Time of year question 2024
fish-fighting-illini reply :
Is their a consistent air temp that you stop bass fishing for the year?
At 45-50 or less deg's air temp my area becomes dead for about anything except som Crappie
At least with my limited fishing skills it does.
Maybe tell what state you fish most and if their is a temp or time of year when you call it quits
fourbizz reply :
The colder it gets around my neck of the woods, the better. Throw in a big storm and I'm a happy camper...errr...fisherman.
Gatorbassman reply :
I have broken ice off the ramp to get the boat in and had a thirty fish day before. So the answer is no. Fish are cold blooded and as long as the water isn't in it's solid state they can and will bite.
Randall reply :
As long as the water is above 45 degrees I am good but even if it falls below that I will still fish. Winter is big fish time. I am in Ga.
bow3022 reply :
I'm in jersey and the fish are still biting. Its about 50-60(if im lucky) air temp. But man oh man the water is freezing(i like to walk in about knee deep, so i can get to some casting spots), but me and my cousin atleast 10 each this week. THe most i had was 15 and the most my cousin had as 16. We had a total of about 29 today. So I'll stop fishing when the water gets to cold for me to take a walk in:) lol.
senile1 reply :
Cold means different things to different people. If you're in southern California or Florida cold might be 50 degree water. I live in Northwest Missouri and the water temps get down in the 30s and there is ice in the winter. We have quite a few days in the 0 - 20 degree range for air temperatures and occasionally will have sub-zero weather. I think the coldest it ever gets is -25 or so and that is rare. When the air temperatures are like that the water is ridiculously cold and there is a lot of ice. Further north, it gets much worse. On days like these bass tend to not bite as much, obviously. However, there are days when you'll hook 'em good, though the slow days are much more common in the cold. Bass still need to eat but their metabolism has slowed so much, they eat quite a bit less.
guest reply :
I live for winter.
Catt reply :
1) Is their a consistent air temp that you stop bass fishing for the year?
That would be uhhhh no!
2) Maybe tell what state you fish most and if there is a temp or time of year when you call it quits.
Southwest Louisiana & Southeast Texas
I've fished both extremes in winter 28 degrees/sleeting & summer 92 degrees/98 percent humidity at 2 o'clock am.
Two weather conditions can stop me, wind above 25 mph, & lighting
Anything else is game on
fish-fighting-illini reply :
I guess I just need to keep working at my winter skills as I flat out stink below 45. I'll give it a shot with all the slow stuff again and see what happens.
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
When that water temp gets below 33,...I'm done. Air temp is irrellevant. 
Cigarlover 1 reply :
As long as the water's not frozen I'll go out. Actually I plan on doing some ice fishing this winter so I take that back. I'll fish anytime. Fish have to eat year round. ;D
fish-fighting-illini reply :
Actualy I want to fish in all temps I just can't seem to get fish no matter how hard I try.
I've been bitten by the fishing bug bad bud not bad enough for the ice fishing though lol.
I'd love the peace andd tranquility but not the slab of cold under my but! Plus the falling in potential is not my thing yet.
Breaking ice off of the ramp?
My little 7.5 acre lake does have a big pump and so a small amount of water is always open. I fish it from the bank standing in snow and ice but never catch anything not even a bite.
I will win the battle somehow! I am determined to beat the fish!
earthworm77 reply :
I caught 15 bass on Christmans Eve last year in about 1 1/2hrs on a swimbait, that are temp was 29 degrees. So as long as the water temps are ideal, they will eat. I'd guess mine were low 50's, upper 40's
senile1 reply :
QuoteWhen that water temp gets below 33,...I'm done. Air temp is irrellevant.
Yep, get ready to chop holes or call it a day.
Peter E. reply :
Big Ahmen to Avid here in the South we live for winter, it offers the biggest fish and ice is never an issue. So I really am out of the running as far this talk goes, it isn't an issue here.
RoLo reply :
It's not Winter per se that matters, it's all about water temperature and the direction in which the water temperature is moving.
Here in Florida, the water temperatures in winter are warmer than the water temperatures in New Jersey during the fall.
If the question is: "Are bass catchable in cold water?", the answer is Yes,.
If the question is: "Does cold water reduce the activity of bass?", the answer is resoundingly Yes,
and below 44 deg the catchability of bass drops off DRAMATICALLY.
Prove it to yourself, during the ice-fishing season take a walk on the ice and visit every tip-up on the lake
and you may see one or two bass, maybe none, but you'll see hundreds of pike, pickerel, walleyes and yellow perch.
Like all things in nature, nothing is cut-and-dried and Mother Nature throws a monkey-wrench at bass fishermen during the winter.
Even during cold water temperatures, when the trend of water temperatures are "rising",
the activity level of bass will likewise be "rising". On the other hand, when the water temperature is below 44 degrees F.
and the trend is down, you can have my spot in the boat (unless we're pike fishing) 
Roger
FatBoy reply :
fish-fighting-illini, I'm with you. I haven't had a bite in probably two weeks. But so many people on this forum keep saying that you CAN catch fish in the cold water that I just keep trying. I'm pretty sure my lack of success is more about my lack of skill than the fish. I'm trying to slow down, but finesse is definitely my weakness.
