What indicates that it's going to be good day on the water?...

[Bubba 460]

In my over 68 years of  fishing (I'm a good bit older than that) there have been signs that bass activity will be higher or lower than normal. It's seems to correlate with other wildlife. On some days/mornings/afternoon/ evenings, I've noticed that pond/lake activity is generally dead, nothing happening, not much moving. No birds, no frogs croaking, lack of insects. No surface activity on the water ~ dead. This seems to indicate poor fishing. On the other hand when you see an above normal surface activity of fish breaking and bait fish moving, that is a pretty good indication that activity is positive. Add birds moving, particularly fish hunting birds such as eagles, osprey, kingfishers and shore stalking birds, that's another plus. Add frogs croaking, snakes swimming, a variety of insects flying. This is the kind of day you will see or hear bass busting frogs or bait-fish up near the shore. This is the kind of day where small fish will continually hit your line were it enters the water. This is the kind of day you will catch 6 or 7 bass off that log where you usually only caught one. These are the times we would all like to be out on the water when things are "hot". Unfortunately these type of days (or times) seem to be the exception, not the norm.

 

When I was younger people used to ask me and my fishing buddy how we caught so many bass. The answer was, because we fish everyday. We would go fishing before we went to work. We would fish when we got off of work and fish on weekends, rainy days, hot days and sometimes at night. When you are doing that you just got to get into them at times. I particularly remember when we would be speed cranking Big-O's off a point and catch 25-30 nice bass, averaging  4 to 6, sometimes 7 pounds one right after the other. Being at the right place at the right time. 

 

Is there anything else that you have personalty noticed that would indicate that it is going to be a productive day fishing? 

[FishinBuck07]

That you are on the water, rather than at work!  Just my way of thinking!

[Captain Phil]

Roland Martin was once asked for the secret to catching more bass.  He said "Go early and stay late".   If you feel good, you will fish better and stay longer.  When you are over 70 like some of us are, this does not happen every day.  I enjoy fishing more now than I did when I was younger.  You appreciate everything because you don't know how much longer you can.

[Tatsu Dave]

16 minutes ago, FishinBuck07 said:

That you are on the water, rather than at work!  Just my way of thinking!

Thats the first thing that jumped to mind for sure. General activity is another good indicator. Sitting here typing while my partner (son) gets his groggy self ready to go.

6 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Roland Martin was once asked for the secret to catching more bass.  He said "Go early and stay late".   If you feel good, you will fish better and stay longer.  When you are over 70 like I am, this does not happen every day.  I enjoy fishing more now than I did when I was younger.  You appreciate everything because you don't know how much longer you can.

Past 70 no telling how long you will continue to enjoy this blessing of good health. Not thirty and bullet proof anymore ?

[Bubba 460]

11 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

You appreciate everything because you don't know how much longer you can.

 

 You got that right   ~ We're all riding a train and there's an end of the line somewhere up ahead.

[Koz]

Usually, the first 15-20 casts determine if it's going to be a good day fishing. I pick a spot that I know should be holding bass. If I don't at least get a strike, it's usually a long, unproductive day.

[GreenPig]

Windy and a water temp under 82 and over 40 and it'll be a good day. I will catch fish at some point, they might not be big but I'll find a few. 

[Spankey]

Cool calm morning, no air flow, low fog covered as far as the eyes can see, surrounded by those swirly funnel risers coming off the water. Love it. Generally gonna be a decent morning. 

[Bubba 460]

7 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Cool calm morning, no air flow, low fog covered as far as the eyes can see, surrounded by those swirly funnel risers coming off the water. Love it. Generally gonna be a decent morning. 

 

 Yes, the table's set....

[cyclops2]

Dense clouds low light levels. No sunglasses day.  Schooling fish do not care about light levels too much.   Think some people think all fish are avoiding bright sunlight.  Not always true statement.  Lone ambushers  HIDE all the time.  That works for them. 

