Is it almost spring time ?

[Finessegenics]

12 hours ago, throttleplate said:

glad winter is upon us and hope to heck it brings tons of snow to replentish the rivers and lakes.

I’m not glad but I’m praying for the same thing! Last winter and spring was mild for us, not very cold and an insanely small amount of snow or rain. That led to really low water levels and some not so great fishing.
 

We still haven’t gotten our first snow, it usually happens the first week of December. 

[detroit1]

4.5 months away....yippeeee

[Bankbeater]

For a few days its been warm then it cools ways down, then the temps are back up and it's warm again.  Winter is playing with us.

[Finessegenics]

12 hours ago, cyclops2 said:

Great Lakes all need another fill up.  Some big freighters were not filled to clear the bottom in some places.  The real problem place, is Montreal. It is right on the St. Lawrence River water level. Talk is they want to move it to high enough ground to allow a year around city.  We will see.

Yea, it’s a complicated affair. When the water is too low it’s a huge problem, like it was this year. Freighters can’t load as much, less water going through dams, so less power and obstacles that were all safely underwater in years past become a hazard for boaters.
 

On the flip side, when the water levels are too high, there is really bad flooding, especially on the north shore of the west of the island. It’s a scare every year for waterfront property owners. In the port and east end, it’s less of a concern. The province released new “flood zone” maps that included areas that don’t historically flood and it was a huge fiasco because the property values of homes in those areas went down and laws about re-building which I don’t understand myself. They removed some areas after a lot of backlash. 

[tander]

72 tomorrow, 77 Tuesday, and 76 Wednesday, yep, I going.

[Yakalong]

This thread is depressing, I know the snow still has to come. 

[Koz]

It was 28 degrees this morning in GA when I went to work. I was not happy. And what the heck is going on around here with houses without garages? I hate having to scrape the ice of my car windows and have it frigid inside the car.

 

Daytime temps this week in the 50's and 60's and nighttime temps in the 30's and 40's. I think I'm going to pack up my kayak for the year and stick to fishing off the docks at my hotel. Maybe not. I don't mind fishing when the air is cold, it's the water temperatures that give me pause.

 

I stay safe on my kayak and haven't had an accident out there. but in the back of my mind I worry a bit about getting dumped in that cold water, even with a PFD.

[padon]

20 hours ago, Catt said:

screw you catt. lol im coming to visit for a month

[cyclops2]

Koz

 

Get a water tight bag that holds a EPIRB satellite Distress Transmitter in it TIE IT TO YOU !!!!!!!! If you flip out of boat ? Wind blows it away.  You MUST TIE yourself to the Kyack !!!!!!!!!!.   I am tied to my small fish boat.   You can press the transmit button in the freezer bag covering it.  The satellite gets your position & relays it to rescue in your area. Add a cheap cell phone to the bag.  911 will work on a lake with houses around it ?

 

My bag also has a hand held VHF radio. Set to 5 watts & USCG channel.

[scaleface]

I am in the process of selling my small business ,  so I have not found time to fish for a few weeks now . Come this spring I will be retired for the second time and I foresee  a lot of fishing and camp-fires .

[Captain Phil]

Here in Central Florida, I pray for November.  The summers are so hot, I rarely fish all day.  By 9 AM in July, you could cook an egg on the top of my Mercury.   November brings the first cool weather.  We have the heater on this morning as it's fifty outside our home. When it drops into the thirties in Florida, little old ladies think about chopping up their rocking chairs for firewood.  ?

 

Seriously, November is the start of our bass fishing season.  The first cold front sends them shallow and they start to feed up before the spawn which can start right after Christmas.  A few years ago, a buddy and I went fishing on a cool Thanksgiving morning while our wives were cooking.   We caught two beautiful eight pound bass.  You may be surprised to know I own a snow suit.   I look like the Michelin Tire Man in the thing. It can get cold here, but it doesn't last long.

[FishinBuck07]

Ground covered here in Northeast Ohio already, and already sick of it!  Oh well guess it could always be worse.

[LrgmouthShad]

11 hours ago, Koz said:

but in the back of my mind I worry a bit about getting dumped in that cold water, even with a PFD.

Very real concern. I guess it's probably more likely to get in a car accident if you're careful, but scares me a little too. My kayak is extraordinarily stable which gives me a little more confidence. 

[TnRiver46]

6 hours ago, FishinBuck07 said:

Ground covered here in Northeast Ohio already, and already sick of it!  Oh well guess it could always be worse.

