Where did the bass go

[Gregorym38]

Went to my local lake, and for the past week or two the water level has dropped significantly. In the video below, i am standing where the water should be, it should go all the way up to the dirt at the end of the video. Anyways, i used my fish finder on the lake and did not pick up a single bass, and i walked along the shore for 30 minutes. There were plenty of baitfish around, and even baby bass, but no adults. Could they have gone deep? 

 

[GreenPig]

Yes. Just like folks climbing on a roof during a flood so they can keep breathing. 

[Cbump]

If they aren’t shallow, they are deep. 

[Deleted account]

5 hours ago, Cbump said:

If they aren’t shallow, they are deep. 

I can't tell if that statement is superficial or profound...

[DitchPanda]

11 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

I can't tell if that statement is superficial or profound...

You win 

[PhishLI]

8 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

Could they have gone deep? 

The water's low here too.

 

Saturday was mostly overcast, hot, humid, but there was a pretty strong south wind. I ran up late in the afternoon and started in very shallow water on the north end. I waded in and immediately felt it was quite a bit cooler than it has been lately. For the short time I was there the bite was hot. They chased and bit fast moving baits.

 

I went back yesterday at about the same time to the same spot after a day of high sun and little wind. Stepping in it immediately felt as warm as bathwater, almost hot, and the bite was gone other than a micro bass on a dead stick'd ned. I walked straight up to the southern end near much deeper water, then waded in and, as expected, it immediately felt quite a bit cooler. I caught a few very aggressive fish actively feeding by bombing baits out near the deeper water. They were hitting chatterbaits on the fall, so they were grouped up well. Converted bites to catches with a super fluke.

 

This isn't to say that they won't come to shore at some point to feed fast on the baitfish, then split back out to cooler water, because they will. Being there when that particular bite comes and goes is the trick. It happens fast, then ends quickly. After a zero-wind day during summer, this window is more likely to occur at night once cooler air has drawn a skosh heat out of the water.

[Gregorym38]

38 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

The water's low here too.

 

Saturday was mostly overcast, hot, humid, but there was a pretty strong south wind. I ran up late in the afternoon and started in very shallow water on the north end. I waded in and immediately felt it was quite a bit cooler than it has been lately. For the short time I was there the bite was hot. They chased and bit fast moving baits.

 

I went back yesterday at about the same time to the same spot after a day of high sun and little wind. Stepping in it immediately felt as warm as bathwater, almost hot, and the bite was gone other than a micro bass on a dead stick'd ned. I walked straight up to the southern end near much deeper water, then waded in and, as expected, it immediately felt quite a bit cooler. I caught a few very aggressive fish actively feeding by bombing baits out near the deeper water. They were hitting chatterbaits on the fall, so they were grouped up well. Converted bites to catches with a super fluke.

 

This isn't to say that they won't come to shore at some point to feed fast on the baitfish, then split back out to cooler water, because they will. Being there when that particular bite comes and goes is the trick. It happens fast, then ends quickly. After a zero-wind day during summer, this window is more likely to occur at night once cooler air has drawn a skosh heat out of the water.

Awesome!! How do you know which side would be cooler? The area that i started fishing was shallow, but if you walked to the right/headed to the north of the lake, it gets about 10-14 feet deep within casting distance, and it stays like this for a while. I assumed there would be some life there, but there were no bass. 

[Trox]

They are celebrating independence day

[PhishLI]

1 minute ago, Gregorym38 said:

How do you know which side would be cooler?

This basin has a pretty shallow north end. Heading south it gets deeper towards the middle. Deeper water isn't necessarily an indicator of more fish under these conditions, but deeper water is generally cooler as it's harder to heat, and deeper water with weeds is a safe bet. A pond thermometer is a good tool to keep on you. I didn't have mine with me yesterday, but when wading, the thermometer god gave me is pretty sensitive to temperature changes.

[Gregorym38]

I contacted the company that owns the lake and they are treating it for algae that has grown, it is not harmful, just present. He said that the water level dropped because people are using so much water to water their gardens, etc. In a previous topic i asked about the water treatment plant on the lake, turns out its just to distribute water to the surrounding community. They stated that they have had reports of people catching wipers, which i have never caught before

[Sphynx]

On 7/4/2022 at 6:25 PM, Deleted account said:

I can't tell if that statement is superficial or profound...

It's the kinda thing Yogi Berra is smiling down about right now...hit 'em where they ain't! 

[scaleface]

I never make random cast out in nowhere land unless I'm bank fishing in a pond . Use sinking lures and follow the contour from deep to shallow . Take a few steps and repeat . The lures can be spinnerbaits , jigs , grubs , lipless cranks ...If you find a snag bring out the Texas rig .

[Gregorym38]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

I never make random cast out in nowhere land unless I'm bank fishing in a pond . Use sinking lures and follow the contour from deep to shallow . Take a few steps and repeat . The lures can be spinnerbaits , jigs , grubs , lipless cranks ...If you find a snag bring out the Texas rig .

Ahhh ok. I actually use a fish finder so i know the structure of the bottom, but it can still be hard to find the fish, especially restricted to the bank