Bass Fishing and the Weather
Weather plays a big role in the day to day feeding activity of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. While stable weather over 3 or 4 days in a row can put bass in a consistent feeding pattern, a cold front can come in and mess it all up in one day.
Windy weather can be very productive for bass fishing, although, it makes boat control a lot harder. Many anglers that can’t keep their boat in good positions will think that windy weather is not good for bass fishing. Wind can do a lot of things to help bass anglers though. A little chop on the water will allow bass to feel more comfortable to feed in the shallows longer. Wind will also push tiny organisms to certain parts of the lake, which will push bait fish into certain areas making it easier to find feeding bass. Too much wind makes boat control a problem though.
A light rain is great for bass fishing if you don’t mind getting a little wet. With some rain gear, it’s not too uncomfortable to fish in a light rain and bass will move shallower because of the low-light conditions. With bass feeling safer in shallower water, they become easier to find and catch.
Heavier rains make fishing difficult and can dirty the water up in a hurry. While it is possible to catch bass in heavier rains, many bass anglers will get off the water in these conditions.
Overcast conditions (cloudy or partly cloudy) are great for bass fishing. With less light penetration, expect bass to be cruising a little bit shallower than they would be if it were sunny out.
Sunny conditions can make bass fishing tougher, but it depends on the time of year. In spring and fall, the sun is not at the angle that it is at during the summer. Sunny days in spring and fall are not as tough for fishing as they are in the summer. When the water temperatures are cooler, a sunny day can actually help the fish turn on. In the summer, the sun will push bass out of the shallows into deeper water or closer to cover in shallow water such as docks. Many bass anglers do very well in the middle of the day on a hot and sunny summer day because the bass will be holding tight to the shady docks. Since anglers know where to target the bass, they have a lot of success flipping jigs, worms and other types of baits at them.
The weather will help determine where the fish will be feeding on any given day. Once you learn how the weather positions fish, you will become a better bass fisherman.
Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bass Fishing
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing and Water Temperature
Understanding what the water temperature will do to bass can greatly improve your chances of boating more bass on any given day. Most bass anglers know that bass are cold-blooded. In colder water temperatures (less than 60 degrees), their metabolism starts to slow down which makes them less active. As the water temperature warms up, their metabolism speeds up which makes them more active and more aggressive. Even in the heat of the summer, when most anglers think bass are sluggish, there are certain periods of the day that these bass will go on a feeding spree and they can even be seen chasing bait fish to the surface before striking them.
To keep it simple, bass will typically be in deeper water when water temperatures lower into the mid-50s and below. The 60 - 70 degree range brings lots of bass shallow. As the water warms up even more, there will still be some bass shallow using docks or other types of cover for shade from the sun. Shallow cover also provides some excellent ambush spots for bass.
Even as the water temperatures warm into the upper 70s and even into the 80s, many bass fishermen still catch plenty of bass shallow. You’re going to need to target cover if you want to catch bass consistently though. Most of the bass are typically found in deeper water once the water heats up. It is not uncommon to catch big largemouth bass in 15 to 20 feet of water and big smallmouth bass in 25 to 35 feet of water during mid-summer.
As fall approaches, water temperatures cool, which allows bass to come shallow again. As water temps come back down into the mid to upper 60s, shallow water cover is where a good percentage of bass will be found, but don’t count out the deeper water. Deeper water near shallow water cover usually produces some nice bites during the day.
Water temperature will move bass throughout the lake. Spring and fall are usually the best times for shallow-water bass. Early spring, mid-summer and late fall are good times for catching deep water bass.
Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bass Fishing
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Jig Fishing Boat Docks
Boat docks are great cover for a variety of species such as bluegill, perch, rock bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye. Most fishermen that target docks are bass fishermen though. That’s because docks almost always hold bass from spring through fall, especially if there is access to deep water nearby.
To catch bass on the docks consistently, there are a few things you need to know. During low-light conditions, bass may not be holding as tight to the docks. Bass like to use the docks because they shade certain areas from the sun. During low-light conditions, there is nothing to drive them way underneath the dock. You may still catch plenty of bass under the docks, but there will be bass spread out around the docks and within a 50 to 100 foot cast from the docks.
