Bass bite dies after noon?

[Gregorym38]

Went fishing at a local lake. Did pretty good in the morning, but then once noon hits the bite dies down and doesnt pick back up. There are carp all over the place and some little baitfish along the shoreline, including baby bass, but no big ones. I use a texas rigged senko if that makes a difference, and i dont have a boat so i am restricted to thr shoreline. I have tried walking along the bank in search of shade and trees/structure but nothing paid off. Anything i should do different?? 

[newriverfisherman1953]

Try to find some deeper water. Other than that, call it a day and get some ice cream on the way home.?? Try it in the morning again. 

[Bankc]

It's pretty common in the summer for the bite to die down when the sun is out and high in the sky.  Your best bets are to look for shade, vegetation, and deep water.  Basically areas with cooler water.  So right now, the fishing can be very tough, especially in the heat of the day.  It's best to be out in the early morning or late evening, or even at night, when the fish will push up more shallow and feed more aggressively.  

 

The higher temps will also slow their metabolism down, so they're less likey to chase or move far for baits.  So you'll likely need to drop your lure right in front of them, and slow down your presentation.  Maybe try a Ned rig or drop shot as well.  Though a T-rig senko isn't a bad choice either.  

 

You may need to make multiple casts to shaded areas to drop one right in front of them.  Or you may want to try to find a place to access deeper water.  If you can find a depth map of the lake, look for areas with steep elevation changes where bass can easily move from deep to shallow water.

[Gregorym38]

7 minutes ago, Bankc said:

It's pretty common in the summer for the bite to die down when the sun is out and high in the sky.  Your best bets are to look for shade, vegetation, and deep water.  Basically areas with cooler water.  So right now, the fishing can be very tough, especially in the heat of the day.  It's best to be out in the early morning or late evening, or even at night, when the fish will push up more shallow and feed more aggressively.  

 

The higher temps will also slow their metabolism down, so they're less likey to chase or move far for baits.  So you'll likely need to drop your lure right in front of them, and slow down your presentation.  Maybe try a Ned rig or drop shot as well.  Though a T-rig senko isn't a bad choice either.  

 

You may need to make multiple casts to shaded areas to drop one right in front of them.  Or you may want to try to find a place to access deeper water.  If you can find a depth map of the lake, look for areas with steep elevation changes where bass can easily move from deep to shallow water.

Unfortunately there is no depth map and the only access is on the bank. They dont allow kayaks but i am tempted to do it anyways. I figured once the heat of the day kicked in they went deep, is there any hope to catch them deep if i am able to get to them though? I will be going to a lake with kayak access and will most likely fish from early morning to afternoon/late afternoon, and will have to target different areas at different times. Also, is the bite reliable at night? 

[LrgmouthShad]

29 minutes ago, Bankc said:

It's pretty common in the summer for the bite to die down when the sun is out and high in the sky

Seems to depend man. What the hot sun in the summer seems to do when it gets real high is put the bass in pretty predictable places… places like the ones you mentioned in your next sentence. 

[MickD]

Might be true for LMB, but not for SMB on the big water.  I've had some very good times around noon.  Depends more on things like the wind than the time of day.  

[Team9nine]

It was 94 degrees and sunny today when I hit the bank of a local pond for a quick afternoon trip. Managed 8 bass on jigs; 2 swimming over shallow weed flats and 6 off the deep edge of the drop off (4'-7') about 15-20 ft. out from the bank. I like the high sun and heat because it positions fish well.

 

[Sphynx]

38 minutes ago, Gregorym38 said:

Unfortunately there is no depth map and the only access is on the bank. They dont allow kayaks but i am tempted to do it anyways. I figured once the heat of the day kicked in they went deep, is there any hope to catch them deep if i am able to get to them though? I will be going to a lake with kayak access and will most likely fish from early morning to afternoon/late afternoon, and will have to target different areas at different times. Also, is the bite reliable at night? 

I would not advise "doing it anyway" if the rules plainly state not to, that's a great way to lose your ability to fish that area at all.

 

You may have some thermocline issues going on if the water gets hot enough, it'll stop holding enough oxygen for fish to stay in, you can either find deeper, cooler water and shade, or vegetation in heavy enough concentration to provide oxygen, or else moving water/current will create a more oxygen rich environment. As far as night fishing, you can absolutely destroy them at night in the right places, and in the summer heat it can be the best fishing you'll have.

[flyfisher]

It is all in your head.  The majority of my citation sized LM have come in the heat of the day.

Pond fishing can be difficult as you don't have as much access but it can definitely be done. Gotta find cooler water.  Bass are also more skittish I have found when shallow at this time of day so keep that in mind as well.

[Bird]

Down sizing baits in the afternoon and preferably on a shaded bank has been productive here.

 

Also edge of grass mats, weightless wacky, small swimbaits.

[papajoe222]

Some bass will remain shallow throughout the day. That doesn't mean that they are active and you need to adjust your presentation accordingly.  Slowing down and precise casting to targets will increase your odds of tempting those fish with a very small strike window. I go to the extreme at times and dead stick a small Senko. Downsizing will help, too.  

If you fish as if it were post frontal conditions, you could add a few fish midday.  

[schplurg]

I used to fish a nearby creek before it dried up and I'd catch bass all summer near cover, or in a few deeper or shady spots.

 

I caught my PB 15 feet off the bank in a pond in late June. Was shady...

 

Fishing has been typically better for me in the summer.

