hello, newb here

[mallen]

Hi I'm new to this forum and new to fishing as well. I have a couple of questions about how bass behave in their environment. Thought i'd post a couple of them and learn from the pros

1. Do smallmouth and largemouth bass behave differently depending on the time of day, like, do they group towards the shore, or towards the deeper parts.

2. Do they move to a certain area when it's hot or colder?

3. and last, do they behave differently when it rains or during a windy day?

Ok, thats all the questions...for now. I hope they aren't stupid questions to ask, I guess I'm just eager to start fishing and would like to know what best to do, and how to do it.
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[Donald.Hudson]

Welcome to the site Mallen. You should drop by our Introductions Board to properly introduce yourself to the site. Here's the link http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/gforum.cgi?forum=295 .

And never be afraid to ask any questions on here, that's what we are here for.

First I'd like to tell you that I'm no smallmouth fisherman so I'll only be answering your questions from the largemouth standpoint.

1. Yes, largemouths move to different waters during different times of day. Morning they are still near the banks feeding after their aggressive nighttime feeding. You should fish near rocky banks and boat docks. Midday they have been pushed to deeper water. You'll want to fish underwater structure like brush, stumps, and deadfalls. At night they will be on the prowl. You'll want to fish near the rocky edges again and over submerged weedbeds and near grasslines.

2. I'm sure the temperature make make them change their patterns a little but largemouth bass really don't mind the hotter temps. As far as colder water I don't know. I hear of people catching them during winter here in TN on large spinners with golden blades. Our winters are relatively mild.

3. I don't have an answer for this although it never seemed to change my fishing. I've caught them in all types of weather. One time even when the weather was so bad there was a tornado down the road.

I used a field and stream magazine to make sure that I answered your first question as accurate as possible so I'm not going to take credit for that one. However most of my largemouth experience is just plain old practice. Get a rod and get out there on the water. I hope I've answered your questions and I'm sure some more people will give you some more insight such as what lures to use and stuff like that. Have fun and good luck. Don't forget to come back and post pictures of your catches.
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[gdn443]

Welcome to the board mallen. I'll see if I can help as well.

1. I have found smallies in shallow water during the day but they like rocks to hang out on. Some schools will go deep during the day, so you just have to find them.

2. Lgmouth will seek the warmer water no matter what time of year. Summer I'll look at weeds,docks, floats ect. They like shade so look for that during a bright day. In the winter here they go deep and almost shut down. I'll use a silver buddy late in the year to bounce off the bottom. Alot of times the smallies are with the lgmouth.

In the rain I've caught bass as some times it triggers a bite before and during the rain. All though trout seem more active at this time. I'll always try a wind blown shore as baitfish will look for planktom that moved to it, which brings in the big boys. As was said nothing beats getting out and learning yourself. And some days no matter what you try, you'll pull your hair out. WELCOME to bass fishing. []
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[mallen]

Hi Donald, gnd443, I greatly appreciate the tips. I'll be sure to keep these points in mind when I start fishing. thanks again and wish me luck!
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[FinsAndFeathers]

All of the answers to your questions are general answers. The only way to really know where the fish are in your waters is to learn the water. I have places I fish where you'd think the bass would be held up on a log or in some pads and they are smack in the middle of the lake on no structure at all.

1. Yes, they behave differently based on time of day. Generally they are more active during dawn and dusk. Again, this does not mean that fishing at noon is a lost cause. I've had plenty of days where I arrived at the lake at 5AM only to get my first bite at 11AM and catch steady until 1PM.

2. Yes, but it's not only the weather change. Any slight change in ANYTHING will move fish. And when I say anything...I mean anything. The best thing for you to do is start out at one body of water and record everything you do. Write it all down. The bait, the wind, the weather, the time, how you were working the bait, how the fish hit the bait, where he was hooked...Everything!

3. Yes, again, any slight change will move fish. No one can say that fishing is "better" in the rain or in the sun or in the wind. There are hundreds of different factors that play into it.


I had a day last week where I was in local pond that is covered in pads and moss. It's impossible to fish anything but weedless. I arrived at 4:30AM and started with a frog. By 5:30AM I was fishing 4 inch dingers.

I fished until 12PM without a touch. I went through every color dinger I had in my bag. When I ran out, I through on a 5 inch black Senko...nothing. 25 casts and I went to a 5" green Senko.

From 12:15PM until 2PM I caught 17 fish...all on the green 5 inch Senko. The only reason I stopped was because I only had one bag of 10 and I lost them all.

It's all about documenting everything you do. By doing that, you'll learn the water. By learning the water, you'll start to KILL (figuratively) the fish!