Largemouth Bass

[Whack'emGood]

Hey guys.

We have been having a heckuva time trying to catch even a single LM lately. We have strictly been going night fishing, but we haven't caught a single LM (even a small one) for the last 3+ weeks (since the water temperature dropped 12 degrees in 5 days). During this time we have gone 7 times and we have been catching a ton of Smallies (none bigger than 2.5lbs though) and a few KY mixed in-- which, normally I would have no complaint... but, we are looking for a few big uns, and would like to get ahold of a few big LM. Like I said, I generally don't mind catching 2 to 2.5lb Smallies, but would like to have a chance at some 3 to 5lb+ fish. We have been fishing from KC to a little way up into both the James and White from where they meet. Has anybody else run into this quagmire, or is it just us? Has anybody been catching any LM? Does anybody have a theory on why all of a sudden they have disappeared? We were catching alot of LM (and big ones) and now zero. It doesn't make sense at all to me, unless it is just this weather pattern we have been having. Are they just inactive or have they changed locations? We have tried everything we can think of. It is about to drive us crazy. Any tips/ideas would be much appreciated.

Whack'em

[Don House]

Whackem, welcome to Summer and only 2 months late...

I'm still hearing guys are catching them but way up the rivers like the James up past Flat Creek.. But I have heard it has really slowed down. I know on the main lake just about all of the guides have had to move over to crawlers to get bit... So no they have not left just went down deep is my guess.. Just about spoon time they will show up again..

Good Fishing

Don

[Whack'emGood]

Don-

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I guess they have just gone deep. That's what I figured too, but usually we are able to catch them all Summer at night. Generally, late in the Summer we catch them about 25 feet deep at night-- as opposed to catching them 15 feet deep earlier in the summer at night. Not this year... They had been relatively really shallow up until the drop in water temp (at about that same time they stopped running water to get the lake down to normal also). I suspected they had gone deep and relatively inactive as well, but I was hoping to hear something else from you. You have confirmed what I had feared. I guess we will have to wait until they move up and get into the Fall pattern. I am looking forward to some Fall fishing when everyone can start whackin'em again!! In the meantime, I guess we will just have to put up with a whole bunch of mean and fiesty smallies!!! Sad isn't it?!! ... not really!

Whack'em