Schools of fish need light. To pick out a single fish in a school darting around. In my bay that is SMB tactic. Really big / HUGE SMB might not keep up with a moving school. So I find them in about 6 favored places. If I remove one ? Next day or 2 another big one takes over.

[A-Jay]

Once I hear this, I'm good.

 

Fish Hard

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

[Bubba 460]

6 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

Dense clouds low light levels. No sunglasses day.  Schooling fish do not care about light levels too much.   Think some people think all fish are avoiding bright sunlight.  Not always true statement.  Lone ambushers  HIDE all the time.  That works for them. 

Schools of fish need light. To pick out a single fish in a school darting around. In my bay that is SMB tactic. Really big / HUGE SMB might not keep up with a moving school. So I find them in about 6 favored places. If I remove one ? Next day or 2 another big one takes over.

 

 I too prefer cloudy days, overall it just averages out to better fishing. If it's not cloudy day I cast to shady spots when they are available, that includes deeper water where healthy aquatic vegetation is.

[A-Jay]

59 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

.Really big / HUGE SMB might not keep up with a moving school. So I find them in about 6 favored places. If I remove one ? Next day or 2 another big one takes over.

Nice.

I like big smallies too.

Can we get a few pics ?

A-Jay

[DaubsNU1]

I've been tracking / logging my fishing trips since 1992...hoping I could find a way to "crack-the-code." Haven't figured it out yet.

 

I pay close attention to barometric pressure, solar-lunar-tables, atmospheric and water temp, cloud cover, water clarity, wildlife activity, etc. Sometimes the fish are biting, other times they aren't.

 

This past weekend we took Dad out to my Sister's cabin...it's on a sandpit lake in central Nebraska...sunny and mid 80's, very little breeze...we fished around the boat dock. Started fishing around 10AM...slow. Brother caught a few crappie here and there, Dad was caught maybe three crappie the entire time.

 

Nephew and I were throwing NED rigs and wacky-senko's. We caught 8 nice largemouth between 14-18" over the course of two hours.

 

Last cloudy I fished the small bait-fish were busting the surface everywhere. I thought it was going to be a good day...didn't catch a dang thing : (

 

I try to keep my expectations low when it comes to fishing (and hunting). Try to remind myself to slow down, enjoy the process, enjoy mother nature, enjoy what God has blessed me with. If I catch fish, great.  If not, I'm still enjoying a day on the water.

[Bubba 460]

8 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Once I hear this, I'm good.

 

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

 

Nice big boat, LOTS of water and big smallmouth. You are fortunate to live in a smallmouth paradise even thou you have a longer winter and ice-over to contend with. Unless I'm on a river I don't get to use my jet outboard much as I fish lakes either electric motor only or gas motors of 9.9 or smaller . If I could do a video, I'd do one for you of my Minn Kota FourTrax 80 revving up ~ that'll send chills up your spine.

[gim]

Low pressure often means a good day of fishing for me, at least in the summer months.  When we have an extended period of hot, dry, sunny conditions with a weather change coming in, it really turns the fish on.  They are usually aggressive and hungry.

 

Not always the case, but more often than not.  Hot, sunny conditions have produced for me in the past too, but they are generally not as productive.  It could also be a by-product of how I prefer to fish.  I prefer to target them with a faster, horizontal, moving lure approach rather than a slower, finesse, vertical-type approach.

 

This summer was set up exactly this way and the results proved it.  June and July were mostly unproductive because it was hot, dry, and sunny with high pressure for weeks on end.  Virtually no weather changes.  Around late July and all of August, we had a pattern shift.  The water temps dropped some and there was a series of low pressure fronts that moved through regularly.  Ironically, August was better than June and July combined.  A lot better.

[Bubba 460]

11 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

I've been tracking / logging my fishing trips since 1992...hoping I could find a way to "crack-the-code." Haven't figured it out yet.

 

I pay close attention to barometric pressure, solar-lunar-tables, atmospheric and water temp, cloud cover, water clarity, wildlife activity, etc. Sometimes the fish are biting, other times they aren't.

