Paul Roberts

In early spring I follow temperature changes --as opposed to static temperature-- in the small waters I fish. Few anglers use a thermometer to its full potential. Below are some trip reports I made a while back that describe this fishing. But first, the basics: In early spring, if I can choose my fishing days I target heating days, and then the most rapid heating periods within those days -usually afternoons. Such times offer the most aggressive biters, and often concentrations of them. Waters don't warm at the same rate or amount all over. Nascar2428 describes the basics pretty well. Wind can blow warm water around too so downwind banks and corners can collect it. Regardless, find warm spots coupled with good habitat (in early prespawn that means cover that attracts food) and you could find yourself in the midst of pure carnage, like in the first trip report below. It's not the only game in town though. If you are hip to conditions and have good habitat ID'd, you can adjust and still catch fish on non-heating days, as the second report below described. It's just that rising temps can really make the fish more aggressive biters and easier to catch. So here are two fishing trip reports that highlight this tactic of following the heat. The first report shows two days targeting the same pattern (heat loving bluegills attracting bass) but each day offered different heating and fishing conditions. The second report was an "experiment" to document the effect on bass' reaction to lures on a good heating day versus a poor heating day: http://www.bassresou...d-pure-carnage/ http://www.bassresou...-colorado-pond/

Here's how I've come to understand it -essentially reiterating what Tom said above, just fleshing it out some: Bass tend to winter deep but begin to move shallow early -not long after ice out in many waters. Some studies have shown such movement AT ice out. These initial movements are following the food chain. What they appear to be waiting for in terms of the spawn is temperature stabilization at depth, that is a mass of water that cannot easily be re-cooled. Once water heats it can hold heat well, thus becomes more stable temperature wise. For bass beginning pre-spawn this means a good 10+fow hitting and maintaining ~55F. Fluctuating temps prior can keep them at bay. This 55F number happens to jive with the lethal temperature for bass eggs. No surprise there I guess. The spawn is normally initiated around 60F.

PABASS, I think you are on the right track trying to get at things from a biological perspective. Below are a couple posts I made a while back -in fact they were some of my first posts here on BR. They both show patterns relating to temperature trends -as opposed to static temperature. Few anglers really use a thermometer to its full potential. The first post was an "experiment" to document the effect, the second, just fishing that pattern in early spring: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/46926-two-interesting-days-on-boulder-colorado-pond/ http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/46927-two-more-fascinating-days-on-colorado-pond-almost-a-skunking-and-pure-carnage/ If you are up for some reading, search my name in the trip reports section (might have to go through Google since the search feature here is not very effective). I always tried to offer some biological perspectives on what was happening in my fishing reports.

Look for next closest breaks. Could be really subtle. It seems bass just HAVE to relate to something. Could be the simple change from silt to gravel. My guess is a lot of fish are stacked up on some subtle things out there. Read up on "dispan lakes" for tactics on reading subtle "structure". The exact structure matters less than knowing bass need it and your being able to find it. And get to know and watch for bait activity, now more exposed. There will be ecological changes associated too. Call your DNR and get the lowdown. Most are happy to respond. Also, there was an article in IF a few years back on bass response to major vegetation loss. As I remember the author was the biologist in charge. Can't beat that. He explained some tournament results too, in which a Japanese finesse expert (forget his name too -I'm rusty) who read things and cleaned up. He fished jigworms on light tackle and plucked fish from nearby wood cover I believe.

Well, I see you are a NYer. I used to fish the canal a while back. I assume you are still shorebound? In general: 1. Fish tend to winter deeper. But they can be drawn shallow early, esp in small waters, as that's where the food chains blosssom. (In big lakes wintering fish may be too far from the shallows to get there very quickly.) Look for heat. NW corners tend to warm first. When the little fish are there the big ones may be there too. 2. Fish ssslllllooooow stuff. As water warms you can start increasing horzontal speed. Vertical speed is less an issue and can actually trigger fish. Jerkbaits and jigs are primary. Lipless and weakly buoyant cranks can be good too. Spinnerbaits too. One spiinerbait I used years ago, that caught fish the earliest in the season for me, was one I doctored up to really slow down. It was a small lightweight (1/16 or 1/8oz) bucktail jig with a single Colorado bladed clip-on overhead spinner, adding a Twister trailer -the idea being that such a rig could be retreived at almost nil horizontal speed. If I could go slow enough I could catch them. It was a revelation to me at the time. Those fish were tight to the bottom too. Many I caught, and catch now, that early had mud stuck to their bellies. Once water hit 50F speed could pick up. Good luck with the start of your year. Sounds like fun.

