Is Light As Important As Temp For Late Winter Bass?

[tjulianc]

I always seem to have some good outings in Feb when it comes to bass fishing. How much does the increase in daylight have to do with this, or do you guys think it has more to do with water temp?

I know bass are cold blooded animals and temp has a direct relationship to their metabolism and feeding habits, but this time of year the temps are yo-yoing all the way in to April, but the one steady factor is an ever increasing amount of light. I don't want to downplay water temps, but I am wondering if most anglers underestimate the effect light has on bass?

Also, along the same train of thought, the general rule is that bass move to shallow water this time of year because shallow water will warm up faster than deep water. But shallow water will also cool down faster too. Deep water will have more of a steady temp. So what triggers bass to go shallow to test out if the water is warmer or cooler? I wonder if bass instinctively move to shallow water regardless of water temps when the days get longer in anticipation of warmer temps to come? Thats just a hypothesis, I wonder what you guys think.

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

I think you may be on to something. I fully agree with the thoughts you have presented. I don't get to fish much right now, but I will definitely talk around to others and see if anyone else has experienced these types of thoughts.

[Guest csfishinfool]

I would say light has just as much to do with fish migrations as water temp. That being said water temp plays a huge role on our highland lakes especialy in late winter. For example after a warm 70 degree rain in late feb. or early march you find warm water running in the back of creeks, and small coves. You can find the water, under the right circumstances to be 5-10 degrees warmer. Those fish will pile into the backs and make some of the best fishing for the whole year. But when it cools back down they are gone. Same as fishing on a warm day, and finding the fish relating to big shallow rocks. That water can warm up as the rocks hold the heat. But once again if you have no sun, or a really cold night those fish are gone.

I would say light plays a bigger role when you get into late march and early april. These fish can sense that even if the water is cold, the weather is going to break soon. And it will be time to spawn. I fished a small tournament on Stockton a few years back. It was mid april, and we had a warm up the week before. Tournament week, and weekend the tempature dropped back into the teens. The water cooled down. But with the moon cycle the way it was, and the time of year, with longer days. Fish were still trying to spawn on the flooded flats. I believe that water temp was in the mid fiftys.

We fish a part of the country that is diffrent that anywhere else. Our fish do not have to move far from their deep water to find the right spawing locations. All of our lakes have very deep water very close to prime spawing areas. Also there is gravel all over our lakes.

[Al Agnew]

I think both are important. I believe bass act upon water temperature, but in the case of late winter/springtime, if the water temps lag behind the time period too far, the bass kinda "give up waiting" and go ahead to do their thing even if the water temps are still cold. I suspect that daily movements are nearly all temperature-related, but seasonal movements are more dependent on photo-period.