The in-laws were sending me snow pics from Toledo and hamler yesterday 

17 hours ago, Koz said:

It was 28 degrees this morning in GA when I went to work. I was not happy. And what the heck is going on around here with houses without garages? I hate having to scrape the ice of my car windows and have it frigid inside the car.

 

Daytime temps this week in the 50's and 60's and nighttime temps in the 30's and 40's. I think I'm going to pack up my kayak for the year and stick to fishing off the docks at my hotel. Maybe not. I don't mind fishing when the air is cold, it's the water temperatures that give me pause.

 

I stay safe on my kayak and haven't had an accident out there. but in the back of my mind I worry a bit about getting dumped in that cold water, even with a PFD.

If the water is below 55 degrees I don’t paddle very far from dry land. Bank fishing below dams or big boats are much more comfortable in winter 

 

welcome to Appalachia weather, this ain’t Hilton head anymore haha. A garage is where you take your car to be worked on (although I am lucky to have a carport). The old timers always put a sheet over their cars before dark 

[flatcreek]

Headed out Saturday for our annual 10 day bass fishing/camping Thanksgiving trip on Savannah River. Hope the fishing is as good as last year when the bite was on fire.i’m optimistic 

[FishinBuck07]

56 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

The in-laws were sending me snow pics from Toledo and hamler yesterday 

 

That isn't Ohio, that is the state up North!  Haha.  Dad always said push Toledo North and Cincinnati South and Ohio would be a much better state!  Haha

[Black Hawk Basser]

Bring on the ice!  Got a new 24V lithium power auger and several new self-built rods to try out.

[Koz]

10 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Very real concern. I guess it's probably more likely to get in a car accident if you're careful, but scares me a little too. My kayak is extraordinarily stable which gives me a little more confidence. 

Mine is very stable as well. I've been out there in 15+ mph winds and taken on the wakes of the big pontoon boats screaming by and not once have I ever felt like I might get dumped.  Same thing when I have to get up and put my knees on the seat to get to my crate storage.

 

That being said, dumping it is always in the back of my mind and I try my best not to put myself in a bad position. If I'm going to be impacted by a big wake I'll stop fishing and steer my nose into it rather than get broadsided. But dumping it in summer means that I get wet. Dumping it in winter means I might die. I still have a few good years left!

[JbroBass]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

If the water is below 55 degrees I don’t paddle very far from dry land.

 

Have you considered one of the dry suits they make for kayak fishing? I don't have one but plan to do some research over the winter, as I would like to get out soon after ice out next Spring, and it's been a number of years since I've paddled. Trying to re-learn in dangerous cold water makes me a bit nervous! I think I would feel safer to start in a dry suit, along with a nice PFD too of course. 

[PressuredFishing]

On 11/13/2021 at 4:05 PM, WRB said:

2 months it will be January and the spawn in Florida.

Today it was a hot 90 degrees in SoCal, with a early spawn for sure.

Tom

Would you say we get an early spawn similar to Florida, I was busy this spring and went out March 5th to see empty beds and few males lingering. Does mid February sound right for the spawn, that is my theory for us, maybe I'm wrong.

[WRB]

Spawn occurs when the female bass are ready to lay eggs,

The cold water period is generally core water temps below 50 degrees, not surface water temps. The core (deeper) water where the bass are located starts to warm triggering a seasonal change, the bass start into pre spawn that takes a few months prior to the 1st spawn wave indicated by cruisers.

The next step is male bass seeking bed sites. When the water temps get above 60 degrees at the depth of the beds females move onto beds. 

The spawn cycle can take up to 2 months with 3 or waves of spawners the same females returning more then once.

This year we haven’t had the cold water period yet and may not. The females are developing eggs at a faster rate do to warmer water. 

California has multiple climate zones up and down the coast and altitude changes from sea level to higher mountain bass exceeding 7,000 feet with some lakes that freeze. Example Big Bear lake is at 7,200 feet in SoCal with lakes within 50 miles that are under 1,500 feet. Lower altitude in SoCal has warmer climate vs higher altitude lake that can be 50 degrees colder. Water temper controls the spawn not the calendar.

Tom

[king fisher]

16 minutes ago, WRB said:

Water temper controls the spawn not the calendar.

