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THE SUMMER
'DOG-DAYS' MYTH
by Jim Porter
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: There
is no reason for summer to be a hard fishing period. ‘Air’ heat does
not send the bass deep. They feed better in the summer than any other
time. Usually, it’s just the anglers that slow down. Read and ponder
this and we’ll discuss it.)
With the hot, muggy
days of summer, we usually see marked decrease in fishing activity.
There are few anglers on the waters and those who do venture out enjoy
rather short days, mainly confined to the cooler periods of early
morning/late afternoon. With this natural avoidance of creature
discomforts has come the misconception that fishing successes are
somewhere between `poor' and `impossible' during the summer months.
Possibly, the relationship of hot weather to poor fishing is simply a
well-planned excuse to stay indoors under the air conditioner, while
watching the `boys of summer' turn those double plays and hit their home
runs. Whatever the case, it is time to dispel the myths of the supposed
`dog-days of summer'.
Myth #1: Bass
stop feeding in hot weather. This is the most common misunderstanding
concerning fish behavior, and it may also be the easiest to logically
explain away. Bass, being a fish, are cold-blooded creatures of nature.
As such, they tend to adjust their body temperatures to that of their
surroundings. Their bodies have certain upper and lower temperature
ranges, within which life can be sustained. Temperature has one major
effect on the bass and that is that it regulates the speed of his bodily
processes (i.e., metabolic rate). For example, the rate at which energy
is expended in a bass as with the temperature of his surroundings (and,
therefore, his body) increase, thus requiring more and more food to
digest and convert to that energy. This single fact shows that it is a
physical impossibility for a fish to cease to feed during hot weather.
In fact, a bass should feed more during the summer months than at any
other time.
Myth #2: In
hot weather, bass always go to deep water. While this statement may seem
logical at first, it is actually a double falsehood. First, understand
that `deep' is a relative term. On exceptionally clear bodies of water,
bass will always position themselves at greater depths than in a stained
water impoundment. Clear water bass may normally spend their time at
depths of 20-45 feet.
 Therefore, `deep' water would be somewhere below those
depths. The majority of largemouth bass on a typical southern or
mid-western reservoir might tend to spend their days and nights at a
depth range of 10-18 feet, with occasional excursions to the shallow
cover areas and food shelves to feed. Bass do not normally go deeper
than this during the summer months. And, 10-18 feet is not normally
considered to be `deep' water. The fact is, the deepest the majority of
bass will ever be found is during the coldest part of the winter, when
the depths are actually warmer than the mid-range and shallow zones!!
What `tricks' us fishermen into thinking that the bass have gone
exceptionally deep is actually a result of the recent seasonal change.
To get into summer, the bass had to pass through the spring season.
Spring, with its ritual of the spawn, had most of the bass clan up in
exceptionally shallow water, where they were easy to find and catch.
When they suddenly disappeared from the shallow cover, we unwittingly
use the excuse that they must have fled to the deep zones. Actually,
most of the summer bass can be found beneath where your boat was sitting
during the spring fishing. Second, escaping from the heat is no problem
for a bass and really doesn't enter into a summer fishing scenario.
Studies (please refer to the accompanying chart) have shown that when
the surface temperature of a lake is in the high 80's and low 90's, the
water at the 10-12 foot level will be in the low 70's. You can easily
prove this to yourself by jumping off a boat dock and noticing how cold
that water is down deep. No more needs to be said about that
misunderstanding.
Temperature Reading
By Depth, Still Water & Moving Waters
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DEPTH
Surface
6 feet
10 feet
15 feet
20 feet
|
WATER
TEMP
W/CURRENT
83
74
72
71
70
|
WATER
TEMP
NO CURRENT
89
77
76
70
64
|
Data compiled on
Lake Guntersville, Alabama
Myth #3. Bass
have certain temperature preferences and will always adhere to them.
Other than a specific temperature range to provide for incubation and
hatch of the spawn, a bass usually seems to disregard temperature
factors in favor of staying near a food supply. In fact, certain
scientific study reports in my possession indicate that the largemouth
bass makes the most efficient use of his food at a temperature range of
78-85 degrees (F). This efficiency factor is based on the percentage of
digested food left over for body growth after fulfilling the basic
requirements to sustain life. In fact, the peak efficiency point was
noted to be approximately 82 degrees (F). What this tends to indicate is
that bass should be quite comfortable in what we anglers tend to
describe as `warm' water. And, in referring to the earlier chart, we
could surmise that he can easily tolerate shallow zones during the
summer period. What actually may be the case, regarding the summer depth
of a bass, is that the food supply (normally threadfin shad and
crayfish) does not handle warm water well, and prefers the cooler
depths. Accordingly, the bass follows the food source as the waters warm
and it moves away from the shallow zones.
