Cruel Summer

nofearengineer · 08-23-09, 11:06 PM

Anybody else having a rough summer? Man, I haven't caught a single bass in the last 30 hours on the water (last three weekends). I guess I shouldn't complain...I had a decent June and July, if not in numbers, but size. However, the fishing has been absolutely ridiculous this month.

I think I really need to work on my open water bassing skills. It just seems like every time I want to try jigging some deep structure, the wind is blowing 15 mph, or I've got the Queen Mary running by me every 90 seconds, and I can't keep the boat still. Heck...I was trying to fish a submerged hump today and a guy in a 30' cabin cruiser came by me about 50 feet away...Am I invisible? It was all I could do to keep from swimming on that one.

Oh well, enough whining for now...hopefully, I'm the only one who can't seem to catch a fish lately.

Bender · 08-24-09, 12:33 AM

The past month has been tough for me too. Did real well in May, June, and early July winning a couple local tournaments and cashing checks in others. Late July/August was the opposite, had a couple zeroes. The frog bite died, the topwater bite died, and the worm bite was hit or miss.

The weather has been crazy around here with wind every day and cool nights. I think this has not put the fish into a "summer pattern". I am a finesse fisherman and my partner is very much a power fisherman and I feel that we compliment each other well and can usually put something together but there have been some very tough days. My last 2 trips out have been evenings and into dark a little and we have really wrecked them, hopefully that is an indicator that the fish are starting to eat again.

islandbass · 08-24-09, 04:01 AM

Sounds like you need a change. Come up to Seattle and catch some salmon. Then after we limit out, drive a few miles and catch smallies from the bank. I haven't been fishing lately so for me, I'll take a skunk out vs. not fishing at all.

Backwater Charlie · 08-24-09, 07:29 AM

I went fishing yesterday and all I got was a 9" bass. My lure, a 6" black with pink tail plastic worm, was nearly the size of this fish. My dad then used a 2" grub (sized for a crappie) and catches a 13" 1 lb. largemouth. Fishing is horrible this time of year.

Bob Smith · 08-24-09, 08:25 AM

I always try to lcoate some "redeeming" lakes in the area. When your home water goes into the doldrums, you need a couple special places that the bass will bite even on a bad day. As tough as that sounds, they really are out there. They may in the form of a little city lake or a neighbor's pond, or even a creek or river.

Contrary to popular belief, during the summer some of the best bass fishing can be had on shallow lakes filled with lily pads and grass. Offshore structure and deep clear lakes are simply tough during the summer and the boat traffic only makes it even tougher. That's another reason to find those small out of the way places.

nofearengineer · 08-24-09, 09:24 AM

You know, Bob...I think you might be 100% right. The little pit 3 miles from my house is probably a much better bet these days, especially given I don't have to burn all that gas getting there. It has some deep areas, but they're all open water, and not really a "structure" thing. Plus, it has some extensive flats, which are really weedy, whcih might give me a chance to work on other fishing skills...frogging, finesse worms, etc. Boat traffic is negligible, since there is an idle speed rule...

On a side note...I wouldn't think twice about fishing this pit in March...the crappie fishing here is nuts. You can catch a limit of 10"-12" crappie in no time at all. It is very under-utilized.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Sometimes you need a good kick to get out of a rut.

WaffleJaw · 08-24-09, 09:33 AM

saturday morning I finally broke my run of 9 trips in a row of completely skunked...and not just me,but the people i fished with as well...its was devastating....
so its been probably 40+ hours of fishing......ridiculous,no?

but that the price i sometimes have to pay when i mainly fish the banks....cause moving spots means re-packing the car,and driving around the lake...i gotta get that jon boat finished quick..

Ive been hitting areas where big boats cant really get too....they use to always pay off.....but here lately, i think they've been getting over fished by the locals......locals carrying large 5 gallon buckets.........what can you do?

JB · 08-24-09, 09:35 AM

Its been a lousy summer here to, I went 3 times with no fish and took 7 weeks off, last week we had quiet a few but nothing over 14 inches, it will change soon tho.

damian2b · 08-24-09, 10:20 AM

Amen...I got out on the water for a couple hours on Saturday and I landed one dink. When things are slow I tend to get aggrivated and can't make up my mind on what I want to use lure wise. Generally that requires a few deep breathes and a fresh cold one. Once we get out of the dog days things will get better.

cassidyta · 08-24-09, 10:31 AM

You are not alone. It is has been a rough August for me as well. Far fewer bass than previous months and the ones I am catching are lacking size.
For me, I find that speeding up my retrieval is important in the heat. I want them to not have a chance to think about it and just pounce on the bait. It is not making for large numbers, but it has put fish in the boat.

brushhog · 08-24-09, 11:33 AM

rough summer, here too... last trip was a little better, but overall the slowest summer in three or four years!

woody · 08-24-09, 11:38 AM

Bob Smith is right. I will fish the ponds, when the fishing get tough on the big lakes.

