Making Sense of the Dog Days
As we hit the 90-degree water temperature it becomes the norm that fishing gets tough and looking forward to some cooling water temperatures will really help the fishing. The key is understanding what your facing when you get on the water, as knowledge is key to over coming the obstacles of the dog days.
One of the most important things to understand is that the oxygen levels in the water really gets depleted when we move into this period on the water. Finding areas that have some higher oxygen levels can make all the difference to catching fish. The first thing to remember is that there could be areas of the lake that produce more oxygen than others; what causes this is key to finding fish.
One thing to always take notice of is your graph, observing where the fish are in the depth range can really help you understand what and where to fish. If you notice that fish are mainly congregating at a certain depth off the bottom your lake, your lake could be suffering from the thermocline setting in removing the oxygen from the depth below where you see fish at on your graph. When this occurs, bass will sit above the thermocline giving you a depth range to examine to find active fish. Bass on grassy lakes generally move into the grass when oxygen depletes as the grass generally holds more oxygen and forces them into the grass to find it. The thing many people don’t understand is the nastier the grass the more likely it is that the oxygen levels are higher as dying nasty foamy grass puts off CO2 and puts oxygen into the water.
Current becomes key during the dog days as moving water always brings oxygen to the hot water. Look for current edges, wind driven change and that will produce more active fish and help during the dog days. May times docks become great targets as docks produce cover from the sun; help hold oxygen and cool the water underneath the dock. Shadows, nasty grass, docks, suspending fish and obscure structure sitting alone are ideal targets to find increased oxygen levels that can produce some activity and help you overcome those dog days!
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
www.facebook.com/FishGuntersville
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Call: 256 759 2270
Capt. Mike Gerry