Paul Roberts

Yeah, that is a tough lesson learned. Now you know to be careful who you share what with. I share waters and info depending on how sensitive the spot is and how well I know and respect the person. It's worthwhile getting to know the anglers that share your waters. If you can come to an understanding -you'll often know which ones (they aren't "starry eyed")- sharing info can pay off in the return.

I've made best use of them from late winter through summer peak (about June here). I have no good reasons that I can think of why they aren't a summer and fall bait for me -except maybe vegetation and filamentous algae density.

Some of them may already be in post-spawn already, as you suspect. Small shallow waters see spawning activity before the larger deeper waters do.

Are you fishing big water, or small?

Bright skies and shallow water, perhaps? That one looks like a pre/peri-spawn female. (BTW: Go easy on those jaws. They make their livings with those!)

Beyond the more red-eyed species (Red-Eye and Spotted), both LM and SM have eye color ranging from dark brown to olive green to orange-red. There appears to be red pigments in all bass eyes but it is often obscured in LM and SM. Eye colors, like body colors, can change chameleon-like. In general, bass eyes in deep shade tend to be dark, those in bright lighting -often shallower- being lighter in color. I've seen almost entirely bright orange-red eyes in largemouths but they seem to be more common in smallmouth. Likely eye color plays a social role as they can, at times, contrast noticeably from body color. It seems that I see bright red eyes in largemouth most commonly on bed-tending males, but I've seen them at other times too, and I believe, in LM's, that it's mostly been in small ones of 12" or less. I haven't seen any mention of eye color in bass in fish research so far. There is one account I read stating that male bass get red eyes when on the spawning bed. I have the idea that this is more likely early in the spawn -maybe used as an attractant to females or signaling aggression to other males. Dunno whether this would stand up to scrutiny however.

Is the new male a small one?

Yawning has been observed by anglers, divers, and fish behavior researchers and almost all the observations I'm aware of surround oxygen intake and activity level. In this way it is a true yawn and bodes well for nearby anglers .

It doesn't stand alone. It's about sun incidence, yet all the shine the sun has to offer won't make poor habitat into good habitat. Let's just say it's a plus -a potential catalyst. In certain places and times, it's well worth being aware of.

Matthew may not be a good speller (yet) but I get he can fish. Ach, Sam! Applying Ocham's Razor are you? You and Matthew may well be right. Waiting to hear from Ratherbfishing now, since he was there. If he goes with Matthew's answer, I'll take my F like a man.

Bluegills are the primary forage in the waters I fish now. So much so that I've detailed or repainted many of my crankbaits to look more bluegill-esque. I'm not convinced it actually means as much to the bass as I'd like to think, but it's fun and boosts my confidence.

I'm going to ditto Big C's response. Bass often tackle bluegills head first -they target the eyes, I think. Bluegills are built the way they are -laterally compressed and spiny- bc of their chief predator, bass. And vice versa, largemouths have that gaping maw in large part bc of bluegill body shape. Largemouth bass and bluegills evolved together. Bluegills are also experts at escape from bass mouth’s, actually able to spin around and face out with spines pointing back toward the gullet. Fractions of a second are exploited in such moments –it’s what adrenaline is for. When the bass goes to reposition the bluegill, the bluegill may get the momentary opportunity to bolt back out the mouth. This may be one reason bass can strike so violently. Bass and bluegill are like Pacquio and Mayweather. If the 'gill is big enough to “fight back”, bass go for the head, bite hard, and stuff that bluegill deep enough before it can turn. Pretty cool. I don’t think most anglers realize the athleticism exercised by both bass and bluegill. And we wonder why bass can be cautious tackling our baits? “What? Aren’t you hungry? What’s wrong with you?” The short answer is: “easy prey”, just isn’t. “Free lunches” are mighty rare in nature. I'm guessing this is what you saw, and the why behind it.

