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Bass Are Moving To The Shoreline Shallows At Night

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2008

Today marks the first day of standard time - clocks are set back one hour - which means the sunrise occurs at 6:38 a.m. and sets at 5:45 p.m.

Anglers should be well-rested because of the extra-hour "feel" they'll have, so getting out on the lake before sunrise should be easier than ever.

The next three days the moon won't affect fish much since it's just started to work its way back from being at the point of apogee (furthest point from earth).

However, this time of year bass are starting to move into shoreline shallows more often at night, so if you're out there early enough, chances are fair that you might locate a post-feeding fish as it prepares to leave the area to its secondary holding area to suspend and digest food.

Other than that natural post-nighttime-feeding migration (which happens every night no matter what moon phase is happening) there really isn't a morning bite migration occurring.

In fact, I don't recommend getting your hopes up for a good morning fishing venture. So if you haven't had success by 9 a.m., I would say you missed out and need a lot of luck in order to locate a rogue bass who won't tolerate the intrusion of your bait in its area, even while suspended and not feeding.

There is a later-afternoon bite happening from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

It will be quick to end when it finally starts, so you better be in the right place at the right time or you'll miss out on the best time of day to catch a fish, which rates "poor" at best to begin with.

If you're fishing pan fish instead of bass, the reports I've been getting indicate they moved into more shallow depths since the water temperatures dropped 12 degrees from the last cold front. If the winds are moderate enough, your chances should be good at boating half of what you are used to over the recent weeks.

Water temperatures have dropped into the lower 60s in most lakes. By mid afternoon, 65 degrees or slightly higher is possible, and this works well with the late afternoon bite.

Fishing Facts

During the waxing of the first-quarter moon (which is also at point of apogee) the moon has virtually no affect at all on aquatic life.

The angler's only good news comes in the form of weather pattern changes, such as slight barometric changes. Of course, a drop in pressure is better than a rise and more light - less cloud cover - is also better for causing fish to feed during this part of the moon cycle.

Fishing Formula

This is the one time of month when I do abandon my bright visible braided line and use a monofilament or fluorocarbon line in order to not spook the suspended non-feeding fish.

The idea is to swim the bait at the same level as the suspended fish at a very slow speed so that the disrupted fish has an easy time inhaling the intruder. Just think of yourself when you have eaten way too much food, but then out of the kitchen comes your favorite dessert. At first you say you'll have it later, but that quickly ends when it is placed within a few feet of you and you actually smell it.

You might want to also break out those smaller baits and lighter weights to match a lighter line. A slow-moving pumpkin pie is sure to not last long near most fish - I mean anglers. (This is the type of influence a baking pie has on me when I'm trying to type my article).

Fishing Fiction

"Some Bass don't migrate, instead they dominate an area."

This is one of those sayings/ideas that needs terminology clarification in order to get to the biological facts - well really all fishing methodology needs a standardized language or terminology.

The term "migration" is usually thought of by most anglers in the extreme sense of fish location travel from one season to another - such as the summer to spawning migration.

Since all bass spawn, all bass experience this migration.

This term, however, also applies to a 24-hour migration such as a lunar-influenced migration. Now, in different lakes - such as a shallow and a very deed one - the migration distance differs greatly in most cases. In the case of the larger dominant bass who do patrol a selected area, there's still a daily route of travel that they always take from a deeper area to a shallow area and back.

In some cases this deeper - shallow migration might actually stay within the same patch of hydrilla or pencil reeds, or even go to both types of vegetation is they are close enough.

Fact is "migration" is a term which applies to any routine movement by a fish within an area or areas on a regular basis, seasonal, daily, lunar, weather, or fishing pressure, individually or all at the same time, which every happens to be the case.

Fishing Feature

Lake Istokpoga pan fishermen have reported that to find crappie, they needed to find water which was clean - or clearer than the turbid windy areas - and with a surface temperature of 64-66 degrees, and in a depth of 5-6 feet where vegetation was at the lake bottom.

They said this was a change from what was taking place prior to the cold front that came through the area last week when they were catching good stringers in the deepest areas north of Big Island and on the east side of the lake.

"Those fish were not grouped together and had moved up hill into areas closer to shore, in depths of five to six feet," said Mike Bennis. "As the water temperatures return to the usual seasonal range of upper 60s to lower 70s, those fish will move back to their usual deeper areas further from shore."

Fishing Flash

Just a reminder that soon Highlands County, in cooperation with Fish & Game, will be researching this winter's first major hydrilla treatment for Lake Istokpoga some time this month.

For those of you who wish to be informed and a part of this process, you should contact Highland County lake manager Clell Ford's office at 863-402-6545. Both Clell and his assistant manager Erin McCarta do an excellent job and serve our county with a passion second to none. They welcome your participation and interest in our lakes. Also visit online at www.highlandsswcd.org.

Fishing Tournaments

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next event is Nov. 5 on Lake Placid. Time: 7:30 a.m. to noon. Pay at ramp - entry fee $30 per boat. One person may fish alone if you do not have a partner. For information, contact Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 Home, Cell 863-446-1310 bassbutchie60@aol.com or Dwight Ameling at 863-471-3305.

FAST FACTS

•During the waxing of the first-quarter moon the moon has virtually no affect at all on aquatic life.

•The angler's only good news comes in the form of weather pattern changes, such as slight barometric changes.

•A drop in pressure is better than a rise and more light - less cloud cover - is also better for causing fish to feed during this part of the moon cycle.

Dave Douglass is a bass-fishing guide and bass tournament angler and CEO of S.O.S.-Florida Lakes, Inc. He can be reached at 863-381-8474, or e-mail him at davedouglass@sos-floridalakes.org.

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