Hard Summer Bite & Bass's Higher Metabolism Theory Confusion

[DEPS_250]

There is some fishing theory that I am really confused on and that has been tugging at my mind lately and I need some answers/clarification on. 

 

A lot of veteran/semi-pro/pro anglers will tell you that the Summer is the 'HARDEST' season to catch fish. On the other hand, a lot of veteran/semi-pro/pro anglers will also tell you that the bass's metabolism is highest/at its peak in the Summer. The million dollar question is...If the bass's metabolism is highest in the Summer and they are constantly 'WANTING' to eat...Shouldn't that make fishing 'EASIER' and not harder? 

 

I'm all confused on the theory. Why is it so hard to get bites in the Summer when it should be easier since the fish's metabolism is at its highest? Does it have something to do with a Thermocline? Does it have something to do with the water having less oxygen in the Summer? Does it have to do with the bass suspending in the water and not being attached to any kind of structure and/or cover? 

[TnRiver46]

Cuz more people are fishing and they wore it out all spring long 

[FishTax]

I think they eat at night because they are chilling in their fish recliners in the deep shade all day. 

[Pat Brown]

I think they ARE easier to catch when it's hot but sometimes tricky to find.

 

I agree that night time and early morning are very good in the summer for good reason.

[softwateronly]

Warm water period is also peak time for food options, presentations might need to be more refined to fit the energy in/energy out equation.  And I also think night time gives bass peak hunting efficiency.  Actively gorge all night,  more toward opportunistic only during the day.  I think this equation flips in cold water and now fish faster in the winter because bass aren't used to much trying to get away successfully.

 

scott

 

ps - Summer nights and swim jigs usually means my net gets a workout.  I can't land any of these ornery 17" ers without one.  They are in peak fighting condition.

[MIbassyaker]

First, we should understand that the notion of a "hard summer bite" is really more about angler success than about bass' actual feeding behavior.

 

Bass tend occupy locations in the summer that are simply more difficult to get at than in spring and fall -- they may scatter, or go deep or bury themselves in heavy slop.  The bite may seem difficult because presenting lures to them successfully is more difficult.

 

In the southern parts of the country, water temperatures during the day regularly exceed optimal temperature feeding activity and growth, which is the low 80s farenheit for largemouth.  Levels of dissolved oxygen may also drop, especially in stagnant areas, which further suppresses bass activity. Thus, anglers who live in the South and fish during the day will likely experience some reduced angling success.  Meanwhile, the bass may be feeding mostly night on the abundant summer forage, when it is cooler and they have a hunting advantage.

 

In the Northern parts of the country, our water temps do not get far above optimum level in most places, and for very long. As long as one can present lures properly to high-quality shallow cover (like pads and docs), and to the deep weedline, one can experience a consistent bite all summer (although larger fish are still a challenge to find consistently). 

 

And in rivers where there is consistent current, the bite can be positively on fire during the hottest times of the summer, especially for smallmouths.

 

So there isn't really an inconsistency, there are just mitigating factors.

[Buzzbaiter]

Summer is my favorite season. I personally disagree with the idea that the bass are harder to catch this time of year, but that’s just me.

 

I know trout stop biting in the heat of summer because their metabolism is so high that they burn more calories by actively searching for food; in other words, it’s more efficient to hunker down in cooler water and reduce metabolism than it is to forage for food. In hotter parts of the country, this principle might also apply to bass. 

[Sasquatch]

I see the thermocline issue first hand local to me every year. We have some 70-80 acre state managed public lakes very close to my house. They really don’t have much inflow of water especially if it’s been dry for a couple

weeks like right now. You end up getting a thermocline at around 7 ft and every fish in the lake suspends about 5 ft under the surface and they are near impossible to catch. 

[T-Billy]

Deep weeds during the daylight hours. Shallow weeds or rock structure at night. 

[Choporoz]

6 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I think they ARE easier to catch when it's hot but sometimes tricky to find.

 

5 hours ago, softwateronly said:

Warm water period is also peak time for food options, presentations might need to be more refined to fit the energy in/energy out equation. 

Yep and yep.  Just because people struggle to catch doesn't mean the bass aren't gorging themselves.

[Catt]

8 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I think they ARE easier to catch when it's hot but sometimes tricky to find.

 

Most anglers are shallow water fishermen while bass tend to be in deeper water.

