Nepatizz

Super old post but I hooked a bass through the brain once. I got the hook out relatively quickly but it didn't have the mental capacity to swim away and died trying. Sad **** but it happens its a part of fishing.

That's super interesting, I didn't know that. Thank you!!!

Still working on getting a thermometer (I bank fish) but still, the water temp should be higher in the middle of the day, assuming the temp rises to a peak. When I feel the water with my hand it's not freezing cold. It's at a water temperature that you could swim in, though you'd be pretty cold. Not sure about deeper water but it seems relatively warm in comparison to winter water temps. I know that the fish are getting more active where I live, some have started bedding. But I don't know if its worth it to wait until that water temp rises in the middle of the day for the most activity from fish (assuming it doesn't get too hot out, its still spring). Does the higher water temp make that much of a difference?

Hello! The weather is just starting to warm up where I live, reaching a maximum of 62 degrees or so and dropping to the mid 40's at night. Some days are still only in the mid 50's, but I have been fishing on the warmer days during the middle of the day while the heat is at its peak. I have had scattered success going during this time. It is generally believed that bass fishing is better at sunrise and sunset because of bass feeding patterns, but does that hold true when the morning and night temperatures are still in the low 50s? In other words, is the better choice to fish early in cooler temperatures or wait till it's warm so the water temp rises and fish are more likely to be active? Tough choice. Have any of you had this dilemma? Either way, what do you think? Thanks

That's interesting! It seems that if the weather is warmer, most of them rush to the banks to find food. Thanks!

Hello, I have always struggled to catch bass this time of year and haven't understood why. With Coronavirus going around, seems like the bank is one safe place I can actually spend some time! I'd like to maximize my chances on catching bass, however. Recently the temperature has been in the low to mid 50s with barely any rain and winds in the teens. I bank fish and don't have an idea of the water temperature, but I'm assuming that since the weather is still slightly cooler, the bass are still holding up in the middle of the lake close to the bottom as most of them do all winter. I've always assumed that bass don't become more active until 60 degree weather or so, where the warmer weather requires them to need more food. I mostly bank fish small to mid-size ponds and my general approach this time of year is to position my lures deep/towards the bottom of the pond and fish very slowly because the bass probably aren't active. I'll usually Texas rig a soft plastic and hop it off the bottom slowly. Is this always the correct approach in weather like this, or am I missing anything? Could the bass be migrating between deep waters and the inner banks in these temperatures? How can I increase my chances and find the bass? Any advice is appreciated, thanks for reading! Stay healthy!

By that sense, shallower lakes seem to be ideal with these conditions. Especially if I'm bank fishing. Thanks, that's helpful!

Hello, It is a weird type of year before Spring in the Northeast where we are having 60 to 65 degree days some days where I am, but it is mostly staying in the low to mid fifties in on average. I was wondering how random warm days like that affect bass movement behavior. Are bass more active on random warm days when the temperature has been slightly too low for pre-spawn on the other days? Or does the water temp need to be consistently warmer for a week or a few weeks in order for behavior and eating habits to take affect? In other words, do they behave on a day to day basis in terms of air and water temperature? It makes sense considering how the heat affects their habits. Thanks DP

Hello! I was wondering if there would be any negative consequences of leaving fresh fluorocarbon or braided line on my fishing reels (spinning and baitcast) for 3 or 4 months before the pre-spawn? They would be kept in appropriate temperatures around 70 degrees and untouched. I am wondering if this would stretch out and hinder the fluorocarbon because it would be sitting untouched for a while. I'm not sure about the braid. Any reason I shouldn't do this? I wanna make my set ups now but this popped in to my mind. Thanks!

Thanks everyone, very helpful!!

Hello everyone! With pre-spawn season fast approaching, I'm starting to get together some gear that will help me catch bass during this time. I know that swimbaits absolutely kill bass in the prespawn (this I've observed through experience and gotten several recommendations on). That being said, I'm in the market for a new rod. What specifications should I be considering if I want to get into swimming small to medium sized soft swimbaits, maybe 2-4 inches in length with 1/4 to 3/8 shaky head/similar weights on the end? How would specific length, power etc. help aid me in using this type of lure? Also, it would be great if the rod could work for other lures of course. What else could I fish on a swimbait rod? Thanks for your suggestions, and any advice at all will help!

Usually very rocky reservoirs that have rip raff on the bank. The bottom gets flatter as the water gets deeper. Makes it tough to fish the bottom sometimes.

Hey everyone, The temperature is starting to get chilly where I am in the northeast, 60s most days. I am in need of some advice on approaches to fishing this time of year. I have always thought that bank fishing this late in the year would make it much less likely for me to catch a bass. Is this true if I'm only fishing from banks? How can I induce more bites from the bank this time of year? Feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hello! I've never had any luck fishing from the bank around this time of year. I live in New England and the weather is still in the 80s almost every day, aside for the occasional cooler days in the high 70s. I normally fish soft plastics, but I'm finding the bite to be tough on them for some reason lately. Normally my approach is to cast in and around cover. What are bass doing at this time of year, and what do you recommend for an approach? What should it be for September? I normally fish a lot of rocky bottoms and rip-raff on reservoir coastlines. I think most of the fish are post-spawn by this point but it's tough to tell with small bass swimming around. Thanks!

Hi all, I've been in a bit of a slump and was wondering what you suggest I use for an approach when fishing from banks at this time of year? Weather has been pretty hot, at least 85 every day. I mostly fish small ponds with adequate vegetation and cover and a few reservoirs with rip rap. Where should the focus be? It's hard for me to tell where the bass are in the places I fish aside from them hiding in or around cover. Once I hit all the cover spots and the spots that really stick out to me, I don't really know what to do next. My thought has been to switch to fishing something off the bottom and casting out far but this method hasn't produced me any fish. I've mostly used spinnerbaits around more open areas and jigs, worms and creature baits t-rigged around the cover spots mostly. And of course the good ol' senko everywhere. I vary my presentation as much as possible. What do you think? Thanks