BTW, where are you in central Illinois? I'm in C-U.
fish-fighting-illini reply :
Same with me FB on ths slow skills. I guess I'm more of a power fisherman than finesse. I use spinnerbaits and swimbaits the most. Guess I have to keep busy that slow stuff bores me. I bet I can count on one hand the times that I fished with a pl worm or jig this year. Could off all my fingers and still count the number of fish I caught on them! LOL
I'm in Washington IL between Peoria and Bloomington. I fish a small lake in Morton that I pay to belong. I fish in Eureka a fair amount and I joined Lake Evergreen near Bloomington. What lakes do you fish?
FatBoy reply :
Looks like Washington is about 1.5 h from C-U. I fish mostly small ponds around town. But I also fish Homer Lake (not great), River Bend and occassionally get over to Clinton. I've never been over to Evergreen. How's the fishing there? There report on ifishillinois.org looks pretty good. 6% of LMB over 20" is not too shabby.
edbassmaster reply :
In northeast PA I fish all year round if possible. I slow my presentation down and sometimes have to downsize because with the cold water the bass are less active, but they still need to eat, they are not bears. Just fish s...l...o...w...
kbkindle reply :
kb here when water temp gets to 45 deg i call it quits if i didnt i would not have enough time to make crankbaits kb
llPa1nll reply :
Well up here in NH it has been cold. Nov 5th I had to break thru .5in of Ice at the ramp. The water temp inside that marina was 32°F, the water temp on the main lake was a blistering 40°F that ended up warming to 43°F by the middle of the day. This is a 200+ acre lake, needless to say my slowing down and downsizing wasnt enough to get bit. I did not get out this past week but plan to go out this coming weekend. I fear I can see myself winterizing my boat sooner rather than later. The latest I have been out fishing is Dec 20th on a slow moving river, water temp was 39°F and it was sleeting outside. We did catch fish all of 3 but did leave early because the fishing decks quickly froze and became quite slippery.
So I ask what particular baits and techniques do you use to catch fish in the 30-40°F water temp range. I can successfully catch them down to 45°F, but I have trouble going lower than that. in terms of consistancy.
fish-fighting-illini reply :
FB sorry for the delay. As far as 6% of LG Bass in lake Evergreen being over 20" is news to me. I haven't had a lot of success at lake Evergreen. I've caught more fish from the bank at smaller lakes than from this lake. It could be that this lake is still new to me and it might take a while to become familiar with it. The biggest fish we've caught from it is 2.5lb (maybe 14") LGM's and as far as Bass only a few per outing. It does have a decent population of Crappie and I've caught a few nice ones but not a large qty. The lake also has some decent Muskie, Walleye, Suger & some White Bass.
The lake has a $40 annual boating fee so the jury is still out as to whether it is worth it but it is the closest lake that I can use a gas motor on (40hp limit?). The $40 might be worth it just for the scenery as between the timber in the water and all the wildlife it is a neat place.
fish-fighting-illini reply :
InPa1nl
Someone else will have to answer this because I've got the same problem as you. One problem I've had is I didn't have a boat or a fishfinder/temp until this year so I caould only use air temp as a rough guide. All I know is the more below 50deg it is the more I'm screwed for catching fish.
I orig started the post wondering if people just became frustrated in the cold like I do and at below some magic temp for their area they call it quits for the year. If we want to combo that with what do people switch to or change in colder temps I'm courious too.
dizzy5868 reply :
Ok here in NE PA We fish year round. Once the lakes ice over we fish the susquehanna river. Everyone is saying to slow down in cold water temps. That is not always true, For smallies on the river we fish fast moving jerkbaits in January in 50' of water. The key is to find the active fish. Largmouth are tougher to pattern but smallies are fairly easy, especially in rivers. The first thing you need to do is find out what the forage is at the time you are out. Water temps below 43 deg usually mean that the craws and insects have all but disapeered. So you will need to imitate baitfish. A tube jig is probably the best all around bait for this time of year. It will mimic both craw and baitfish. I have had 40 fish days in Jan and Feb doing this. Most of the fish are eager to bite and are the bigger fish of the year. You have to remember one thing, In warmer water conditions, the smaller fish have the advantage. they are faster and more aggressive, hence they usually get to the bait first. It's almost a contest for the food.There are always more smaller fish than big ones. In colder water temps the oppisite is true. the smaller fish are not as active and the bigger fish need to feed more and will chase a bait. There is nothing like a 4 lb smallie coming out of 30' of water to hit a jerk bait. On lakes, find the schooled up baitfish and you will find the bass. They will follow the food all over the lake. Verticly jigging silver or gold kastmaster spoons for these fish is the ticket. It may take a little while to get them to bite, but once they do it turns on the school and starts a feeding frenzy. When I do this, I will 4-5 rods rigged up the same way ready to cast. I have had fish on all rods at the same time. Hook one and get him to the boat and drop another spoon. This will last as long as 30 minutes befor the school gets spooked. Many tournaments are won this way. This also works well is the summer.