 

This past weekend we took Dad out to my Sister's cabin...it's on a sandpit lake in central Nebraska...sunny and mid 80's, very little breeze...we fished around the boat dock. Started fishing around 10AM...slow. Brother caught a few crappie here and there, Dad was caught maybe three crappie the entire time.

 

Nephew and I were throwing NED rigs and wacky-senko's. We caught 8 nice largemouth between 14-18" over the course of two hours.

 

Last cloudy I fished the small bait-fish were busting the surface everywhere. I thought it was going to be a good day...didn't catch a dang thing : (

 

I try to keep my expectations low when it comes to fishing (and hunting). Try to remind myself to slow down, enjoy the process, enjoy mother nature, enjoy what God has blessed me with. If I catch fish, great.  If not, I'm still enjoying a day on the water.

 

 

Sounds good, I lived in North Platte for a year. Caught some smallmouth out if the Platte River just out of town. Lots of rattle snakes were I was fishing back up in the rocks.

 

 

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Low pressure often means a good day of fishing for me, at least in the summer months.  When we have an extended period of hot, dry, sunny conditions with a weather change coming in, it really turns the fish on.  They are usually aggressive and hungry.

 

Not always the case, but more often than not.  Hot, sunny conditions have produced for me in the past too, but they are generally not as productive.  It could also be a by-product of how I prefer to fish.  I prefer to target them with a faster, horizontal, moving lure approach rather than a slower, finesse, vertical-type approach.

 

This summer was set up exactly this way and the results proved it.  June and July were mostly unproductive because it was hot, dry, and sunny with high pressure for weeks on end.  Virtually no weather changes.  Around late July and all of August, we had a pattern shift.  The water temps dropped some and there was a series of low pressure fronts that moved through regularly.  Ironically, August was better than June and July combined.  A lot better.

 

 Yep, I hate the hot, sunny "dog days" of summer ~ more than ready for the cooler weather. Noticed an up-kick on top-water already.

[Catt]

What indicates that it's going to be good day on the water?...

 

As others have mentioned at my age & health...being able to walk!

 

That old saying, what you do when you're younger, you'll pay for when you get older...it's real.

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

What indicates that it's going to be good day on the water?...

 

As others have mentioned at my age & health...being able to walk!

 

That old saying, what you do not do when you're younger, you'll pay for when you get older...it's real.

Agreed @Catt

But there may be another way to look at it as well.

Stay Healthy my friend.

A-Jay

[Team9nine]

Catching a fish on my first cast (or two) always makes for a great day because the skunk factor (pressure) is gone, so I can just relax and fish/enjoy the rest of the trip.

 

I don’t put any stock in the environmental factors or activity levels so frequently mentioned because they’ve all let me down enough times over the years to know they can’t be trusted.

 

Big believer now of simply being on the water as often as possible, as you can't catch ‘em if you're not there...and if you’re there enough, sooner or later good things will happen.

[Bubba 460]

31 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Catching a fish on my first cast (or two) always makes for a great day because the skunk factor (pressure) is gone, so I can just relax and fish/enjoy the rest of the trip.

 

I don’t put any stock in the environmental factors or activity levels so frequently mentioned because they’ve all let me down enough times over the years to know they can’t be trusted.

 

Big believer now of simply being on the water as often as possible, as you can't catch ‘em if you're not there...and if you’re there enough, sooner or later good things will happen.

 

Yes, a fish on the first or second cast comes with achievement awards, at least mentally. If you're gonna start, start off right ~ YES, I am invincible!

[WRB]

Every day on the water is a blessing.

You know when your putting the boat back on trailer if time on the water was better then expected.

As far as indicators I put this together in 1974 Cosmic Clock and Bass Behavior Calendar*, it’s all there.

Tom

PS, just checked Google it’s gone?

If you want a copy* I will email it.

[soflabasser]

Any day I get to go fishing is a good day for me.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Agreed @Catt

But there may be another way to look at it as well.

Stay Healthy my friend.

A-Jay

 

While I can't hang with your video I do everything I can to stay mobile.