~Mark

keithdog · 08-24-09, 06:04 PM

The fishing was hot most of the year, but the past month I've really had to work for them. I was getting good size from most of the bass I'd caught for the most part all year, but the average size has dropped. The bigger ones are out there, just have to figure out where. Most of my fishing is on small natural lakes. The pattern I've been following is as follows. On the water and casting by 4AM. The topwater bite is still pretty good so far untill sun up, and then it slows down drastically. Not quite as many bass caught the past couple outtings on early morning topwater but still decent. The black Jitterbug has been my go to surface bait this year. They are killing it. By 7 Am the topwater bite is about done except for the buzzfrog lures like the rage tail frog. And that last a couple hours more. Around 7AM my spinnnerbait is next in line working through vegitation. Oddly this year, I have yet to take a bass from the lilly pads. Only milfoil and other grass seems to be holding fish. By late morning, I've moved out to the deeper weedbeds in 12 - 15 foot of water and I am working that with crankbaits primarily. I was landing around 10-15 bass per outting this year.My best outting back in may I landed 25. My outtings are usually early morning untill around 1PM. The last 3 outtings I've averaged about 8 bass. This sunday I landed 7 bass, and only one of them was decent size. How does a 8 inch bass engulf a 3 1/2 inch Jitterbug??? Too funny.

MallenManson · 08-24-09, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

I always try to lcoate some "redeeming" lakes in the area. When your home water goes into the doldrums, you need a couple special places that the bass will bite even on a bad day. As tough as that sounds, they really are out there. They may in the form of a little city lake or a neighbor's pond, or even a creek or river.

Contrary to popular belief, during the summer some of the best bass fishing can be had on shallow lakes filled with lily pads and grass. Offshore structure and deep clear lakes are simply tough during the summer and the boat traffic only makes it even tougher. That's another reason to find those small out of the way places.

Absolutely right for this area. I've been staying away from the deeper lakes and concentratin on the shallower ones like Little Platte, Upper Herring and Dubonnet. If there's no weeds, pads or shallow structure, ima so outta there!

I have noticed a serious drop-off in top of pad fishing the last couple weeks. Even when they are biting, they've been short striking or nibbling almost every time.
In the last couple weeks, I rarely stray from spinnerbaits

bamabassman · 08-24-09, 09:22 PM

<<<justs wants to go fishing. lol. even if i don't get a bite. tired of the house building already,lmao.

RandyHolt · 08-24-09, 11:07 PM

Catching LM in the hot Maryland summer has evolved to learning the baitbaster. Slow as molasses. But there is hope. Temps dropped a tad today, and I saw one in the shallows. Pale as a ghost. But slow and steady wins the race. I am getting fully loaded for the pending fall assault. When they come back, i am going to be ready. I seriously need to purge some of my purchases, my fishing vest is so packed it looks more like a Type I PFD.

66KingFisher · 08-25-09, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

Anybody else having a rough summer? Man, I haven't caught a single bass in the last 30 hours on the water.

I haven't got to spend a total of 30 hours on the water this year......

.....So, yeah....I've had a rough summer.

Abbeysdad · 08-25-09, 12:34 AM

It's my fault, I got a boat!

WTL · 08-25-09, 01:20 AM

I had a real weak weekend as well. I think it might be the abnormally cool weather has fish a little flustered. It didn't feel like august in north alabama last weekend.

Panthrosan · 08-25-09, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandyHolt

Catching LM in the hot Maryland summer has evolved to learning the baitbaster. Slow as molasses. But there is hope. Temps dropped a tad today, and I saw one in the shallows. Pale as a ghost. But slow and steady wins the race. I am getting fully loaded for the pending fall assault. When they come back, i am going to be ready. I seriously need to purge some of my purchases, my fishing vest is so packed it looks more like a Type I PFD.

My buddy and I have been killing them lately around the Gaithersburg area. The black and purple flake Senko has been key for our success. Offer still stands to let you in on our spots if you want to shore fish smaller ponds and lakes.

RandyHolt · 08-25-09, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panthrosan

My buddy and I have been killing them lately around the Gaithersburg area. The black and purple flake Senko has been key for our success. Offer still stands to let you in on our spots if you want to shore fish smaller ponds and lakes.

Thanks for sharing those color tips and the offer. I actually thought about your recommended lake yesterday, and think a trip to the park is in order. And a trip to the store to pick up some black purple plastic goodness. I have been spending lots of time at the river plucking dink smallies.

3dkicker · 08-25-09, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

Anybody else having a rough summer? Man, I haven't caught a single bass in the last 30 hours on the water (last three weekends).

