Hard Summer Bite & Bass's Higher Metabolism Theory Confusion

[king fisher]

Josh Jones was a guest on a podcast a while back.  He talked about how difficult it was for him to get big bass to bite in the summer.  He said he can find large schools of bass with his ffs. but the bass are not interested in his lures.  In the winter it is opposite for him.  He finds less bass, but they are aggressive towards his presentations.  He also prefers the coldest water temps in the winter.  His best days are when a cold spell puts ice on part of the lake.  The metabolism of a bass is lower in cold water, and that is a fact, but the willingness to eat a lure apparently has little to do with metabolism.  Fishing pressure in popular lakes would have to big a big factor, but the dog days of summer happen on private ponds, where the pressure is the same throughout the year.  The theory that bass feed at night may be valid, but the main advantage the bass have for hunting at night is darkness, and that is the same regardless of water temperature and time of year.  Water takes longer to change temperature than the temperature on land, so for at least part of the night the surface temp will be just as warm as during the day and the water temp a few feet down probably changes very little from day to night, limiting changing water temperature at night being a major factor.  I am more inclined to believe the bass have more to eat, and actually spend less time hunting food, in the summer, but that is only a guess, and like most of my guesses could be completely wrong.  One thing for sure is only the bass know the answer, and they aren't talking.

 

As far as how hard a bass can fight in cold verses warm, I have seen zero difference.  They can pull drag while biting through a whole in the ice as well as they can when the water is 85 degrees.  This does not make any sense to me, but neither does most of bass fishing in general.   

 

I live in an area where the water temp. only ranges from 70 to 80 degrees from the coldest time of year to the warmest.  The fishing pressure is non existent, and the two big factors for success, are water clarity, and water level.  I'm sure the bass feed the same whether the water is high and muddy but my fishing skills are better in low clear water.   

[WRB]

The simple answer is abundance of food that includes young of the year fish of several species, terrestrial insects and larve, frogs and tadpoles, crawdads just wide variety of prey sources to compete with using artificial lures.

Tom

[LrgmouthShad]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

The simple answer is abundance of food that includes young of the year fish of several species, terrestrial insects and larve, frogs and tadpoles, crawdads just wide variety of prey sources to compete with using artificial lures.

Tom

That’s been my thought for a couple years now. I believe it can affect lure choices as well. If something is just too unnatural, why risk it when there’s a perfectly real bluegill close by? Gosh, you’ve seen 100 boats over the past week too… man, better play it safe… 

 

An exception is that summer bass can like speed. Something moving quick gives bass less time to think. 

[Woody B]

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

The most productive area for us has been on a shallow flat just outside a very busy marina.

 

I've had pretty good luck finding decent sized Bass in what I call "people areas" when the people aren't there.  Swim beaches, and areas near them, as well as on the water restaurants.  I don't fish during the day at least not when the weather is good.  I wouldn't fish a swim beach while people are swimming.  There's a particular swim beach, recreational area with a rocky point, and creek channel near by.  During the day the fish are on the point or the channel ledge.  Many times, at least for me it's hard to get them to bite when they're there.  At night, or during heavy rain I can usually nail them on the swim beach or the flat nearby.   

 

The on the water restaurant seating are hot spots at night sometimes.  I understand that.  People probably drop food in the water, both intentionally and accidently.  I could see this bringing in fish....which will probably bring in more fish.  I don't understand why Bass hang around a swim beach, or wedding venue.   

[LrgmouthShad]

@Woody B swim area around Union Grove Park on Stillhouse is a known fishing spot. 

[Susky River Rat]

Could it be bass rarely see our baits as food? That it’s all reaction strikes not due to hunger?

[Bird]

Summer fishing can be good as long as you get on the water early.

Dog days - water temps in the mid 80's the fishing slows down.

That's when I like throw 10"+ worms.

[Tennessee Boy]

How much more do largemouth bass eat in the summer compared to winter?

[WRB]

Black fresh water Bass are cold blooded fish and their body temperature is the same as water they live in.
Metabolism is based on body temperature and need to eat to stay healthy. Cold body reduces metabolic rate or less need to eat vs warm body with higher metabolic rate.

40 degree water/ body temps vs 80 degree the metabolic rate is less then half, still to eat but less often to maintain health. Bass have a need to add weight to survive the non-eating period during the spawn. Eat more with a colder body the bass gains weight with more calories then they burn.

This make pre spawn the ideal time to bass fish,

Tom

[gim]

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

How much more do largemouth bass eat in the summer compared to winter?

 

Depends on how cold we're talking here, and if you're referring to northern strain or Florida strain.  Northern strain are more tolerant of colder temps than the southern cousins because they are used to it on a more frequent basis.

