Was curious whether or not any of you fishery sciences guys know whether or not there is an upper water temp where the bass stop feeding.  I know that koi can not be fed when water temp reaches 96.  Thats with sophisticated aeration, filtering, and o2 introduction.  Does this apply to bass as well?

They don't stop feeding in hot water. If anything they are eating more often than in spring. At about 82 degrees bass are at their most efficient digestion ability, then the efficiency goes down above that. Shad, however, don't like 90 degree water, so spend a lot more time deeper. Just 10 feet down the temperature can be 20 degrees cooler with or without shade. Bass follow them and can handle the cooler water almost as well as the hotter water. But neither shad nor bass will be found hanging out below the thermocline. If a bass gets uncomfortable in the upper hot water it can simply swim down as close to that layer as possible and still absorb oxygen.

I spend a lot of time fishing at whatever depth the thermocline is, yesterday 17 feet, partly because that's mostly where shad schools are. Very little forage is seen in hot shallow water, so few bass are being caught there. Most anglers believe they just stopped biting because of the heat. That isn't true. The bass just go a little deeper to find forage.

Jim

Jim,

How do you know what the temperature is at different depths? And, how do you know where the thermocline is? Is there a depth finder that can tell you this or do you have another way of finding the temps?

Just so you know, I don't own a fish finder nor have I researched them very much. If they do give you temps at different levels I plead ignorance and need to do some research. On the other hand, if fish finders don't give temp levels, what do you recommend for checking temperatures at different depths and how do you determine the thermocline?

I have been fishing the old fashioned way far to long.......

Regards,

Tom

Thanks for the quick response Jim