 

Anglers have the misconception that the bass feed more at night. I believe they think that because they don't fish at night. 

[Jig Man]

I think it depends on the body of water, time of day, and weather conditions.  I mainly fish 3 highland reservoirs which are totally different.  The fish on one of them are extremely hard to find in the summer so I basically avoid it.  Another one is extremely clear and the morning bite goes away around 9 am.  Meanwhile the lake that I am fishing now has a very good bite that lasts until I am too hot to stay.  Those fish are from 4-10’ deep.  We are catching 40-60 every trip.

[Choporoz]

I don't know if it is related to metabolism, but the fish caught in 85 degree water are absolutely insane.  Fished a kayak tournament yesterday and trying to get a bass to sit still for a picture was harder than actually catching them.

[Woody B]

13 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Most anglers are shallow water fishermen while bass tend to be in deeper water.

 

Anglers have the misconception that the bass feed more at night. I believe they think that because they don't fish at night. 

 

It's my belief that on crowded lakes Bass get conditioned to boat traffic and fishing pressure.  I think after the lake gets crowded they just hunker down and wait for things to settle down.  

 

It's also my belief that, at least where I fish there will always be some Bass shallow.  As it heats up they'll be under docks and anywhere else there's shade.  These Bass are usually smallish and they get pounded.   Most that I catch shallow during the Summer have previous hook holes in their mouths.  

 

Do Bass sleep?  It's my belief that the ones under the docks, as well as the ones suspended in deeper water are asleep.   Bass hugging the bottom may be active, but they're hard, at least for me to see on sonar.   Many people say to run a bait above the suspended fish.  I've had better luck running a bait under them, near the bottom.   Many times a fish will bolt up from the bottom to grab my bait........but sometimes this will be a Catfish.  Occasionally this will "wake up" the suspended school and result in some good action.  

 

The best time, for me at least during the Summer is between midnight and sun rise.   Sometimes they're shallow but many times they're still deep.   I don't see any, or as many suspended Bass, and the ones I do see are moving around instead of just hanging in one place.  

 

 

But.....as soon as I think I have figured something out things will change.  I went to a different lake last week.  I launched my boat around 30 minutes before sunrise.   I found active Bass shallow early.   Quickly I caught 3 decent Bass.  Shortly after sunrise these Bass just....shut down.   I could see them on sonar, but couldn't coax a bite.  I went deeper looking for Bass.   I found a BUNCH of schools in/around brush piles on points in 25 to 40 feet of water.  I caught a couple out of each school, but they were all around 10 inches long.   This lake is different,  no main channel but I tried creek channels, road beds, ledges and various depth humps with no luck.  Were all the decent sized Bass shallow, and not active?   The deep 10 inchers were eager to hit whatever I put in front of them.  

[Swamp Girl]

To be frank, I don't notice much difference between spring and summer beyond this: In early spring, I catch fewer fish. Then one day, it all changes and I catch more fish, which I think is a metabolism shift triggered by warmer water.

 

The constant through spring and summer is that the bass are always moving and my challenge as an angler is to find them. I have caught them in these places this year and on those days, I could only catch them in these places:

 

Within 12" of a rocky shoreline

In 12" of water in a mucky cove

Beneath woody bushes

Deep in the swamp and tight to cover

90' offshore in 8' of water

120' offshore in 6' of water

In zombie reed fields

In newly grown reed fields

On the edges of lily pads groupings

Where water enters a pond

Where water exits a pond

On shaded shorelines

On rocky flats freckled with weeds

 

I found bass thick and willing in a zombie reed field one day and the very next day, they weren't there. So, I had to find them again. Most fishing trips, I succeed. My last one, I couldn't find them, but I was fishing after a 30-degree drop in 30 hours, which might have dampened their appetites. For me, fishing is like pheasant hunting, where I have to keep moving to find them and flush them. Luckily, I like moving, as I'm a paddler and I enjoy the act of paddling, of moving my boat efficiently and true. 

[Swamp Girl]

8 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

bury themselves in heavy slop.

 

I have been dreading fishing heavy slop. Whereas I caught a number of six-pound-plus bass last year in heavy slop, I lost three for every one I caught. @T-Billy sent me a Heavy rod and I bought some 50-lb. test line and @road warrior suggested a baitcasting reel, which I bought, but sitting in a tippy canoe* and winching with my old woman arms is such a challenge. I'll attempt it with my new gear, but I'm a fraidy-cat. 