     I have fished a lake for a little over a year now.  The coldest surface temp last year was in mid February at 66 degrees. The temp in Dec. and Jan. was 68- 74 depending on the day.  All temps. were taken at 7:00 AM.  Afternoon temps. can be as much as 6 degrees higher. The lake level in the winter is high and I caught large bass in 1 to 4 feet of water, on a flooded pasture all winter.  The locals think the bass spawn in April but are not sure.  Big females I caught in May were thin, so maybe April is when they spawn.  Surface Temps in April and May were 68 to 73 depending on the day.  I thought the spawning cycle would be equivalent to Fl. but the coldest part of winter is in Feb. When would you think the spawn would be?  Best fishing by far is in June, but that is because the water is at it's lowest and the fish are concentrated.  I never saw any fish on beds, but the water visibility is not good, and I wasn't able to fish more than a couple days a month in Jan., Feb. March.  The fish are in shallow flooded water all winter, so there is no need to move from deeper cooler water to the shallows to spawn.  The water temp never gets over 80 in the summer, so really there is very little change in temp. the whole year.  Other bass lakes in Mexico have the spawn in Jan. but they also get colder water in Dec. and very hot water in the summer.  I hope to get out more this winter.  Maybe I will see some beds.  Any guess on what would trigger the spawn on this fishery?

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, JbroBass said:

 

Have you considered one of the dry suits they make for kayak fishing? I don't have one but plan to do some research over the winter, as I would like to get out soon after ice out next Spring, and it's been a number of years since I've paddled. Trying to re-learn in dangerous cold water makes me a bit nervous! I think I would feel safer to start in a dry suit, along with a nice PFD too of course. 

No but only because I’ve got other options to fish from when it’s cold. If I only had a kayak I might consider it but I can scratch the itch other ways 

[WRB]

17 hours ago, king fisher said:

     I have fished a lake for a little over a year now.  The coldest surface temp last year was in mid February at 66 degrees. The temp in Dec. and Jan. was 68- 74 depending on the day.  All temps. were taken at 7:00 AM.  Afternoon temps. can be as much as 6 degrees higher. The lake level in the winter is high and I caught large bass in 1 to 4 feet of water, on a flooded pasture all winter.  The locals think the bass spawn in April but are not sure.  Big females I caught in May were thin, so maybe April is when they spawn.  Surface Temps in April and May were 68 to 73 depending on the day.  I thought the spawning cycle would be equivalent to Fl. but the coldest part of winter is in Feb. When would you think the spawn would be?  Best fishing by far is in June, but that is because the water is at it's lowest and the fish are concentrated.  I never saw any fish on beds, but the water visibility is not good, and I wasn't able to fish more than a couple days a month in Jan., Feb. March.  The fish are in shallow flooded water all winter, so there is no need to move from deeper cooler water to the shallows to spawn.  The water temp never gets over 80 in the summer, so really there is very little change in temp. the whole year.  Other bass lakes in Mexico have the spawn in Jan. but they also get colder water in Dec. and very hot water in the summer.  I hope to get out more this winter.  Maybe I will see some beds.  Any guess on what would trigger the spawn on this fishery?

What’s over looked is the time period between spawn cycles.

Bass adapt to their specific ecosystem, survival of the species is everything.

Hypothetically lets say the bass start the spawn bedding period the end of January or water temps about 2-8’ deep in the mid 60’s- low 70’s. Female LMB rarely drop all their in 1 nest, the ovaries (egg sacks) developed in stages. So hypothetically the female drop 1 load of eggs in late January and a second load about 2 weeks later the 1 week of February. The female needs rest before transitioning from post spawn to early summer warmer water period, another 2 weeks. It’s now late February before the Bass has recouped and starts to hunt prey, her ovaries are empty no eggs. The bass is eating and growing, sometime about 6 to 8 weeks after the her ovaries start to develop immature eggs that developed to maturity in about 6 months or sometime around December. The female needs to fatten up during pre spawn for the fasting period during the spawn cycle.

Being cold blooded water temps control her metabolism that stimulates or subdues the need to eat. Every lake is different regarding spawn cycles however tend to be annual within a few weeks for that individual bass.

Extreme weather, cold, hot and flooding all impact the bass. The male selects bed sites and water levels and temps can force the bass to abandon the bed. Swarms of predator egg eaters can impact the spawn cycle. Year class recruitment means survival, to survive the bass must adjust to the environment. 

Tom

[Munkin]

On 11/13/2021 at 10:33 PM, WRB said:

We choose where we live and put up with climate. Ours is ideal weather wise otherwise it’s the pits.

Tom

 

California is slightly above Syria for places I would like to live. Having spent some time there for work I know the area is beautiful but the state government I could not handle.

 

Allen