[Gregorym38]

Some portions of the lake have overhanging trees on the water, which i think is the only real spot the bass can go without going deep. The middle of the lake is rather open, with 3 visible structures of rocks, but i obviously cant fish those deep areas. Anyone have luck going behind a tree directly on the water and casting under its overhanging branches? That sounds like a nightmare to me. The lake is big and borders a lot of towns, and the terrain is largely the same around it. They cleared a path and a few areas around the lake for fishing access but a lot of it is uncleared and is just woods right up to the water which i think is overall nice, but hard to fish from the bank. 

[RDB]

Some lakes are like that during certain times of the year.  Lake Fork often has a pretty big mid day lull and really picks up later in the afternoon.  You might try an afternoon trip one day to see how active they are late.

 

4 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

Unfortunately there is no depth map and the only access is on the bank.

Some of the bank fishermen might look at some of the portable sonars like Deeper.  They are castable and about the size of a tennis ball and have down imaging and mapping capabilities.  I saw a fisherman casting one out with one rod and while fishing with another and walked over to ask him about it.  It functioned through Bluetooth and he was viewing on an iPad (I assume you can use a cell phone as he said you download their app).  I was pretty impressed with the features it provided for such a compact device.  My memory is the cost wasn’t that much at the time but it’s been a while.

[BigAngus752]

11 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

the bite dies down

Yes it can.  But it never completely stops.  It's just a matter of how patient you are and how much you want to work to adjust.  Some days I get scientific like Bill Nye and the Lord grants me the patience of Job.  Other days I can't get my mind right and I go home.  

[Captain Phil]

10 hours ago, flyfisher said:

It is all in your head.  The majority of my citation sized LM have come in the heat of the day.

 

My biggest fish of the day are normally caught between 11 AM and 2 PM.  I don't even launch my boat until 9 AM.  

[Bankc]

12 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Seems to depend man. What the hot sun in the summer seems to do when it gets real high is put the bass in pretty predictable places… places like the ones you mentioned in your next sentence. 

You're not wrong!  I guess I'm putting myself and my own experiences into this.  In the lakes I frequent, there is very little vegetation or shade available, and the water is always windy and stained.  So even though I know where to find them, getting to them and getting them to bite is tough. 

 

But clearly, not everyone is in the same situation as me.  

[BayouSlide]

4 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

 

My biggest fish of the day are normally caught between 11 AM and 2 PM.  I don't even launch my boat until 9 AM.  

 

This is my experience as well, including my last 5#, caught last week at 12:48 on a flat near a cypress stump.

 

Like Captain Phil, I don't see any need to get up that early in the morning ?

 

 

 

[roadwarrior]

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

[Captain Phil]

52 minutes ago, BayouSlide said:

 

This is my experience as well, including my last 5#, caught last week at 12:48 on a flat near a cypress stump.

Like Captain Phil, I don't see any need to get up that early in the morning ?

 

There was a time when I believed you had to be on the water before the sun rose to catch bass.  My son and I were known to leave in the dark and come back in the dark.  One fact is certain, the more time you spend on the water the more fish you will catch.  In the summer, it is more comfortable to fish early and late.  The fish don't care what time it is, all they do is react.   When the water warms, fish being cold blooded become more active.  If it's too hot, fish will move.  I have caught bass flipping in 93 degree water.  The biggest lesson I learned from fishing tournaments was this, "Someone always finds a way to catch fish". 

[gim]

Realize that the responses here are from posters from all over the entire country too.  What one person says they experience in Florida may not be the same as what we experience in the Midwest.

 

My personal experience in midsummer is how @Bankc described in the third post.  If its a sunny, bluebird day the fish will usually gravitate towards some sort of shade or depth where its cooler.  That may be in deeper water, thicker weeds, or under docks.  I don't have much tolerance for the heat in midsummer so my limit is often reached around 11am or noon if I am starting early in the morning.

 

If its a cloudy or rainy day (which usually means incoming low pressure), the fish are often shallow and aggressive for long periods of time.  These are the days I try to target because there's less boaters and the fishing is often much better.

[Captain Phil]

No one that I know enjoys fishing when it's so hot you have to worry about heat stroke. That's a different problem than the fish not biting in the middle of the day.   

 

How far north do you have to fish for the fish to stop biting at noon?  For a number of years I went fishing for a week on the Canadian side of Lake Erie.  We caught smallmouth bass and walleye all day long.  We never got to the ramp until 9 AM and were back for dinner at 6.   For over 20 years, I fished Lac Seul in N Ontario every August.  The bigger fish we caught were always in the middle of the day.   While there may be exceptions, most fish don't own a watch.   If you aren't catching fish, there are two possible reasons.  1 - There are no fish to be caught where you are fishing or 2 - You are not making them bite what you are using.  Both of those things are under your control.  

[WRB]

1. Bass increase metabolism as the water warms.

2. Bass go under aquatic cover for 2 reasons, increased DO levels and ambush a prey source.

3. Thermocline depth is the life zone during the summer.

4. 10 A to 2 P is slowest time in clear rock structure lakes with sparse cover in the summer. 8 P to 8A is prime time where I during hot summer period.

Tom

 

[roadwarrior]

55 minutes ago, WRB said:

4. 10 A to 2 P is slowest time in clear rock structure lakes with sparse cover in the summer. 

This guy was a California Big Bass Fisherman and his best period was 10-2.

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/profile/5051-fish-chris/

[RDB]

20 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

i dont have a boat so i am restricted to thr shoreline

I think some might not be considering this point from the OP’s post.  Yes, mid day summers can be good.  Yes, mid day summers can be tough.  There are so many factors that can influence this, including the water he does have access to.  Having limited water access can multiply the difficulties.  Before responding to me to say that my point doesn’t hold water because you caught your PB in 4 feet of water, it might be more helpful to the OP to ask for a few more details about the water he does have access to.