What Effects The Bite?

[Flyflinger]

What are the opinions on stream fishing conditions? Obviously if the stream is blown out from massive rain the fish are not going to be biteing.

What are ideal conditions? Does weather and barometric pressure play a huge role?

I guess I am just trying to figure out these smallmouth...it seems that they hate it when a cold front moves thru.

What do you guys look for?

[Al Agnew]

I've never found cold fronts to have much effect on stream bass, certainly not like they affect reservoir largemouth. The results of cold fronts in the autumn and spring can make a difference, however. Sudden drops in water temperature will often wreck the fishing in the spring, and often in the fall as well. Barometric pressure? I pay absolutely no attention to it when stream fishing.

Autumn can be the most hit or miss time of year. Conventional wisdom is that bass "put on the feed bag" with dropping autumn temperatures, sensing that they have to stock up for winter. I've never found this to be true in the Ozarks. They don't feed any more, and often less, in the fall than they do in the summer. And when you think about it, you can see why this is so. In the Ozarks, in the winter, the fish either live in and around places (heavily spring fed streams) where they can remain fairly active and do some feeding all winter, or they go pretty much dormant in the less spring fed, colder streams. Either way, in cold water their metabolism slows and they don't use as much energy and calories as they do in warm weather. So they really don't need to pile on the fat in the fall in the Ozarks. However, if conditions are right, they CAN put on a lot of fat. If there is a period of warm weather and rising water temps in mid to late autumn, they can really get active, and since the water is still cool enough to keep their metabolism down, they take in a lot more calories than they use up.

It's all about water conditions, though, including temperature, flow, and visibility this time of year. In early to mid autumn, I want the water to retain some color, which means we need the kind of rains we're getting now. In fact, on the typically very clear water of autumn, a slight rise and some murkiness will almost always make for better fishing. As for flow, a big rise is never good, but sometimes a significant rise will at least position fish in places where you can find them...slack water areas like at the mouths of feeder creeks and eddies along the banks. And as for temperature, any time you get a sudden drop it isn't good, and any time in the fall that you get stable temps or rising temps, it can be excellent.

[ozark trout fisher]

What are the opinions on stream fishing conditions? Obviously if the stream is blown out from massive rain the fish are not going to be biteing.

What are ideal conditions? Does weather and barometric pressure play a huge role?

I guess I am just trying to figure out these smallmouth...it seems that they hate it when a cold front moves thru.

What do you guys look for?

I like it when the water is dropping from a big rain and that greenish-bluish color that Ozark streams get when the water is up but not muddy for trout, especially on the smaller streams.The fish tend to be a lot less spooky then and aren't nearly as selective as they usually are.

For smallmouth bass I really prefer the low flows of summertime. The fish aren't hard to find and they're usually pretty active, as long as the water temps as the water temp isn't higher than the low 80s.

Also, I've found that the fishing (for just about any stream fish) is usually very good when there is a light rain or mist.

[gotmuddy]

Excellent topic OP, and thanks for the responses because I was just thinking about this myself. I intend to fish hard all fall and do some learning. During the summer I have had better luck with higher flows and slightly off color water for bigger fish.

[Justin Spencer]

I've found that when you have a chance to go fishing, just go. There are so many variables that go in to stream fishing that unless you can fish everyday it is tough to figure why the fish are biting or not. I've caught fish in all conditions and also had horrible days when it seems like everything should be perfect. I've given up trying to figure them out and now just use all the different conditions as excuses as to why the fish weren't biting. One thing I think I know about trout on the NFoW is that if it is a cloudy day I'm going to fish the lower section for browns as they seem to like it cloudy.

[Mitch f]

I've never found cold fronts to have much effect on stream bass, certainly not like they affect reservoir largemouth. The results of cold fronts in the autumn and spring can make a difference, however. Sudden drops in water temperature will often wreck the fishing in the spring, and often in the fall as well. Barometric pressure? I pay absolutely no attention to it when stream fishing.

Autumn can be the most hit or miss time of year. Conventional wisdom is that bass "put on the feed bag" with dropping autumn temperatures, sensing that they have to stock up for winter. I've never found this to be true in the Ozarks. They don't feed any more, and often less, in the fall than they do in the summer. And when you think about it, you can see why this is so. In the Ozarks, in the winter, the fish either live in and around places (heavily spring fed streams) where they can remain fairly active and do some feeding all winter, or they go pretty much dormant in the less spring fed, colder streams. Either way, in cold water their metabolism slows and they don't use as much energy and calories as they do in warm weather. So they really don't need to pile on the fat in the fall in the Ozarks. However, if conditions are right, they CAN put on a lot of fat. If there is a period of warm weather and rising water temps in mid to late autumn, they can really get active, and since the water is still cool enough to keep their metabolism down, they take in a lot more calories than they use up.