During sunny days, the docks will provide shade for bass and they will take advantage of the shade almost every time. When the sun is straight up during the middle of the day, expect to have to make casts way underneath the dock. This is where they will be. When the sun is not straight overhead, the shade will actually be under the dock and out to one of the sides of the dock. Most of your bass will come from the shady areas. If your lake has a lot of docks to fish, just concentrate on the shady areas and keep moving. You’ll catch more bass by the end of the day this way.
To make the most out of each dock, try to fish the edges of the docks first, then move farther and farther underneath the docks. This way, you up your odds of catching multiple fish off of each dock. If you cast way underneath with your first cast, you may spook some of the other fish if you get a bite and pull a bass from way underneath. Work the edges first then go underneath. You’ll catch more bass using this technique as well.
Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bass Jigs
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits are a great warm water and cold water bait. Use it as a search bait or just work some cover with a slow, steady retrieve and you will catch bass.
Many tournament anglers turn to the spinnerbait to cover some water and find active fish. Then they usually follow up with a jig, plastic worm or something else that they can fish slow once they know they have found an area of water that is holding bass.
Spinnerbaits work excellent all spring with a nice, slow retrieve. As the water warms up with the warmer days of summer, a faster retrieve can produce heart-pounding strikes. Work them into the fall as well and remember that a spinnerbait is a great lure for throwing into schools of bass feeding on the surface over deeper water. If you put enough time on the water, you will see this at the end of summer into the fall as water temperatures start to cool down.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Spinnerbaits
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Deep-Diving Crankbaits
Deep-diving crankbaits can be a pain to fish because you usually need a much heavier rod and reel to cast these lures. It takes some work and you may be a little tired from casting these baits for a few hours, but it is worth when bass are hanging in deeper water. Summer, early fall and late fall are great times to throw the big deep-diving crankbaits. You may not get bit a lot, but your chances for catching a 5 pound plus bass go way up during these times of the year when you fish deep.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Deep-Diving Crankbaits
- Crankbait Fishing Tips
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Lipless Crankbaits
Lipless crankbaits are an excellent bait for largemouth and smallmouth bass. From spring through fall, lipless crankbaits will produce in many types of conditions and around many types of cover.
Some of the common techniques are:
- to wind the bait in with a steady, but fast retrieve
- to wind the bait in with a steady, but slow retrieve
- stop and go retrieve
- countdown method - count the bait down to the desired depth before you retrieve the lure
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Lipless Crankbaits
- Crankbait Fishing Tips
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Chuggers
Chuggers are a unique topwater lure that works well for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Because of its dished out or cupped head, this lure causing a big disturbance which will bring bass in to take a look.
Most anglers have their best success with a pop and pause retrieve. Sometimes, pausing for as long as 10 to 15 seconds is what it takes to drive a big bass crazy enough to eat it.
They are great baits for bass from late spring through fall.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Chuggers
- Topwater Bass Fishing Tips
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Buzzbaits
Buzzbaits are a great search bait, especially during the summer time, although you can catch bass on buzzbaits from late spring through fall on this lure.
The key to using buzzbaits is to fish them during the times of year when bass are willing to start feeding on the surface. This tends to be late spring through early fall. Summer seems to be the best time to throw one of these noisy baits across the surface.
Bass will absolutely attack this bait and they’ll come from a long distance to eat it. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass will attack a buzzbait, although, most people use buzzbaits for largemouth bass and that’s because some of the best areas that buzzbaits produce are prime locations for largemouth bass.
Buzzbaits work great around lily pads, weed edges, scattered weeds, flooded grass, docks and even brush.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Buzzbaits
- Topwater Bass Fishing Tips
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Bucktail Spinners
Bucktail spinners are used more among the northern pike and muskie crowd, but don’t rule out these tempting fishing lures for bass. The smaller bucktail spinners can be excellent baits for big largemouth and smallmouth bass, especially in the fall when bass are feeding heavily on bigger baits to get ready for the winter.
The big bucktail spinners may turn off most bass, but if you’re fishing big bass waters, don’t be afraid to go big. The bigger bucktail spinners have been known to trick quite a few bigger bass into eating.
Bass Fishing Resources:
