Hot
Water Fishing
Blast
furnace days of summer are just ahead, when water temperatures climb well into
the 90's. Here are two questions you're probably pondering: (a.) Where did all
the fish go? And (b.) What does a bass fisherman have to do to find them? The
answers may surprise you!
The
answer to both of those questions has a lot to do with the amount of dissolved
oxygen in the water.
Generally,
bass anglers will tell you to go deep when looking for summer fish, and that's
pretty good advice; bass can find cooler water down deep. But temperature and
deep water are only parts of the equation. In fact, when the water temperatures
and air temperatures peak in summer, there is actually a higher concentration
of dissolved oxygen in shallow water than in the deep. Highly-oxygenated water
may, in fact, speed up the bass metabolism, resulting in more frequent and
aggressive feediang in the shallows than in deep water.
If you
doubt this just consider the top fishing techniques for many pro anglers in the
heat of the summer: drop shotting. This technique allows you to fish for
suspending bass, reason being often the mid-range water depths is where the
fish move to find more oxygen in late spring and early summer. As the heat
increases the bass move to the shallowest places to find higher oxygen levels
needed to feed.
Why do
bass move to shallow water in the hottest months on some lakes? The difference
is cover. On most lakes, shade can be found only on the banks with over hanging
trees and boathouses. In the case of Guntersville, grass covers the lake and
not only produces shade; it also contributes to high oxygen levels that bass
need to be active.
Proof of
this is what has been producing the winning stringers in tournaments across the
hottest regions of the country. In many of those tournaments, fisherman
pitching the shallowest water with heavy-weighted baits get the best results.
Just look at tournament results from Florida, where the shallowest water is
producing the biggest stringers. The reason for this is that the cover, the shade
and the oxygen level up shallow is stimulating feeding activity among bigger
fish.
Point
being, don't become myopic when looking for those big stringers of summertime
bass. In the heat of the day, they might very well be in the shallowest of
water!
Captain
Mike Gerry
Fish Lake
Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
www.facebook.com/FishGuntersville
Email:bassguide@comcast.net
Phone:
256 759 2270