Daytime bass fishing question

[MichaelAngelo]

This is a very basic, but very important question.

In Algonquin this weekend my friend and I noticed a pattern. During the evenings, there was explosive smallmouth action near shoreline woodfalls and rocks. However, those same spots during the day were dead as a dodo .

All the fish we caught were 1) in the evenings; 2) on glass-still water (no wind and no chop); and 3) in 4-5 feet of water near rocky and woody shores.

Looking back, I think that we should have gone deeper during the day... maybe say 20-30 feet of water. Trying to hit underwater structures.

Any tips for daytime bass fishing? Next time, what can we do to get into the bass during the day?

[OldTimer]

Four questions, before I answer:

Did you fish EARLY?
What lures did you use?
Was the lake water clear or stained?
What size fish did you catch?

OT

[bettercallsaul]

I caught a 4 lb smallmouth at 12 am after a heavy rainfall beside rocks a couple weeks ago at Restoule, as well as some smaller fish. In terms of afternoon fishing, I remember catching smallmouth at Halfway Lake at around 2 pm using nothing but worms and bobbers. The water must've been deep but we only had it set to about 5 feet and the action was continuous.

[MichaelAngelo]

(07-23-2012 06:41 PM)OldTimer Wrote:  Four questions, before I answer:

Did you fish EARLY?
What lures did you use?
Was the lake water clear or stained?
What size fish did you catch?

OT

I will post the report soon.

We did not fish for bass early, only in the afternoon and evenings.

I was throwing a 3/8 oz white spinnerbait and 3/8 white/red buzzbait and my friend was throwing a plastic worm and a tiny black spinnerbait (not sure why he was throwing black... lol).

Tan stained water.

Size of fish, most hits were from around 2lbders. Nice fish! However, we only caught about 6 or 7, and only 3 of those were above 2 lbs. This is in 3 or 4 hours of total bass fishing on the trip.

I am certain we could have done much better with more planning and know-how.

edit: we were throwing spinnerbaits in the evenings. During the day I was dropshotting a white grub.

[--G--]

It's an interesting post.

My last 2 trips out fishing have been skunked, and I have mostly been looking for urban bass...so any tips would be great.

[OldTimer]

(07-23-2012 03:35 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  This is a very basic, but very important question.

In Algonquin this weekend my friend and I noticed a pattern. During the evenings, there was explosive smallmouth action near shoreline woodfalls and rocks. However, those same spots during the day were dead as a dodo .

All the fish we caught were 1) in the evenings; 2) on glass-still water (no wind and no chop); and 3) in 4-5 feet of water near rocky and woody shores.

Looking back, I think that we should have gone deeper during the day... maybe say 20-30 feet of water. Trying to hit underwater structures.

Any tips for daytime bass fishing? Next time, what can we do to get into the bass during the day?

The darker stained waters of many Algonquin Park lakes warm more quickly than the clearer waters most of us fish in southern Ontario.

Just as you and I prefer air conditioned environments in summer heat – lake populations of smallmouth bass prefer and feel more comfortable in the cool waters that the mid depths will offer during the middle of the day. These depths also offer more security (away from predators & boat traffic) and lower light levels. In addition – in Algonquin, most of their possible prey will be VERY deep (smelt) or shallow (rough minnows, bass fingerlings, and crayfish), or surface (flies, & other terrestrials).

The lake bass will - on a calm day, with sun – be in the shallower water WHERE FOOD IS PRESENT - in the evenings, night, and morning – but retreat to the mid depths in the heart of the day.

I am sure that early morning would have produced fish as well, or better and definitely larger in size, than you experienced in the evenings. These are the two best times.

On a windier day, with a chop on top, the larger lake bass may come a bit shallower during the day.

I also presuppose that the sonar fish markings (you did mention seeing - in another post) at the approx. 40’ level were bass. The 90’ markings being most likely lake trout, specs, whitefish, or ling.

So to steal my words from another post I repeat the following for smallmouth bass locations in this general area of Ontario:

Mud or clay bottoms = no fish.

Solid rock = no fish.

Sheer drop offs = no fish.

Large flats of any depth with no breaks or structure = VERY few fish.

Sand bar outer drop off edges, rocky points, sand/rock combo shoals, pronounced humps, and areas having significant underwater structure (boulders, logs) near deep water = fish.**

So to sum up – yes, next time you must fish MID DAY in this lake in this heat – I’d suggest going much deeper on structure and contour breaks (25 feet – 40 feet). Drop shotting or SLOW bottom bounced jigs.

Oh …….. by the way…….. I prefer black twister tail jigs to white too……in Muskoka and Algonquin.

Cheers,

OldTimer