One great truism of
bass angling notes that "Catching fish is easy; finding them is the
hard part." The wisdom of this statement holds regardless of the
season, the waters fished, the angler, and all the fine equipment in the
World. However, it holds more significance for understanding as we try
to overcome the ingrained misconceptions we have harbored for years
regarding hot weather fishing. Finding bass in the summer is, like other
times of year, a matter of understanding the World of the bass and how
he reacts to his surroundings. With the water temperature up and their
body metabolism high, the bass are very active, moving a lot, and
feeding heavily. You may come upon a good structure feature, cast a
lure, and catch two or three fish quickly. But, just as suddenly, it
will be all over. And, the next time you try the location; it may well
be void of any fish.
Well, here is what is
probably happening. Summer bass school strongly and nearly always relate
to structure. (The only exception may be when the baitfish schools move
into open water over the deeper zones and the bass follow. We usually
note this condition by the presence of surface feeding activity). The
Summer school will be active and somewhat loose and dispersed, as all
are trying to feed on an early-continual basis. The structure being
used, therefore, must be fairly large in order to support the dispersion
of the entire group. This is a very key point in locating schools of hot
weather bass on a consistent basis. We can still find singles and small
groups on smaller structures and cover features. But, for lots of bass,
we normally need large structure. The angler must recognize that, if a
few bass are taken and the action stops, the remainder of the school may
be dispersed across or along the remainder of the structure.
The most ideal summer
structure is a creek or river channel drop, as it meets three primary
requirements. First, it is near deep water, always a major factor in
bass positioning. Second, it is a large feature that allows a school to
disperse along its course. And, finally, channels normally have some
degree of current flow, either natural or induced by the winds. Current
is important in hot weather bassin', in that it prevents stratification
by temperature and oxygen levels, lends some cooling effect, and adds
oxygen to the water. Other good locations are large submerged islands,
long underwater points, and roadbeds. Again, we would be searching for a
feature near deep water and with sufficient size to support a large,
widely dispersed school of actively feeding bass. Those readers who have
fished tidal waters or flowing rivers with some degree of regularity
readily recognize the benefits of current flow. The mixing of the
continually moving waters precludes temperature stratification to the
degree that there is little seasonal depth variance in the location of
bass.
On shallow,
weed-infested waters, some summer bass will relate to structure, if the
water happens to be deep enough. However, the dense aquatic growth may
indicate where the majority will be. (Florida biologists report that
fish sampling has shown about two-thirds of the bass will be in the
dense cover zones and the remaining one-third in open water. This can be
considered a normal condition, IF the aquatic growth is alive and
thriving. Dead vegetation actually uses up oxygen as a part of the decay
process.) The heavy cover, even in the shallows, is comfortable due to
the shade and the rich oxygen output of the plant life. A by-product of
the photosynthesis of oxygen is a cooling effect, which may well make
the shallow vegetation zones cooler than deeper, open water. When
searching for bass in these shallow waters, the two key ingredients are,
by priority: the densest cover and the deepest water available.
Recalling that the warm waters result in a high metabolic rate in the
bass and an increased requirement for food, we would suspect that the
competition for food would be high during the summer months.
Consequently, we would logically choose an active lure to attract the
active fish. This basically describes a diving, lipped crank plug pulled
with a fast retrieve. In fact, this type lure has proven to be the most
effective method for taking large quantities of largemouth bass during
the heat of mid-Summer. The only requirement is that the angler get in
down to the fish.
Selecting the lure with
the express purpose of operating it at a certain depth, as dictated by
the structure to be fished, is the most important criteria for the
angler's decision process. If the depth to be fished is beyond that at
which a crank plug can be accurately presented and controlled, a plastic
worm is acceptable, but should be fished rapidly and erratically.
Remember, during hot weather, a rapidly fished lure is always vastly
more productive than one presented slowly. Plus, we will be able to make
more casts during the day. Every cast is a potential ten-pounder!
So, just because the
weather is a bit uncomfortable, don't stay home under the air
conditioner and sulk. The bass are on their most active feed during the
hot summer period.
Go feed them.
Jim sez, "swim on by www.stickmarsh.com
You'll be glad you did!"
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