Where do they go when the sun comes out

[FIN-S-R]

In review of my "spot" topic I was struck with a delima I have faced many times on 1 spot in particular.

It is a rip-rap point coming off a natural peninsula for protection of the boats docked in the cove behind it. The peninsula is a slow tapering bank on the side opposite the rip-rap,  (rip-rap) which is situated on the ledge side of the peninsula (about 50' deep H2O surrounding rip-rap).  Before the sun gets up this spot is awsome. I have never caught more tha a few fish under 3 lbs here, and caught many many in the 5-7lb range, and all three species.

The delima is that it is an early morning bite only deal. Now I know these fish dont pack up and leave when the sun comes up, but I cant figure out where or how they re-position. im guessin smallies move more main lake, LMBs move back in the adjacent docks, and the spots probably a little of both, but I cant hook up.

What would you guys try short of finding new water?

[Catt]

Bass will do one of two things, they will move shallow or they will move deep

I would suggest graphing the area with your depth finder in an ever increasing radius until you locate the bass.

[Cigarlover 1]

Maybe a long shot but are there any shaded spots that develop on the water once the sun is up?

[Hookem]

back in the adjacent docks

or

out to the secondary ledge or point.

[Chris]

If you have been catching them on the deep side the fish drop down deeper because of the sun and the shad moved deep. If your catching them on the shallow side the fish might move back into the docks or suspend out from the point or position somewhere on the point that is different. If you have a strong wind or current cutting across it position down wind and hit the tip of the point throwing up current and bringing it to the tip of the point and working it to the backside. The fish should be positioned facing the current and a little behind the edge of the tip of the point. <-should be a sweetspot. Hit the point on windy days or when there is some chop on the water those fish should move up. If your nailing them in the morning they should be there at dusk also. The reason why they move is because the sun pushes them deep or in nearby cover. The sun pushes the shad and the bass follow if the shad become inactive and suspend the bass just hang out under them. I would motor around and look for tight shad schools on your graph. If you don't see any shad then hit the docks but check back from time to time. I had kinda the same situation on a lake I fish. The bass where on an island and in the morning and sunset I could slam some great fish on the spot but during the day nothing. One side had a slow taper the other had a good drop. I played havoc trying to figure these fish out until one day I made a wild cast to the great blue yonder with a jig to pick out a backlash and I got hammered. I caught a limit fishing nothing just casting out in the middle of nowhere. I came to the conclusion that when the lake gets a bunch of traffic the water around the island gets so muddy that the fish move away from the spot and suspend. This became a wildly solid pattern through most of the summer either picking them off with a countdown lure or free falling a jig or tube.

[justfishin]

Evidently something is drawing those fish there in the morning  when they seem to be everywhere. My guess would be food. Are there shad or some other kind of bait fish feeding on something along that rap? When the sun comes up I would suspect that whatever they are feeing on is finding cover. I would not think that the bass are not going too far away if it is a consistent feeding ground for them. Use your graph and look for some structure out a little deeper. It may be a creek channel or maybe just a slight drop or shelf  or maybe some deep water grass. Also, you may be right that they have suspended in deeper water. I think that finding some deeper structure or some of the above mentioned options you can rediscover those fish. If there are docks and  a marina around that would  offer some cover that would be my first choice. Spend some time and graph it out as well as look for the obvious cover. Good luck.

[fourbizz]

Underwater

[Randall]