Before I take a stab at PABASS’s question, I want to comment on reason’s post questioning patterns to begin with. It’s a good thought I’ve puzzled on some myself. As I see it, a “pattern” is a human intellectual tool –that ability to find (or create) threads of sense out of complexity. They aren’t necessarily an accurate description or even understanding of what’s going on below. Some of these “patterns”, or at least the reasons we come up with for them, may simply be artifacts of our own ideas. This is not to say that there aren’t real (biological) reasons for consistent fishing results. There are. But getting at them can be a tough nut. OK…Here are my stabs at possible explanations for your big CB catch (among other possibilities): Fish were becoming concentrated (being mid November in PA this is not too much of a surprise) and your CB was right on them–right depth, speed, action, and visiblity. There is one notable thing that can happen with concentrated fish, and is particularly notable with CBs, and that is that catching one bass in a group can trigger others. This has been observed and described by divers (Bob Underwood) and anglers, such as Brian Waldman who has described this phenomenon (with phenomenal results). I’ve also seen such a difference with heavily fished populations of jaded but “hot” fish in which a lure change to something they’d not seen before brought amazing results. I've also seen specific prey focus bass on certain presentations. Most notably, on good bass hatch years the hordes of bass fingerlings produced has made for selective fish, virtually ignoring standard (sized) lures. Down-sizing has turned the tables in terms of catch rate. Going beyond your immediate circumstances, I believe that things CAN be understood, (and biologically is the direction to head), but getting there is not an easy road. And often the facts and circumstances just aren’t available to us. The ability to PREDICT things is where things get even hairier. Most often we must piece together our days AFTER the fact; Write our stories as we understand them after the day’s chaos has unrolled itself. As a longtime fishing journaler I have come to joke that “I begin to re-write history the moment I leave the water”. I chose the word “chaos” above on purpose to touch on rabidsquirrel’s post. Despite what little I really know about emergence (not being a mathematician) it has always appeared to me that fish behavior, at the moment by moment temporal resolution we angler’s operate in, can best be described as replete with emergent properties. But to swing Senile1’s thoughts into this (whom I tend to refer to as Lucid1), we are indeed looking for patterns in the complexity and we do find them. Our brains are built to do that (often whether the patterns are real or not, as our brains are also built to reach conclusions). As Lucid1 mentions, not all fish are doing the same thing and there are many possible fishing patterns on a given day. Some are artifacts of our own proclivities. All are biologically based at some level. The more you know and are in touch with those biological factors (the touchstone, the “wall” , I often call it) the more accurate your fishing answers are likely to be. WRB brings a great point to this discussion too, that what we are really relying on is bass activity. Just how that comes about, and our ability to recognize, capitalize on, or create it, is the crux. His example is a good one. There are a lot of good minds on the water, but wrapping your head around just what is actually happening in real time, is a tough nut. History is often written after the facts are in and often it's too late and we must simply store what we learned in the archives (one more wrinkle in the wall touched) and move on to the next series of puzzles. Some things are more important than others, some more common, solid, reliable, others rarer or more ephemeral. Catt likes to throw out the pithy 5 words. And he can, with confidence. There are a lot of years behind those few words. Fish don’t grow big (or even mature) by burning precious energy on little return. Physiologic factors (in relation to environmental factors) own them. But, once again, figuring that stuff out in real time is what catching is all about.

Dying vegetation alone doesn't tell you too much. Adverse effects would come from a host of other things that MIGHT be manifested by dying weeds. Weed beds commonly die off in th efall, some die in mid-summer as conditions change. In some ponds I've fished "tobacco cabbage" (Large leafed Potemageton) dies off by July and is replaced, or more accurately "succeeded", by milfoil. The ponds I frequent now bounce year to year between milfoil and coontail, depending on amount of sunlight as milfoil needs lotsof light whereas coontail does better with shade. An overcast year and the milfoil dies back and the coontail comes on strong. Broadly speaking, remaining green vegetation is something to look for in fall bc they, most simply, show you the most environmentally stable locations in the water body, those less affected by the temperature drops that come in fall. This is most consistent a pattern in the North where seasonal transitions are more intense. And it tends to be a deeper water pattern bc that's where the temperature stability is most apt to be. In your water, is it happens to be overnutirifed (possible) with high temperatures (>85) (not likely where you are this time of year) then maybe the fish are adversely affected. But I would guess not and suggest you not concern yourself with such negatives. Certainly explore, looking for remaining live vegetation keeping with the general autumn changes, but since there's a catastrophic event on top of it, bringing what I assume is floating vegetation pieces, you might be able to exploit that. Since it's so shallow, cover will be primary for your fish. I be checking areas already known to hold fish and concentrate on the thicker matts, likely fishing edges with a falling plastic or jig or punching the matts. If dead weeds are blown over a good area, it could be a gold mine. One thing I consistently found on small waters in the fall was the bass coming out of the dead and dying (but still rooted) weedbeds, holding just outside them -like the outside weedline -the more convoluted the better. I'd fish a jig-n-pig in falls and smooth sweeps and the bass were on it. All summer I'd fish the beds themselves, with cranks, plastics, and spinnerbaits, but this fell away as water's cooled and weeds died. Then the j-n-p would come on really strong.