Sometimes changing lures can buy more bites from a spot. Sometimes changing angles on a spot can open things up. Sometimes you have to fiddle with retrieves before you start getting bit. Sometimes just getting one bite can trigger more fish in the group to start biting. Sometimes I decide to fish a certain way and go find water that will support that. If no go, I'll start adjusting. I'll usually have several rods rigged with GoTo's waiting for conditions to favor them. In the warmer months I often have a buzzbait rigged and ready. All that's needed is a breeze. Typical summer rigs will often include a buzzbait (or tandem SB) and a jigworm, ready to fly. Exactly what's rigged and ready varies with season and water, with a range that covers expected conditions. It's nice when the bass are just there and biting what you throw. I call those 51%er days -when the fish meet you more than half way. A 100%er day is when the bass jump out of the water and rummage through your box. I've not seen that -yet.

Bass using the same spawning location year after year is due to a homing instinct. Sites that successfully produce young get re-visited, resulting in more success. Sites that fail don't have many return spawners. What sorts out is that some sites -usually protected (from temperature swings and wind erosion) and with appropriate substrate- get revisited. Individual males are known to revisit the exact same bed repeatedly.

That's a really good point.

It may knock some spawners off their beds. In my exp males that have received eggs are more invested and I've seen them remain on their beds through severe temp drops. Bass that do abandon -and this would include all the females- should pull back to nearby cover spots, channels, or bottom depressions. They shouldn't change depth all that much. Nice thing is, those drop-back fish may end up consolidated on key cover pieces or depressions. You may have to do some fishing to find them, but don't get dejected; they should bite just fine. Cold drops in early spring seems to bother bass less than in late fall as they've acclimatized by then, making short term acclimation a bit easier. I'd worry a bit more about how you acclimate, than the fish. You will want to slow your approach then, with jigs, T-rigged creatures, and yo-yo-d lipless being top baits for me. A finesse grub is a good milk-run alternate, if clarity is adequate. Do let us know what you find.

I'll respond with a quote from one of my past trip reports:

Some people complain that I say too much! You asked only one question. If you are asking whether your spot is a bed or not, I can't tell you from here. If you can't see directly, you may have to wade or swim in and see. Researchers often don snorkeling gear. If you don't know what beds look like, Google some images and then go out and start walking pond shorelines. You'll find some eventually.

Moderate algae blooms are natural and kick off the food chain.

Yes.

That is a satellite image of Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island NY I happened upon when looking into that lake for a BR member. Over-nutrification and excessive algal blooms have played a detrimental role in the recent history of that fishery, which is now in process of bouncing back with better water clarity and healthier vegetation. "More brown", and time of year, sounds like a diatom bloom -a colder water algae. Here's an image of a diatom bloom: photo by Simon Mitrovic

Keep in mind that Long Island is not as cold as "upstate" NY, it's climate being tempered by the ocean and the Gulf Stream in particular. Those small coastal lakes and ponds give up northern bass in sizes that are not seen further inland, including that 15+lb LM from Massachusetts -still, I believe, the largest pure northern LMB on record. Mainebasser1984 knows a thing or two about this I'm guessing. This winter was particularly severe there according to fishking247. Ice depths are not certain. DEC describes max lake depth as 8ft. Shoreline is ecologically intact, surrounded by forest and wetland. At 100 acres, that's a decent volume. If there were any winterkill there it would most likely not be catastrophic. True, which highlights the very reason winter habitat is so critical to bass. Be there or be square. So... back to the OP -fishing advice- I stick with my original post.

Because it's only 6 feet deep! In most of NYS, and across the north, a pond only 6 feet deep is at risk of winterkill. That would be my first question when looking at such a pond. I've experienced catastrophic kills in waters up to 40acres in size. We didn't know at the outset just how big your pond was, or where it was located in the state.

Often have to get there right at ice-out bc dead fish sink fast. A couple days late and you might miss seeing it. If you have a shallow pond you suspect might kill bc of a heavy snow, get there at ice-out. It's a hassle, but I can think of worse things on my to-do list.

The critical factors for winterkill will be two things: -nutrient load in the form of heavy vegetation (that dies and decomposes) or agric/suburban runoff. -snow on the ice for extended periods. Ice itself can let enough light through to maintain photosynthesis beneath. But block that light with heavy snow and oxygen will get used up.