Since I know more about LM bass than SM or spots I can give you a few things that might help you with the LM bass. First LM bass don't move shallow to deep as much as most people think they do. They have a hard time changing depths of more than a few feet since they have to adjust their swim bladder to make bigger moves vertically in the water and this takes time. In other words a fish near the bottom in 20 feet of water can't run up and feed on bluegill in a foot of water or even ten feet of water and then go back to the bottom in 20 feet of water. So the bass aren't moving up from much deeper water to feed in shallower water so you can eliminate that. They will hold just off the deep edge of a point or over or on a breakline sometimes so keep fishing near the same depth you are catching them at early but move out to the breakline where the shallow part of the  point falls off into deeper water on the deep side.  If you pay attention to the depth you are catching the fish at early then you know the fish have to stay at or near that depth. With these fish being better quality fish they most likely have a home range and have predictable paths near that same depth they use to move around and feed and a place they like to hold when inactive. If you find the place on that point where the shallowest part of the point meets the deepest water with the steepest drop thats where I would look first. If they have moved out and suspended over deep water then I would try to find some more fish since these will be tough to catch but if they are still near the bottom where the deep water and shallow water meet then I would try something like a dropshot, splitshot rig or jighead and worm fished slow since they are still most likely inactive or neutral. Unless the docks have as good or better bottom structure under them than other places in this area the fish aren't likely there. The fish will relate to structure first and cover second in an area like this. The most likely reason you can catch the fish early and not when the sun gets up is because shad and other baitfish unlike LM bass can change depths more easily. The bait fish are there at night and early in the am but move out deeper during the day. The bass being unable to follow them deeper just waits nearby in a place it feels comfortable until the shad come back up. Then the bass get active and feed again.

[cabela10]

I would guess that when the sun comes out the bass will go lay out on the beach, possibly under an umbrella so they don't get to tan.

[eastkybass]

If the water is real clear you may want to change up color and size.  Sounds like that it is becasue once the sun comes up the bite stops.  Try colors that are more natural and move the bait a little quicker if the water is real calm.  

[eastkybass]

I would guess that when the sun comes out the bass will go lay out on the beach, possibly under an umbrella so they don't get to tan.

So that is why Smallmouth get so brown ;D  ;D

[cabela10]

;D ;D you got it  ;D ;D

[FIN-S-R]

Thanks guys, I'm goin out in the moring to try and find em and stay on top of em'...bravin the ice storm we are supposed to have here... to try and figure these toads out.

[RoLo]

LM bass don't move shallow to deep as much as most people think they do. They have a hard time changing depths of more than a few feet since they have to adjust their swim bladder to make bigger moves vertically in the water and this takes time.

I totally agree with Randall. That single fact is strangely ignored by fishermen, even though it's backed by telemetry study.

Back in the 1960s, when I was still cutting my teeth on northern pike, my wife & I spent a week-vacation on the St Lawrence River.

We stayed at Caigers' Lodge, Rockport, Ontario and chatted with other fisher people at the long communal luncheon-style table.

During our first day there, the guests made it abundantly clear that the pike were now in shallow water, about 6-ft deep,

and we could hear the rumble of agreement around the table. On the very next day, a fellow at the table warned everyone

that the pike had moved deeper, from 6 feet down to 12 feet of water. Sure enough, on the following day the lunch-table consensus

was indeed that the pike had gone deep. Then around Thursday I believe, a fishing party at our table made the announcement,

you guessed it, "the pike have now moved back into shallow water".

I whispered into my wife's ear, "Hey hun, do you see anything wrong with this picture?"

It wouldn't take a nuclear physicist to figure out that the pike were 'shallow' all week AND the pike were 'deep' all week,

that conditions dictated which population of pike was more catchable. The anglers as it happened were moving back-and-forth,

between shallow and deep water, but the pike were not. BTW: We found all our pike that week straddling the 15-foot contour line.

Roger

[justfishin]

Good post Randall. I agree. I feel the same way. We are always attempting to decipher  what the bass are doing and why, when we should be watching what their food source is doing and how the bass relate to their actions. Thanks.

[b8r]

Well I am going to assume two things, and the first is that the rip-rap is good at night because the crawfish are more active at night and second, that as the sun comes  up the crawfish hind away, and that the bass move with the baitfish that also came to the party at night.

Movement, I say follow the wind. If the bass are following the baitfish, the baitfish are going to follow the wind, so each day they could move in different directions, but most likely in accordance with the wind. On calm days, I say they are suspending over the deeper water, or in the summer, down to the thermocline that is bound to be present if there is not a strong current and the water is deeper than 30-feet. Since you said it was 50+, I think my chances are good you have one.

But, I would also work that 50+ break. Some mighty big bass have been pulled from 50-feet plus water, so a drop-shot, weedless senko, tubebait, or vertical jigging spoon would be worth using to check it out thoroughly.