind of a thing? 

17 minutes ago, WRB said:

Is this small lake spring or stream water fed?

The reason for this question is to determine if thermocline is a high possibly.

Daily activity or hourly activity differs on every body of water.

With that said search the net for my Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior Calendar for general behavior activity.

Tom

 

Hey thanks Tom - I believe there is an incoming creek on the back side. This will require more investigating, but when I was back in the bay as far as I could go I heard a trickle of water and there is a creek that runs right next to the lake. Not 100% sure though. I think the max depth is actually 45 feet. I'll probably take a depth finder with next time to double check that as well. 

[Team9nine]

5 minutes ago, AJH said:

 

Thanks, I appreciate the insight. Do bass see well at night or is it more of a lateral line / dark colors that silhouette against the surface kind of a thing? 

 

 

Both - in that clear of water, especially with any kind of clear skies and moonlight, especially a full moon, they can still see, though color vision is limited according to the science of rods and cones. They can silhouette against the sky pretty well, but lighter baits also work at times when contrasted against the bottom. The lateral line likely also plays an important role at night, though.

[WRB]

Very steep bank quarry lakes bass tend to be more like pond bass relating to the bank. Any wood cover overhanging or in the water are magnets to steep walled banks. Large boulders are prime structure. Any humps that may be in this lake 10 to 15 feet from the surface is where the big girls should be.

At night big ribbon tail worms in dark colors are always a good choice. Black buzz baits work good at night along with rat wake baits and diving crankbaits.

Daytime is finesse time in clear water. Keitech 3.8 Fat In shiner colors spilt shot rigged and 4 1/2 curl tail finesse worms.

What depth the thermocline is everything to determine deeper water location. You don’t want to waste time fishing under the bass.

Good luck,

Tom

[AJ Hauser]

55 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

Both - in that clear of water, especially with any kind of clear skies and moonlight, especially a full moon, they can still see, though color vision is limited according to the science of rods and cones. They can silhouette against the sky pretty well, but lighter baits also work at times when contrasted against the bottom. The lateral line likely also plays an important role at night, though.

 

Outstanding - thank you so much. Really appreciate your feedback and expertise! 

30 minutes ago, WRB said:

Very steep bank quarry lakes bass tend to be more like pond bass relating to the bank. Any wood cover overhanging or in the water are magnets to steep walled banks. Large boulders are prime structure. Any humps that may be in this lake 10 to 15 feet from the surface is where the big girls should be.

At night big ribbon tail worms in dark colors are always a good choice. Black buzz baits work good at night along with rat wake baits and diving crankbaits.

Daytime is finesse time in clear water. Keitech 3.8 Fat In shiner colors spilt shot rigged and 4 1/2 curl tail finesse worms.

What depth the thermocline is everything to determine deeper water location. You don’t want to waste time fishing under the bass.

Good luck,

Tom

 

Got it - thank you Tom! You guys have really helped me out here - thanks so much! 

[papajoe222]

You're looking good, weather wise, for next week. In ponds with steep banks, much like strip pits, bass tend to gravitate to the similar areas both when feeding and when in a neutral mood.  When feeding, you will most likely find the forage and bass shallow.  The exception would be deeper cover and with clear water, vegetation can grow down to 15.ft+ If available, those weeds could hold fish all day. Neutral fish, however will likely be suspended at the same depth, out from the bank, throughout the pond.

Shade and wind current are your friends on this type of water as shade will extend farther off the steep banks and wind will move the plankton to the wind blown shore much quicker than in a large body of water. 

Super clear water is a situation that screams soft plastics and smaller ones will likely get you more bites.  Finesse jigs with smaller trailers are a good choice for active fish, just make sure to use long casts, and a weightless stick worm allowed to fall to the level of suspended fish could get some bites. 

[AJ Hauser]

Beautiful. Thank you very much @papajoe222 - all well received advice. You mentioned plankton... I assume that is important because the baitfish feed on that, and the bass follow the baitfish?

 

Follow up question: let's say you arrived at a lake like this in the early morning, and it was hot and dead calm. Would you spend any time fishing the side of the lake in the shade, or hit the side of the lake that the sun hit first? 

 

Thank you again for the feedback - very helpful! 

[GoneFishingLTN]

18 hours ago, WRB said:

Is this small lake spring or stream water fed?

The reason for this question is to determine if thermocline is a high possibly.

Daily activity or hourly activity differs on every body of water.

With that said search the net for my Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior Calendar for general behavior activity.