Kevin Van Dam relates a story in one of his books (paraphrased): Four top pros were sharing a large main lake point, and catching bass on worms. Each found a particular color that drew the most strikes. "The only one that worked", they each said when it was over. Interesting thing was, all four ended "divining" 4 entirely different colors!

I'll leave you to ponder ... The Mystery of the Blue Lobster... A number of years back I was at a research lab on the Atlantic coast. One of the projects they had going was to check out the feasibility of raising lobsters from eggs for market. In their tanks they had some bright blue lobsters. I inquired about them because I'd also seen a few blue crayfish. They said it was an interesting story... Blue lobsters are something like one in a million in the wild. But in the lab they were finding a much higher percentage of blues (don’t remember the numbers). Turns out they are a fairly common color but the researchers theorize that the blue ones most likely are selected out in the wild by predators (sculpins, sea robins, and striped bass mostly), thus nearly all wild lobsters are found in the usual earth tones. In the lab no such selective pressure exists, and blue ones are relatively common. I can also tell an almost identical story about white-coated deer in central New York State. Similarly, one of the reasons many flocking bird species all look alike is that the odd one, say the starling with a white tail feather, or the lone mallard in with a flock of Gads, is more apt to be targeted by hawks and falcons. The take-home message is: When you are prey, it pays not to stand out. I believe this is at least one of the reasons that fluorescent lures can work so well at times. Another part of the equation is how well bass can see color in the first place. Fish are generally myopic -that is, they focus relatively closely in large part due to the way light behaves in water. Further, light attenuates quickly in water (parsed out wavelength by wavelength as distance through water increases). Add cloud cover, surface chop, turbidity, and distance and light attenuates rapidly. Practically speaking, it's not terribly bright down there (although that is extremely variable with water and sky conditions). Fish in general do not rate very high in the visual acuity spectrum either, and brightness matters a lot, sort of like resolution / image quality through on a small diameter binocular or camera lens. Bass in particular are shallow water predators and their vision is primarily adapted to shallow environments -with peak color resolution in the range of wavelengths that exist shallow, and weakest in the wavelengths that penetrate deepest.

Hi J. Lately he's a rifle-totin', trout chasin' fool, who actually spends more time being a homeowner, husband, and Papa to a wonderful boy. But we try to stay in touch with the swampier sides of life too:

I guess I always had SOME fishing nearby: chubs, dace, carp, sunfish, ... . When I was 11 or 12, there were some bass ponds that my parents let me bike to. They lay 11miles distant one way, but was worth it the effort. My Dad did fish, and started me out, but I took it from there.

The idea that bass FOLLOW shad has been debated. Some have it that when we see bass erupting on traveling schools of shad a 1/4mile apart, these are different bass groups, rather than the same one following. I don't know where the truth lies here, but have heard this question come up in the past.

It's usually a techinique I'm interested in first, which has me then looking at the options out there. Price matters: I fish for fun and it's not fun throwing a $15 lure where it might not come back. It probably shouldn't matter as much as it does, but finish/color pattern weighs in.

peppyjd, Thank you for taking the time to post. This is going to help a lot of people.

Sounds like the next thing bass boat manufacturers are going to offer is full traction tilt tables on the bow!

Yeah, I hear you. Since I'd strained something in my right elbow I HAD to go left and it was a frustrating experience. Interesting too, like having an experienced and novice fisherman in the same body. Eventually I got there, and am comfortable either way, although I prefer the right. Right now I've begun practicing fly-casting with my left, which will come in handy in certain places this summer on those tight little cricks I love so much.

Bass are impressive predators, but only bc their prey made them so. Bass cannot catch any bluegill at any time. They pick and choose individuals, and timing. It may not look like it much of the time, but there are few free lunches down there.

I use something similar, made of neoprene and available at pharmacys. I can also switch hit and go lefty -something that took a bit to get used to. But it beat not fishing at all.

Image is small on my screen, but it looks like a filamentous algae. Is it soupy, sorta slimy, until you squeeze the water out?

