A Look Into Bass Behavioural Changes to Wind and Temperatures
This is a continuation from where I left off from a previous blog entry in October talking about wind dramatically changing water temperatures which seems to be shut Bass down.
I have monitored it more lately and noticed in the early afternoon when the wind is around 7-8 knots and it's a East-North Easterly there are parts of my local hole that are blocked by the wind and the waters surface temperature is around 22-23 degrees and the Bass are firing the surface. But as we drift upstream it begins to be exposed around a bend to wind and the surface temperature seems to dramatically drop 3-5 degrees, now at this time I am still sounding up strong structure on the Lowrance unit, both on Side scan and broadband and fish are present, but the Bass have shut down.
The Barometer pressure is still around 1021 hPa and rising, but yet the Bass shut down. Now I have also noted that as my drift continues through this bend and begins to takes a direction change that now puts me directly out of the wind, the surface temperature of the water starts to rise back into the 20's the Bass begin to strike surface lures again.
Now in this time I have not had a lure change, and to make things a little more confusing the wind has actually picked up to around 10 knots by the late afternoon and changes direction to a southerly which then puts me directly into the wind and to my knowledge again..... The bass shut down once
again.
Now I have also noted that When the midday sun has shone on parts of the water for most of the day and has heated the water to around 24 degrees and now has no sun exposure on this particular part of the waters pocket and the shadows have set in. The Bass will strike surface lures, Then once the wind picks up from 5 knots to 10 knots, but still hasn't changed direction.... The Bass stop feeding in that corner. I then motored over to scan the water's temperature and same familiar notes I had recognized from previous summaries matched, the water had dramatically decreased to 19-20 degrees.
Now I'm a strong believer in the fact that the low Barometer tends to seize the bite with Bass due to the low pressure knocking around there swim bladder causing them to be lethargic and stop feeding.
You know that feeling when its raining outside and the change of air pressure has you moving slower as you get to work, whilst fighting fatigue? Well humans are not alone, Certain fish feel this lethargic feeling and a change in equilibrium. But I'm not so sure about the rapid decent of water temps that stop the Bass in their tracks!
I h ave gone more into detail in past articles a few years back for LureandFly.com when I wrote an article on freshwater winter fishing. Link provided below.
Freshwater Essentials In The Off-Season
