What trumps what?

Hookset5 · Post by **Hookset5** » Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:06 pm

Hey fellas, embarking on the chase for largemouth bass is an exciting drive, like putting together a puzzle as a kid or likewise, an old person.. only each body of water is different. There are fundamentals that are generic and usually consistent wherever you fish though. Id like to list a couple that I have questions about and maybe, just maybe I can get a better understanding of this sport we all love.
Preface: My buddy and I went out the other day like a couple of fools in a downpour and fished an area he said just three days ago produced 20 fish. Except we couldn't get a bite today. He said the water was cooler this day than last but I noticed the water clarity was horrible, too. Caused by the incoming creek water or rain, or both. We threw a jewelry box of bait at them and nothing would bite. We moved to clearer, deeper water that was 3 degrees warmer and caught fish. I like to isolate the reason so I'm a little "on the fence" as to what drove these fish to move.

If new, rising, colder, muddy water, within a cold front pushes bass back from a pre-spawn pattern to a winter pattern, which of these is the most dominant force for them to move? What trumps what?

Its only the stupid questions people are afraid to ask that separates the smart people from the dummies.

Larry Hemphill · Post by **Larry Hemphill** » Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:25 pm

I could write an essay on this subject. Just remembered - I did once! I only have time for this: sudden, cold, muddy water is the kiss of death for a bass bite. They do not do well with muddy water going thru their gill plates. They will move to cleaner water if they can find it. If they can't, they will try to find bushy areas to hang in as brush, weeds, etc, which tend to filter out some of the mud. As the incoming creeks clear a few days after the storm, you will often see a mud line moving out to deeper water with the current. The bass will be in that mud line for cover (in open water sometimes) as they move to deeper, cleaner water, in search of food.

ash · Post by **ash** » Mon Mar 19, 2018 12:56 pm

Lunker Larry said it best, cold muddy water is no bueno. Even up at Berryessa this weekend where we were fishing the water color didnt change much but the cold front pulled those fish back to the depths. If it is cold muddy water you find that cleaner zone and you may find the mother load stacked up, cause they arent going very far that desire to and pull to spawn is strong with them.

Hookset5 · Post by **Hookset5** » Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:26 pm

I suppose all of those factors coincide with each other all the time except for the colder water? Can you have a cold front with muddy, rising water from a creek channel that doesn't change the water temp enough to pull the bass out? Or is it always a crap shoot where they've gone?

ash · Post by **ash** » Mon Mar 19, 2018 5:27 pm

IMHO in the spring on lakes they’ll pull back or go to clean water. Most of the time this time of year they run shallow to eat and given water temp and light will roam shallows

Larry Hemphill · Post by **Larry Hemphill** » Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:20 pm

Most low elevation lakes have water temps that are nearly the same for incoming creeks and streams - depending on their location. The deciding factor is the source of the incoming water. Lake Oroville is the perfect example. Most know that the south fork warms up quicker in the spring because incoming water is rain water. The north and middle forks will often have the same rain water but also will have incoming snow water during cold winters. The north fork water comes straight from Lake Almanor which is at 4500 feet. Therefore, the traditional approach to Oroville is fishing the south fork early in spring and following that with the middle fork, followed lastly by the north fork. The west branch will usually turn on before the main north fork as it rarely has snow melt. Hope this helps.

monte300 · Post by **monte300** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:55 am

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination but IMO the only thing worse than cold, muddy water is cold, muddy water that has suddenly dropped a foot or two

Rich hamilton · Post by **Rich hamilton** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 12:34 pm

Not to hijack the thread but speaking of Berryessa there will be a 26 degree difference in the daily high temperature from 3/24 to 3/31! Talk about changing conditions

RR