It's all about water conditions, though, including temperature, flow, and visibility this time of year. In early to mid autumn, I want the water to retain some color, which means we need the kind of rains we're getting now. In fact, on the typically very clear water of autumn, a slight rise and some murkiness will almost always make for better fishing. As for flow, a big rise is never good, but sometimes a significant rise will at least position fish in places where you can find them...slack water areas like at the mouths of feeder creeks and eddies along the banks. And as for temperature, any time you get a sudden drop it isn't good, and any time in the fall that you get stable temps or rising temps, it can be excellent.

Up until a few years ago, I have always caught big fish more consistently in the fall than any other season. Actually 3 of my biggest fish were caught during the opening weekend of deer season and I was wearing blaze orange for safety reasons.

Now, thanks to Zipstick and others, I like fishing in the winter the most. I do think you're right by saying it's all about the conditions. When the water temp cools down to the 55-60 degree range, the fish just get more active. I usually pick up my golf clubs in the summer and stay off the rivers during peak hours. I know the fishing can be great in the summer but I just don't like to be on the river then.

[Gavin]

Just go fish....low & clear is what most wade fisherman prefer..but I like it best when the river is on the rise, or up and a bit milky...Experience has shown that it is the best time to hang a toad, or a bunch of active fish.Muddy...dont like it at all. Water clarity & temperature seem to mater most to stream fish.

Cheers.

[Al Agnew]

Up until a few years ago, I have always caught big fish more consistently in the fall than any other season. Actually 3 of my biggest fish were caught during the opening weekend of deer season and I was wearing blaze orange for safety reasons.

Now, thanks to Zipstick and others, I like fishing in the winter the most. I do think you're right by saying it's all about the conditions. When the water temp cools down to the 55-60 degree range, the fish just get more active. I usually pick up my golf clubs in the summer and stay off the rivers during peak hours. I know the fishing can be great in the summer but I just don't like to be on the river then.

I probably should have clarified that I mostly meant early to mid-fall...say from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The later in the fall, the better if conditions are right. Also, a lot depends upon the characteristics of the streams. Some streams simply suck in the fall. Mostly those are smaller, clearer streams that aren't heavily spring fed. In my experience, the larger, more spring fed streams provide more consistent fall fishing.

Growing up on upper Big River, and having fished it all my life, I always found the autumn fishing to be pretty poor, so poor that I seldom fished it past mid-October. Then one year we had an unseasonably warm November, with water temps climbing back up into the 60s by the time deer season came, and the fishing was phenomenal as long as the warm weather lasted. I remember catching a 20 incher on Big River while a guy in a tree stand watched me. Since then, I've caught a lot of big fish in late October and November on other streams, but have never again found that kind of fishing on Big River. I pretty much start avoiding the smaller streams by October, and concentrate on rivers like the Meramec, Current, and Gasconade.

[Mitch f]

I probably should have clarified that I mostly meant early to mid-fall...say from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The later in the fall, the better if conditions are right. Also, a lot depends upon the characteristics of the streams. Some streams simply suck in the fall. Mostly those are smaller, clearer streams that aren't heavily spring fed. In my experience, the larger, more spring fed streams provide more consistent fall fishing.

Growing up on upper Big River, and having fished it all my life, I always found the autumn fishing to be pretty poor, so poor that I seldom fished it past mid-October. Then one year we had an unseasonably warm November, with water temps climbing back up into the 60s by the time deer season came, and the fishing was phenomenal as long as the warm weather lasted. I remember catching a 20 incher on Big River while a guy in a tree stand watched me. Since then, I've caught a lot of big fish in late October and November on other streams, but have never again found that kind of fishing on Big River. I pretty much start avoiding the smaller streams by October, and concentrate on rivers like the Meramec, Current, and Gasconade.

Actually, the Meramec and Gasconade are where I do 75% of of my fishing anyway!

[Danoinark]

This is probably outside the scope of what you were asking but many time people stand (wade) where they should be fishing.

I learned this long ago.

Dano