Good Luck
Rob Rosencrans
Suskie Bassmasters
llPa1nll reply :
Well this is what I was trying on the 5th. I started out with a 1/2 oz RattlTrap looking for some active feeders. I had some bites the week prior when the water was 46°F. I also tried popping and deadsticking a straightailed worm, Deadsticking a senko, 1/8 oz hair jig, 1/2 jig and pig. Also tried popping a 1/2 oz and 3/4 oz silver buddy off the bottom. Well to this it was no avail I didnt get any bites. I am hoping better luck next week, anymore suggestions are welcome.
fish-fighting-illini reply :
I gave it another shot tonight. Air temps in lower 30's. Had been a decent day earlier maybe upper 40's.
I tried 2 sizes of swimbaits, a small Crappie spinner and a suspending Rogue worked slow. No go no bites. I fished from about 7:30pm until 9pm. Verry hard to see they had shut off the lights around the lake too.
I was trying for bass but the lake also has a few Walleye that also have bitten the swimbaits.
Not sure what the water temps were as I was fishing from the bank.
Oh well I will keep experimenting.
Daniel My Brother reply :
Hey Illini,
I've never had much luck night fishing in cold water. When it gets to be this time of year we get the most bites at mid day when things warm up a bit. A little sunshine, even on a really cold day, and you can find good fish in shallow water.
And don't forget about those power plant lakes. Great warm water fishing year round.
Dan
SE Missouri & So. Illinois
jdw174 reply :
There's a lot to be said for winter fishing. There's a distinct lack of water skiers/jetboats/ pleasure boaters around. If your lake has a winter drawdown, it's a great time to get out and just idle around while marking drops/stumps/rockpiles/sandbars/brushpiles that will not show when water levels are up.
Sure it's cold out there, so dress for the occasion. Take a big thermos full of coffee/hot chocolate and some snacks. Also, think S-L-O-W. You're most likely not going to get a whole lot of bites so don't get discouraged. Pros know that they might only get a handful of bites all day but keep working at it. 8-)
dink reply :
I guess it's still Fall at Washington Co. lake. :-? I got out yesterday to 46 degree water on the surface. Located big schools of shad 7 - 12 feet down and marked a few fish as well. An hour and eight different baits later, I admitted defeat. Relocated to the back of a cove where I saw a couple of dimples on the water (baitfish). I ended up with 5 keepers on spinnerbait and jig. The spinnerbait had to be slow rolled SO slow it was going backwards . The jig had to be out away from the visible cover and crawled slowly. All fish between 2.5 and 4 lbs. I am only 2 -3 hours south of you, so stay at it.... they gotta eat sometime.
fish-fighting-illini reply :
Man dink rub it in! LOL I suspect my fishing skills just are not where I want them to be yet. Oh well it gives me a reason to keep practicing. I'll probably scale back the colder it gets but I'll keep at it.
Daniel my B I knew the night thing was pushing it but it is a lake just as few minutes away and I had the itch so... I scratched it.
I need to learn more about Crappie fishing I'm not picky this time of year I'll take about anything.
The closest power plant lake (Powerton) closes for the winter. I might get ambitious and run down to Clinton lake on a nice day. Then again I'm not sure about how safe it is to check out new lakes in the cold weather.
senile1 reply :
Quotefish-fighting-illini, I'm with you. I haven't had a bite in probably two weeks. But so many people on this forum keep saying that you CAN catch fish in the cold water that I just keep trying. I'm pretty sure my lack of success is more about my lack of skill than the fish. I'm trying to slow down, but finesse is definitely my weakness.BTW, where are you in central Illinois? I'm in C-U.
FB, I used to fish a lot in the winter but over the last few years I've only been out a few times in the coldest months. I'm getting back to it this year. The number one prerequisite to fishing when it's really cold is to make sure you are dressed for the occasion. If you're cold and your hands are getting numb, it's not likely that you'll be making a great finesse presentation. It's really difficult to fish a lure extremely slow when you are freezing your buns off. Without excellent protection from the cold, it is nearly impossible to sit for a long length of time, when the bites are few and far between.
BD reply :
I fish until I can't feel my face.
fish-fighting-illini reply :
Well I broke the jinx. Went today and bite was slow but caught a 2lb bass and one respectable crappie. At least the winter jinx is off, now with added confidence who knows what can happen. It did get to 53 deg air temp so that is cheating a little but much better than I've done on mid winter warm days before so I'll take it.
Floridabassking352 reply :
I never stop bass fishing. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, the way I see it, there's always a chance at catching some fish, even when conditions are tough. I fish in Florida by the way though. The temp rarely gets cold enough for me to stay indoors.
mudcatwilly reply :
In Northern California, it can get darn cold in the winter, but water temps stay around 50 degrees. It gets tougher in the winter, but we can fish all year. You just have to slow down when it's cold.
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