Just Kicking and Stewing

[Bill Babler]

Was really unhappy with my trips the last 3 or 4 days and am trying to put a finger on it.  Here is the deal, from the middle of May up until those 58 degree nights started we were in a very hot ie record hot and dry spell with well established thermoclines mostly lake wide in the 28 to 34 ft. depth range.  Most all game fish including bass and walleye were hanging in this depth range as was the bait.  I was seeing no shad on the surface but plenty of shad balls hovering at or near the thermocline.

There were large schools of game fish congregated on lots and lots of locations lake wide at this depth and it was not hard to find schools that contained 20 plus fish and almost all of them not only had bass but most also had walleye.

From the middle of May till lets say August 1st. I had about 40 bass drop shot trips.  I had at least 1 but most times multiple walleye on every single trip with the best day at 9 walleye along with the bass.  I might have missed one day during that stretch without a walleye but I cannot remember it.

Since last Wednesday I have not had a single walleye on 6 straight drop shot trips.

Starting late last week, the shad came to the surface.  Yes there are still some scattered small balls in the thermo range, but massive amounts are in the top half of the water column.  I really believe the temperature fluctuation this past 10 days moved the fish and scattered them.  This is much like the last part of September when it at times gets tougher than a cobb here.

Surface temps went from 89 degree to 79 degree back up to 84 degree this is a very wide swing for this time of the year, again more reminiscent of late September and the dispersal.

As has been mentioned at that time late September into early Fall we can see the bass at times migrate, not moving really up or out but just moving.  Sometimes up the river channels or more they just disperse throughout the entire water column and you can see them not only near the bank but at times from 1 ft. deep to 50 ft. deep.

We did see a couple blow today in 180' of water right in the channel that's pretty deep, even for me.

Thoughts?

[Lvn2Fish]

Tough to say. This is the reason Table Rock is so tough . Not only is there a massive amount of surface area , but you figure in the depth of this lake and you might as well be hunting for Nessey with a pair of goggles and a snorkel. Some days it’s easy. Some days I wish I would have played golf... and I get ticked golfing. 

I’ll be on the water Saturday seeing what happens. I have a strange hunch that there’s enough fish suspended in the first 10 ft that a top water might be the deal . All day long... Of course I like the best 5 and if it’s only 5 bites that’s fine . Two weeks ago I caught some top water fish I thought were random over the same places the FB jig was working . The jig will definitely get some play also. Just saying there’s a chance these suckers are looking up. 

[tjm]

Fall is coming earlier each year, we used to start school about September 20 and now we start school the middle of August. About five weeks sooner, so every thing else has to be  moved up also. Blame it on compulsory indoctrination education.

[tjm]

I don't have clue about lake fishing, but how  does surface temperature affect fish 50' deep? I would have guessed the temperature at 50' or 21'  would be  the key to their activity, but I always see references to surface temps?

If I were a fish and had been spending time in a lovely temperature zone and the lake changed temps, I would relocate to the depth where the new temperature was suitable, I think  near the slope where the bottom gets that deep, probably all wrong though. I like creeks for their readability.

[Bill Babler]

Two weeks ago we were catching 50 to over 100 bass in a 4 hr guide trip. Ain’t happening now. Shad moved up and fish moved and scattered. I’m sure there are jig fish but big full screen concentrations moved. Lake surface is simply covered with Shad unlike 2 weeks ago when they were at the thermocline

[cheesemaster]

37 minutes ago, Bill Babler said:

Two weeks ago we were catching 50 to over 100 bass in a 4 hr guide trip. Ain’t happening now. Shad moved up and fish moved and scattered. I’m sure there are jig fish but big full screen concentrations moved. Lake surface is simply covered with Shad unlike 2 weeks ago when they were at the thermocline

Bill,  I know that lake traffic around my house has went from insane busy - everyday - to reasonable again where I only see a boat or 2 durring the weekdays in the evenings.  How much does that play into the bait fish coming to the surface again - which might scatter the bass? I don' know bass behavior like you, Merc (Bo), Champ and many others on here. 

[bobby b.]

Recall that I often say I'm pretty new at bass fishing and new at TR.  I understand that pretty soon I'm gonna have to stop using that as an excuse when I can't catch fish.

But as some of you might recall I  have been doing very well all summer on the drop shot even to the point of it was almost getting boring or at least not challenging so I haven't bass fish for two weeks and then I asked Randy to teach me some about walleye for which I'm very grateful.

So another one of my kids from Colorado was here for a couple days and we went out from 6 - 10:30 am today.  I worked pretty hard at it as I wanted him to catch fish.  He did manage 4 and I fished just a little bit so I could help him and I managed two.

But I marked fish all over the gravel points at 30 fow and they just would not cooperate and I was using crawlers. 

Bobby 

[Joenothum]

I mainly fish the upper end of Bull and I can relate to what Bill has stated.  Mid July till about first day or so of August you could catch fish deep or fish super shallow in the buck brush and do well.  The past week the shallow bite has gone away and the deep bite is weak.  The best pattern I have found is to sit on the main channel edges at the points if shad are present on the surface and wait for them to bust.  Usually its 2 or 3 fish that come up for a few seconds but its working.  Occasionally you will get a school of very large fish come up as well.  I can only seem to catch 1 to 2 fish at best then wait 5 or 10 minutes and another group will come up.

[Guest]

you are right.  the shad have come up in the water column and bass are making an adjustment to where they want to be either shallower or deeper.  the winds have been blowing from every direction and that fits into the equation also.

when bass are relocating to whatever depth change they are going to make, it can take two week or more sometimes.  with all the weather changes and wind directions, it could take a while.  summer fishing is not over.

the bass that i have been catching at night are still 25 to 30 ft. deep.  this can vary depending on what area of the lake you are fishing.  they have still been eating shad.  my blue carpet is gray.  with some consistent weather and winds from the same direction, it will help them settle back in and gather back up.  but, it really is not that long that they break up summer camps and prepare for dealing with fall turnover.  that alone makes the lake fish very, very tiny.

bo

[Jerry Rapp]

has there been a reduction in hydro power generation?