 

Way up here, when the lakes lock in ice for 4 or more months, its like living in a big bowl with ice cubes.  Bass essentially go into hibernation mode.  Occasionally you hear of someone catching one through the ice but its not like an ice angler is trudging out there with the intent of catching bass since they are a warmwater species of fish.

[Catt]

Y'all be looking for that school chasing a ball of shad.

 

I'm out there at night hunting for Nadine & her sisters.

 

July & August big bass months 

[txchaser]

16 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Most anglers are shallow water fishermen while bass tend to be in deeper water.

Either that, or buried up under mats that take 1.5-2 oz to get through with a punch rig. IMO punching is an underused technique, probably because it's so much feast or famine.

[Zcoker]

Might depend on location but summertime is not the hardest time to get them in my neck of the woods, quite the contrary. Simple answer would be to change with them. They feed at night when it's cooler out. During the daytime they prefer deep cover. So I fish at night and punch mats in the daytime. Either way, I'm still getting them much the same as I always do. 

[gim]

10 hours ago, txchaser said:

Either that, or buried up under mats

 

I agree, they could be out deeper, under docks/trees, or buried in mats or shallow thick weeds of some kind because all of them offer relief from the sun.

 

We, as anglers, often look for the path of least resistance.  Punching mats and thick weeds is tougher fishing from a physical stand point.

[Zcoker]

40 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

Punching mats and thick weeds is tougher fishing from a physical stand point.

 

I find it rather relaxing. I can punch mats all day and not feel as burnt as, say, tossing a big swimbait all day. Then, again, I punch mats out of a kayak, so I don't know if standing is any harder. 

[Woody B]

18 hours ago, Catt said:

Y'all be looking for that school chasing a ball of shad.

 

I'm out there at night hunting for Nadine & her sisters.

 

July & August big bass months 

 

Every month is a big bass month for you!!!

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

I agree, they could be out deeper, under docks/trees, or buried in mats or shallow thick weeds of some kind because all of them offer relief from the sun.

 

We, as anglers, often look for the path of least resistance.  Punching mats and thick weeds is tougher fishing from a physical stand point.

Bass are a sunfish, I don’t think they need too much relief from it 

[gim]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Bass are a sunfish, I don’t think they need to much relief from it 

 

Simple physics.  Its 10 degrees cooler in the shade compared to direct sunlight.

[TnRiver46]

Well yeah but why do they need to cool off? They inhabit Louisiana and Georgia after all 😂 

 

One of the best times for me to catch river smallies is ultra shallow water with zero cover midday in summer, no chilling in the shade

 

the only reason I can think they need cooler water is for better dissolved oxygen content but our waters rarely lack that except for 100 ft down. Moving water is oxygenated unless it comes from the bottom of a massive dam, and in those cases the dams have oxygenators. Lightning hit one at Douglas dam one time, their solution was to spill over the top and there was a bubble trail for 30 miles down the middle of the river 

[gim]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

One of the best times for me to catch river smallies is ultra shallow water with zero cover midday in summer, no chilling in the shade

 

Yes, I agree with that.  I think this thread is mostly about targeting largemouth in lakes though.  Not smallmouth in a river.

[Pat Brown]

I went to the pond today : 95° and gentle wind.

 

All the big bass were pushing bait on the sunny flat banks where there was less wind and were very much unphased by the heat or sunlight.  No cover.  Not even much structure.  They just chose the hot sunny bank for their feeding and corralling.  Dinks seemed far more interested in shade on the whole as far as I could tell.  

[gim]

Sometimes that is what sucks about this forum.  People are from all over the entire country, Canada, and Mexico and each person chiming in from a different part of North America has absolutely no correlation to someone who is 7 states away.

 

Looking back on the initial post, the OP didn't even state where he was fishing.  And his profile also does not even show that either.  We have no idea if he's fishing in North Dakota or North Carolina.

[Catt]

@gimruis You're absolutely correct but I can find something to glean from every comment.

 

I get a lot from @A-Jay even through he's up north & I'm down south.

 

Great minds think alike!

 

[Pat Brown]

I think the point is you gotta go look and see where they're at with out a ton of expectations.

 

They might be in the shade on a hot sunny day.  They might be on a flat in the blazing sun in 1 foot of water.

 

They don't really follow rules unfortunately.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Pat Brown said:

I think the point is you gotta go look and see where they're at with out a ton of expectations.

 

 

I fish every two or three days and every time I launch, my challenge is to find them. However, if I can find them, I can catch them. I'm launching tomorrow under a high, hot Sun, so I'll try the deepest part of the pond first (10'), fishing mid-depth and on the bottom with a soft plastic crawfish, but who knows where they'll be. Not me.