 

*It's so tippy that I'm guessing half you guys would tip within the first minute. No lie. It's not a normal canoe. It's nearly a racing canoe, so long and so narrow. On a lake where I have to paddle five miles, its speed is greatly appreciated. 

[Catt]

39 minutes ago, Woody B said:

It's my belief that on crowded lakes Bass get conditioned to boat traffic and fishing pressure

 

When I can I will fish during midweek.

 

The two most popular times of the year is spring & fall because the bass are shallow & closer to the shoreline...easier to find. 

 

The vast majority of anglers beat the shoreline water too a froth. 

 

Foward facing sonar opened up deepwater fishing to anglers who couldn't before.

 

Bass do not morph into a new creature just because the sun set! Neither does their food source.

 

When talking night fishing I don't mean a few hours a year. I start in April & continue until October. My typical day is 6:30 pm to 8:00 am.

[T-Billy]

10 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

I have been dreading fishing heavy slop. Whereas I caught a number of six-pound-plus bass last year in heavy slop, I lost three for every one I caught. @T-Billy sent me a Heavy rod and I bought some 50-lb. test line and @road warrior suggested a baitcasting reel, which I bought, but sitting in a tippy canoe* and winching with my old woman arms is such a challenge. I'll attempt it with my new gear, but I'm a fraidy-cat. 

 

*It's so tippy that I'm guessing half you guys would tip within the first minute. No lie. It's not a normal canoe. It's nearly a racing canoe, so long and so narrow. On a lake where I have to paddle five miles, its speed is greatly appreciated. 

It'll help that you'll be pulling more vertically. Just keep as much steady pressure on em as you can.

[BrianMDTX]

@ol'crickety I was going to suggest outriggers. But they may nullify your speed , which seems to be a necessity. 

[Pat Brown]

36 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

When I can I will fish during midweek.

 

The two most popular times of the year is spring & fall because the bass are shallow & closer to the shoreline...easier to find. 

 

The vast majority of anglers beat the shoreline water too a froth. 

 

Foward facing sonar opened up deepwater fishing to anglers who couldn't before.

 

Bass do not morph into a new creature just because the sun set! Neither does their food source.

 

When talking night fishing I don't mean a few hours a year. I start in April & continue until October. My typical day is 6:30 pm to 8:00 am.

 

 

On my small 50-200 acre lakes - the sticks definitely know the spots and hammer on them offshore with electronics all summer long.  You can see them drop in - outboard to the sandbar nail the schools - outboard to the point - nail the schools - outboard to the hump etc etc.  They are done fishing in 2 hours.  It gets so doggone hot that the 'froth makers' stay home.  Summer here is like winter.  It's a empty playground.

 

I just try to make a little swishy bubble trail splash with my fishing.  No so much froth necessarily.  But I do beat that bank and catch big fish in hot water.

 

I think night and early morning are good because you're alone and less likely to pass out from a heat stroke and it's dark so they're stupider and usually easier to trick up shallow.

[Swamp Girl]

59 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

It'll help that you'll be pulling more vertically. Just keep as much steady pressure on em as you can.

 

I will, Tim. My canoe's stealth will let me fish atop them, but I'm still scaredy. I know how it will go: There I'll be, alone in the quiet bog, nothing much happening, and then I'll hook the Krakken...on a short line...and she will be berserk. 

 

 

[gimruis]

I’m with @TnRiver46. Its fishing pressure in most places. Targeting days with less of it can only help you.

[Catt]

51 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Summer here is like winter.  It's a empty playground.

 

My two favorite seasons to fish for that reason. 

[Susky River Rat]

I will struggle unless we get a high water episode on the river to consolidate the fish again.  When it’s summer and the water is low and hot the fish spread out vastly. 
 

The issue with a lot of PA lakes is they are a bathtub. Most lakes might as well be quarries the way they just drop.  They aren’t natural so there is no mid lake structure. Just open deep water. The weeds get sprayed and eliminated for the most part. The only option then is to use FFS and cast at fish or use 2D and cast around the bait balls using that hoping you are on them. 

[Jig Man]

The most productive area for us has been on a shallow flat just outside a very busy marina.  Boats are coming and going all of the time and the fish are not deeper than 10’ sometimes as shallow as 5.