Dying vegitation

[BassChump]

I'm new this year to bass fishing and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

I've been fishing a few small local lakes in addition to some more popular lakes in the area.

I've been doing very well this summer catching not only fair numbers of bass but good size as well. One of my favorite lakes is a smaller lake with lots of weedbeds. I've had success lately throwing a senko off the lilly pads and particularly the smaller dollar pads. The water temps have been dropping lately with temps now in the lower 60's. The pads are starting to die out for some reason the fish are GONE. I still catch a few off the docks but where would those fish go that were once in the pads?????        Just curious.

As the water cools off, do the bass go shallow to feed??? I seem to be catching more in very shallow water lately.

[Shad_Master]

the way I understand it, and I am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, is that the vegitation in the water produces oxgen through photosynthesis - as the sunlight begins to diminish the vegitation begins to die off and will eventually consume more oxygen than they produce.  This causes the fish to leave the are to look for water that is more O2 saturated.  The pads you are talking about are usually found in the backs of pockets where the water is more stable - you may want to look for an area where water is moving such as an inlet or creek as this will give the fish better quality water.  Just my $.02

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm new this year to bass fishing and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

I've been fishing a few small local lakes in addition to some more popular lakes in the area.

I've been doing very well this summer catching not only fair numbers of bass but good size as well. One of my favorite lakes is a smaller lake with lots of weedbeds. I've had success lately throwing a senko off the lilly pads and particularly the smaller dollar pads. The water temps have been dropping lately with temps now in the lower 60's. The pads are starting to die out for some reason the fish are GONE. I still catch a few off the docks but where would those fish go that were once in the pads?????       Just curious.

As the water cools off, do the bass go shallow to feed??? I seem to be catching more in very shallow water lately.

Here's what I'm experiencing in southeastern MA.  I'm catching smaller bass along the withering emergent vegetation.

All summer you could hear the smaller bass feeding back in the hyacinth.  They were feeding on insects attracted to the blooms which are now gone.  They were also likely feeding on small fish who were in there feeding on insects and seeking shelter.

It seems to me that the small bass have abandoned their former haunt because the insect hatches and those that were attracted to the blooms are gone.  

I hooked up my fish finder and found the larger fish to be in the five foot depth range where the bank begins to level out.  As the surface water cools, bass seek warmer water in the deeper areas.

I doubt at 64 degrees they are feeling any discomfort.  

If the pads you fish are in the shallows 2 - 3 feet, try a spinnerbait, casting out from the pads, or in slightly deeper water parallel to the beds of lily pads.  You can cover more area with a spinner bait.  If you find them at that depth, switch back.  They may prefer the Senko.

Then again, sometimes they "go off their feed" for a few days, or at least so it seems.

[WhiteMike1018]

I Agree with shad master. Dont forget its fall time now, if the senko is not producing I would tie on a double willow leaf spinnerbait(depending on water clarity) and bring it right through all those half dead pads. reaction baits are key in fall because fish are targeting mostly baitfish. If nothing happens in the pads with a variety of different baits I would head out to the main lake and look for baitfish activity.

-wm

[fishizzle]

Yes dying weeds consume oxygen= no bass

go shallow for warmer water or flowing water

or go deeper for schooling bass with cranks as a search bait

do some research here on fall patterns and lure choice

good luck

[J Francho]

The bacteria that consumes the dying vegetation is what uses the oxygen up.  Areas with wind and current will not be affected by thisevent, since the turbulence at the surface sufficiently degasses the water.  One thing to note, all photosynthetic plants use oxygen in the absence of sunlight.

[fishizzle]

Sorry J Francho thats incorrect, its not the bacteria

The carbon building blocks break down into Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

thats where the oxygen goes

there may be bacteria that eat plants but they don't use enough oxygen to matter

[J Francho]

How do you think the vegetation breaks down?  Cite your sources.  Stuff doesn't happen by itself.

[fishizzle]

I am my source

I have a Bachelor degree in Botany from the University Of Rhode Island

I know that Bacteria exist everywhere and are responsible for breaking down carbon molecules but the question was why the oxygen is depleted and I'm telling you that it oxygen bonds to the carbon molecules from the sugars breaking down.  Thus less oxygen in the water.

Simply a chemical reaction

[J Francho]

Sorry, I will continue my education elsewhere, as I trust my BG in fisheries management and published works of accredited experts over internet muscles.  No doubt there is more than one thing at work, depleting the O2, but in other posts your lack of knowledge about the temperature as it relates to potential DO, and how wind and current affect water's degassing ability leaves me a bit wary and dubious of your declarations.  As you are probably aware, aquatic environments are quite different, and pose different circumstances not faced by terrestrial vegetation.  I look forward to some actual links, or reference material you can provide - I'll bet we have some of the same books on our shelves, LOL.

[fishizzle]

you win

[J Francho]

No winning.  I want to learn more, just like you.  "Because I said so, ..." isn't an answer.  Not my style of learning.

[fishizzle]

Seacrest out

[Wayne P.]

Deplete this:

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/wat3350

Organic matter

All substances of animal or plant origin contain carbon compounds and are, therefore, organic (USDA 1992). Animal wastes and dying vegetation produce organic material which is generally degraded or decayed by microorganisms (e.g. bacteria) to simpler compounds, either other forms of organic matter or nonorganic compounds such as nitrogen or phosphorus. These compounds can then be incorporated into the soil. Problems occur, however, if high concentrations of organic material on the soil surface are carried by runoff or deposited directly into receiving streams before the biodegradation process can take place. This can occur when heavy rains wash away fresh organic wastes, or during spring runoff when over-winter accumulations of organic material are flushed into receiving streams in runoff. Wastes accumulated over the wintering season can not biodegrade because of freezing temperatures. Further, wastes can be directly deposited into lakes and rivers if livestock have direct access to these water sources. Generally, water quality problems from organic material result from the decomposition process.

Since bacteria require oxygen to decompose organic material, large quantities of dissolved oxygen can be consumed when organic material is added to streams. A rapid increase in bacterial populations results in a drastic reduction in dissolved oxygen in a stream. The point in a stream where the maximum oxygen depletion occurs can be considerable distance downstream from the point where pollutants enter the stream. The level of oxygen depletion depends primarily on: the amount of waste added; the size, velocity, and turbulence of the stream; the initial dissolved oxygen levels in the waste and in the stream; and the temperature of the water (USDA 1992). Dissolved oxygen is essential for the survival of aquatic organisms. Adding organic waste to a stream can lower oxygen levels so that fish and other aquatic life are forced to migrate from the polluted areas or die from a lack of oxygen. The decomposition of organic material can also create undesirable colour, taste and odour problems in lakes and rivers used for public water supplies (USDA 1992).

[J Francho]

Thanks for the link Wayne!