How hot is too hot for largemouth?

greenlander

greenlander

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As I've mentioned in another thread or two, I'm brand new to largemouth fishing.

That said, I'm wondering if it can get too hot for largemouth. I know that as the sun warms up the water bass will head for deeper water during the day, but can it get so hot during the day that bass will not come to the surface/shallows even in the morning and evening hours?

With 6-7 straight days of 95+ degree, sunny weather hitting SEPA starting today, I'm curious.
 
I wouldn't worry about it being "too hot" for largemouth. They can live in water above 90F. I think their ideal range is like mid 60s to mid 80s.

Time of day would be more important as they tend to feed more actively in morning and evening... Night fishing for bass during these heat waves can be awesome.

Personally, I've caught bass in brutal heat. In the late 80s we had a drought with temps in the 100s. I used to fish a local lake in a swimming suit to keep cool, and caught many bass in the evening when water temps were in the mid 80s. In fact, my biggest bass ever was a largemouth of 6 pounds caught in Lake Arthur that year.
 
I doubt there is ever a situation where Largemouth are "too hot" and especially in our northern latitudes... They too gotta eat to live eh...
 
Greenlander,
I agree with the previous posters who suggest it's never really too hot. Bass movements fluctuate in different lakes and ponds but most of the time you will see some activity in the shallows along most lakes but it's usually done by about 8am during the heat of summer. In larger bodies of water bass will suspend in main lake channels in summer either over the thermocline or while shadowing schools of pelagic forage like shad. When this happens I don't think these fish will move into the shallows in pre-dawn. Summer bassin in lakes is a tough game with a fly rod but certainly not impossible. Your best bet would be to befriend some bass regulars who fish your lakes and find out what they're catchin and how. Then you can figure out how best to FF in a manner that is similar to the conventional lures they're using.
 
Find cover -- lily pads, standing wood, weed beds, etc. -- close to deeper water. Bass will move into these areas at night and hunt into the early morning. Wade close to the pads. Use a stout 8 or 9 weight rod with a short knotless leader, no longer than 7 feet, 1x, ten pound "tippet." Drop a popper into openings in the pads/weeds. Twitch and tease it. It's fun as he!! to see wakes move to the popper and explode on it... sometimes it's more like a toilet flush and the popper disappears. You'll want to horse the fish out as quickly as possible. They can quickly tangle you in the pads/cover... then you're screwed. Especially if you're wading. This is really cool fishing... a blast!
 
Summer bassin in lakes is a tough game with a fly rod but certainly not impossible.

Now this I didn't expect to read. ;)

Perhaps I've somehow completely come under the wrong impression, but everything I've read around the web has led me to believe that largemouth were one of the easier targets out there on the fly.

Did I just totally fabricate this impression in my head? :)
 
LMB can be caught in warm water conditions. I had a bass boat and had it out nearly every weekend throughout the summer. At one time I fished with spin & bait casting tackle, but when my trout fishing converted to FFing exclusively, my bass fishing technique followed.

The lake you choose for LMs can have a lot to do with your success FFing. For FFing, I always preferred to fish lakes with lots of cover rather than lakes with only deep structure. Think logs, stumps, lily pads, heavy weed beds, etc. In the sun I work the shady side of the lake. I spend my time casting to every nook and cranny in and around the cover along the shore or islands. The primo spots usually have cover in or adjacent to deeper water.

Use big poppers, sliders, Dahlberg Divers, really any fly with a mono weed guard that you can work through the cover. Morning and evening are usually the best time, but you can pull bass out of the cover anytime of day. A certain % of fish are in the cover, while other remain in deep water on structure. You can fish for the deeper fish with a sinking or sink tip line, but I never found that to be much fun. And any fish below 10' is really tough to present to with a fly line.

Keep on casting, they're out there....
 
Sounds like I'm doing mostly the right things. I just wonder if this sharing of a boat w/ a spin fisherman is going to be problematic.

As I mentioned in another thread, he expects to continuously troll the shoreline (or wherever) and hit spots as you travel. As he says, this is "how you do it" ... which I don't really believe.