I just haven't seen the 'doldrums' so many talk about. I find LMs pretty willing feeders after the spawn -they're hungry. My guess is the mains issues are our own expectations following the ease of spawn fishing, and the various stages bass populations are in following, making it tough to put together a pattern: Some males are guarding fry, others have moved out, while some small males are still trying to entice females. Some females are still hanging around bedding areas, others are hunting in the shallows, others are en route to summer quarters. Males remain aggressive for quite some time and Ralph Manns has wondered if females actively avoid them, once done with the game. In general, females are tired but hungry. It seems they are more particular about what they consider a "catchable" target. I've done best with tubes and jigs fished on a slow swim, and falls. Jigworms and Wacky'd worms too, again fished slow. Post-spawn female that was hanging around a guarding male that wouldn't let her near. Sight fishing can tell you a lot about what's going on -why we don't catch them all. It isn't easy to make artificial food look real, and catchable. She would not chase so I had to drop and swim the tube just ahead of her. Too far ahead and no go. Too much vegetation to "kill" the bait, the swim too fast for her to commit. She took a plastic craw but I missed and then she avoided it. I finally got her with a perfectly timed fall and swim. Now I could see her. Imagine doing this blind, just working a shoreline! So early in post-spawn I strain spawning banks by slow swimming tubes and jigs. It does work. One pattern that sets up here that is consistently good is bass targeting spawning bluegills. A colony of 'gills always has a group of bass hanging around -whether you can see them or not. Look for bigger 'gills and there WILL be bigger females hanging close, looking for an in. I've seen this with smallies too, but they are more aggressive about targets, bolting into the colonies and raising havoc. Pretty cool to see. I sneak in and alternate a tube and jig, casting low with quiet entry, trying to extract as many bass as I can before I put them down. Great fun. You can see two bass in this image, cruising just outside the colony, but there were about 6 more there too. The bigger female LM's cruise less, often holding close beneath or next to a piece of cover. They are stingy with their energy. Also, I look for bluegills feeding. About postspawn is when the damselflies begin to emerge in newly developing weed beds. Bluegills really get on them and the bass get on those preoccupied 'gills. I know the 'gills are on the damsels bc I can hear them feeding, making those kissing, smacking sounds in the vegetation. If you watch you'll see larger wakes, boils, and surges. Swim a weedless jig, T-rigged creature, SB, or fish a Spook at the edges. Hmmmm...I guess that's what comes off the top of my head for post-spawn here. Hope it helps.

Gotcha.

To make use of it, one would have to take temperature profiles, not just a surface temp. Even then, I've only done this (adequately) for three spawning seasons. That's a drop in the bucket. Makes one's efforts feel...tiny. Big sandbox we play in.

Well..Catt should know better lol. I guess I'm just willing to hash this through. It's the terminal curiosity thing I've had since I was little. I dove in deep a while back and so the discussion is important to me. I just wanted to know once and for all, waded in and found it ... complicated. Not surprise there I guess. There are a lot of variables living things have to deal with. Let me try to summarize: Sun angle is critical and provides the general window bass spawn in. But "there is no one thing" that "controls" at a fine enough resolution to fish by on a day to day basis. In most places there appears to be an initiation temperature, as the biologists suggest -and that panned out in my efforts. Moon phase (and rapid temperature rise) appear to be able to synchronize/consolidate spawning events. In some instances water levels have been found to synchronize, or in Rainbow Springs ...photoperiod alone possibly (I'm going to have to look into that -gotta be stuff out there). And in any given water body, bass don't all get the call at the same time, as discussed before. Nature finds a way, adapts to what's dished out to a point. If it can't, that population goes extinct. Make enough sense to quell at least some of that "terminal curiosity" for those afflicted?

Ah, I see: 22 to 28 degrees angle to the horizon. I see your point. Bass like many other creatures are seasonal breeders. But I'm not sure how this is to be used at fishing resolution at any one location. The latitudinal distribution of bass spawning is well known. Neat to have the angle delineated. Thanks! But sun angle only works in a general geographic way. How might we apply that in a useful way at a given location? I have 30 ponds all at the same latitude, but begin and end spawning at different times. They appear to initiate spawning most notably in relation to solar gain, which is related to but not the same as sun angle. So I have to reiterate: In a general sense, you are right on. I can find super shallow ponds that heat extra early, with no sign of bass spawning yet, bc sun angle means winter still has teeth. But as things get close (22.5 to 28degrees as you suggest) I still need my thermometer, the best way I know to measure actual "stored sunlight" so to speak. Even then, as others have mentioned above, it just doesn't always pan out like clockwork. There appear to be other things at work too.