Tom

This has been removed

[the reel ess]

19 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Yep I'm fishing brush that's in 4-10fow. As the temp rises and the sun gets higher the bass seem to move to the first piece of cover they can find in the closest deeper water. There are almost always some up shallow tho even in the hottest part of summer.

To expand on @DitchPanda's comments, playing the odds, you would concentrate on shallow water near deeper water in the dog days. Having said that, my last 2 PBs came in July on shallow flats. But it was early both times. Night fishing is not an option for me at this place.

[WRB]

3 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

This has been removed

Still there, Google it.

Tom

[PressuredFishing]

On 7/29/2021 at 8:29 AM, AJH said:

Hey all! I'm sure this issue has been addressed like... once or... maybe twice... ?

 

I'm wondering what your general thoughts were in terms of largemouth bass daily movement? I am usually able to fish in the early morning and sometimes the afternoon here in Illinois. It's HOT right now. I bank fish a lot. Next week I am lucky enough to be headed to a new lake. It's 16 acres with an average depth of 35 feet. As you probably guessed, this is similar to a strip pit or borrow pit, which means rocks and sand and probably fairly decent water clarity with steep banks & shorelines. Might be some light weeds present, and of course there is muck on everything in this state so I assume some algae wads up near shore in spots. 

 

How would you attack a lake like this?

 

What would you think the daily movement(s) of the bass would probably be, based on what you've experienced in terms of behavior on your trips out?

 

Thanks much - talk soon!

 well depends what you like more, offshore or bank fishing. Also take the thermocline into account, other than that its your choice. Even if there is no visible structure but you have muck in courners of pockets and coves in your lake just flip into those and you will still get bit. I fish alot of lakes with little cover and there are always shallow fish in the shallow grass. If its clear throw baits accordingly, if its only 35 ft deep on average id focus on mostly shallow water, but dont count out suspending fish out in the middle, find the baitfish, and you will find the fish. you got a fairly good idea of the lake yourself so I think you will be just fine and kill it brother!

[AJ Hauser]

Gotcha - thank you @the reel ess, that makes sense. I actually saw two big girls while scouting the other day headed deep right outside a really shallow slack water bay-type area. This sounds almost exactly like what you are describing - yes? 

 

Thank you too @PressuredFishing - good tips. It seems like you are suggesting some areas that I have seen - so I need to get back to work!

 

Much appreciated everyone - thank you. 

[AJ Hauser]

UPDATE: went back this morning... had a rough time. Didn't get a bite for the first 90 minutes on swimbaits or a Northland Tackle Riggin' Leech on a weedless jig. Surprising. 

 

After that, I did catch a decent smallmouth about 15 feet deep on a light TX rig with a 6" stickbait (I was surprised) and later I came over a pod of like 10 to 15 bass all stacked up close, and only caught 1 that went 2-pounds before I accidentally spooked them. I floated right over the top of 'em before I knew they were there - scared the crap out of me. 

 

They were in an area where the bottom near the shore was slow-sloping about 10 feet, with big bluegill and beds of some sort, then it dropped almost straight down to like 35 or 40 feet. 

 

I'm thinking I come back and work areas like this one with a drop shot or shaky head... any thoughts? Big worms? Tubes? 

 

What are some favorite presentations in areas like this with clear water and pressured fish?

 

@WRB you had mentioned smaller swimbaits and little worms - how would you rig that 4.5" one - split-shot rig or just straight on a jig? @papajoe222 you mentioned finesse jigs but said they were more for when the fish were active? 

 

Thanks guys - tough morning, but we learned a thing or two!

[TnRiver46]

A smallmouth? That’s cool, I’ve heard of strip pit quarries with smallies but never fished one. 
 

I have recently been fishing the quarry near my house with clear water and having luck with worms on jigheads. The problem is the bluegills always biting my 6 lb mono where it touches the water . I set the hook everytime I feel it, can’t help it! Well that and the 250 swimmers paddle boards and tubes 

[papajoe222]

3 hours ago, AJH said:

 @papajoe222 you mentioned finesse jigs but said they were more for when the fish were active? 

 

 

Yes, in clear water smaller baits are often more productive than their standard sized counterparts and so it is with using finesse jigs using them in the same places and under similar circumstances.  However, IMO they are not a good choice for inactive fish and reason #1 is their slower fall rate. Inactive fish will strike a fast falling jig, or a slow falling one that is placed within its small strike window.  In clear water #2 it is difficult to hit that small target area with a long cast.

[AJ Hauser]

Noted - thank you @TnRiver46 - I think that will be one of a few presentations I try out next week. I think downsizing and going super-natural is a good place to start! @papajoe222 I appreciate your feedback as well - very helpful fellas - thanks!