This prevents me from working spots for more than a few seconds.

I think he's costing himself, and myself, chances at fish.

But then again, what do I know ... :)
 
I worked my trolling motor very slowly along the shoreline (and cover) and hit each good looking spot with my fly. When fishing this way I actually had the ADVANTAGE over my spin buddy because I would cast, work the spot and and be able to pick up and recast without retrieving my line. The spin guy has to cast into the cover and reel back in, most times through the cover, and cast again.

Just remember, having a boat does not make you an instant "Bassmaster". ;-) You will have good and bad days fishing. Keep pounding the cover and they will come.
 
i don't think the temps have as much of an effect on bass as does the position of the sun. remember, bass don't have eyelids.
fish early, fish late, fish cover, fish shade.

as for the trolling strategy.. i can't imagine constant trolling will help your chances. but hey, if it's his boat, you can make due. as Afishianado said, you can use it to your advantage and cover the water quickly.
 
I usually just cast once, maybe twice to each likely spot. Your friend's doing it right.

Cover lots of water. If they don't hit it on the first pass, odds are you're not going to get them to hit.
 
This link was posted somewhere else on the board. I found it to be of great value in my pursuit of bass fishing. While all of it may not apply to fly fishing, there is plenty of good information...
 
As I mentioned in another thread, he expects to continuously troll the shoreline (or wherever) and hit spots as you travel. As he says, this is "how you do it" ... which I don't really believe.

This prevents me from working spots for more than a few seconds.

I think he's costing himself, and myself, chances at fish.

Completely and totally depends upon situation. "Run and Gun" is definitely a feasible approach and is often the "right" approach and yes I think attempting to fly fish in these conditions will be problematic. Just as if I was in front tossing spinnerbaits to tight cover with my 7:1:1 baitcast reel and he was trying to keep up with a tube jigs on spinning reel. Given lower water, clearer water, high temp, low dissolved oxygen, weed/aquatic growth I think he should be slowing down and methodically hitting prime spots. Even in evening or early morning low light, lower temp conditions I cannot imagine where burning rattle-traps, spinnerbaits, etc in a run and gun approach is going to work in these NE waters. Not for LMB anyway. You really have to slow it down and put it in their face in these conditions.

What time of day are you fishing, what bodies of water are you fishing and what is your buddy throwing and is he having any success?
 
The original range for Largemouth Bass was down South. I'm sure this weather won't hurt them. I would be more concerned with the lack of rain affecting their habitat.
 
The original range for Largemouth Bass was down South. I'm sure this weather won't hurt them. I would be more concerned with the lack of rain affecting their habitat.

Two strains on bass. Florida and Northern. Florida strain are tougher to catch, get bigger due to their growing season and tolerate warmer temps. Northern bass are less tolerant of higher temps, are easier to catch and have a limited growing season thus are smaller on average. Having said that, Northern strain bass can tolerate these water temps fine, however if the lake/pond you are in stratifies in the Summer they are gonna stay deep.
 
jdaddy wrote:
What time of day are you fishing, what bodies of water are you fishing and what is your buddy throwing and is he having any success?

So far we've only fished Newton Creek in South Jersey, a block from my buddy's house, as we're going through a huge pain in the a** trying to get this boat and trailer registered (we'll end up doing boat in PA and trailer in NJ).

Fished evening both times.

I'm almost completely ignorant about spinning lures, so I can't say what he's throwing with any confidence. Large things on wire contraptions that make a lot of noise and are retrieved quickly, worms, and a variety of other things that I don't know anything about.

As for success, no. The only bass landed in 2 trips was a < 6 oz bass on my fly rod.

He did land a bluegill that jumped out of the water and landed in his lap as we were motoring back to the boat launch last time we were out. :)
 
tomgamber wrote:
I might find some new water...seriously.

Top of my list as soon as the trailer is registered. :)
 
The Florida Bass is "native" to Florida only. The Range for Northern Largemouth starts in Northern Florida. To a fish born and raised in PA the hot temps we are having may be noticable but as a species they physically have been dealing with these conditions for a long time.
 
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