You need to come east and fish tidal water!!! Although things have slowed down quite a bit on the river lately. We're still catching small limits for club tournaments and culling fish here and there. Compared to the bigger bags we caught this spring and early summer it's tough to get a 2lb average.

nofearengineer · 08-25-09, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3dkicker

You need to come east and fish tidal water!!! Although things have slowed down quite a bit on the river lately. We're still catching small limits for club tournaments and culling fish here and there. Compared to the bigger bags we caught this spring and early summer it's tough to get a 2lb average.

You have no idea how much I miss fishing tidal water. I used to live in New Smyrna Beach, where I would fish Ponce Inlet or the surf 50 yards from my house on Hill Street (my folks' house, actually

) almost every single day. I obviously didn't have a boat then, but can only imagine how many more red, blues, trout, and fluke I would have caught from a boat.

MallenManson · 08-25-09, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 66KingFisher

I haven't got to spend a total of 30 hours on the water this year......

.....So, yeah....I've had a rough summer.

That's rough 66! But certainly understandable. I actually had a weekend 3 or 4 weeks back where I spent over 20 hours on the lakes. Anymore, I'm like a crack addict. If I can't be out AT LEAST once Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I'm one ornery Mallen!

abu4600 · 08-28-09, 03:52 PM

Its been along hot summer here. My last 4 trips total about 30 hrs. of fishing and only 8 bass caught. August and sept. are my 2 hardest months to catch bass, all i can do is grind through it cause Oct. will be here soon and fishing will pick up. Good Luck this summer.

08-23-09, 11:06 PM	#1
nofearengineer BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southwest IN Posts: 5,630	Cruel Summer Anybody else having a rough summer? Man, I haven't caught a single bass in the last 30 hours on the water (last three weekends). I guess I shouldn't complain...I had a decent June and July, if not in numbers, but size. However, the fishing has been absolutely ridiculous this month. I think I really need to work on my open water bassing skills. It just seems like every time I want to try jigging some deep structure, the wind is blowing 15 mph, or I've got the Queen Mary running by me every 90 seconds, and I can't keep the boat still. Heck...I was trying to fish a submerged hump today and a guy in a 30' cabin cruiser came by me about 50 feet away...Am I invisible? It was all I could do to keep from swimming on that one. Oh well, enough whining for now...hopefully, I'm the only one who can't seem to catch a fish lately. __________________ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.

08-24-09, 04:01 AM	#3
islandbass BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WA State Posts: 1,783	Sounds like you need a change. Come up to Seattle and catch some salmon. Then after we limit out, drive a few miles and catch smallies from the bank. I haven't been fishing lately so for me, I'll take a skunk out vs. not fishing at all. __________________ ARX "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson (Shimano 2005 Reel Catalog)

08-24-09, 07:29 AM	#4
Backwater Charlie BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Littcarr, KY Posts: 299	I went fishing yesterday and all I got was a 9" bass. My lure, a 6" black with pink tail plastic worm, was nearly the size of this fish. My dad then used a 2" grub (sized for a crappie) and catches a 13" 1 lb. largemouth. Fishing is horrible this time of year. __________________ It was THIS BIG <---------------------------->

08-24-09, 08:25 AM	#5
Bob Smith BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Cartersville, Georgia Posts: 1,472	I always try to lcoate some "redeeming" lakes in the area. When your home water goes into the doldrums, you need a couple special places that the bass will bite even on a bad day. As tough as that sounds, they really are out there. They may in the form of a little city lake or a neighbor's pond, or even a creek or river. Contrary to popular belief, during the summer some of the best bass fishing can be had on shallow lakes filled with lily pads and grass. Offshore structure and deep clear lakes are simply tough during the summer and the boat traffic only makes it even tougher. That's another reason to find those small out of the way places. __________________ Bob Smith a.k.a. "Porko" (vintage Strike King variety!)

08-24-09, 09:24 AM	#6
nofearengineer BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southwest IN Posts: 5,630	You know, Bob...I think you might be 100% right. The little pit 3 miles from my house is probably a much better bet these days, especially given I don't have to burn all that gas getting there. It has some deep areas, but they're all open water, and not really a "structure" thing. Plus, it has some extensive flats, which are really weedy, whcih might give me a chance to work on other fishing skills...frogging, finesse worms, etc. Boat traffic is negligible, since there is an idle speed rule... On a side note...I wouldn't think twice about fishing this pit in March...the crappie fishing here is nuts. You can catch a limit of 10"-12" crappie in no time at all. It is very under-utilized. Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Sometimes you need a good kick to get out of a rut. __________________ Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.

08-24-09, 12:33 AM	#2
Bender BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 2,414	The past month has been tough for me too. Did real well in May, June, and early July winning a couple local tournaments and cashing checks in others. Late July/August was the opposite, had a couple zeroes. The frog bite died, the topwater bite died, and the worm bite was hit or miss. The weather has been crazy around here with wind every day and cool nights. I think this has not put the fish into a "summer pattern". I am a finesse fisherman and my partner is very much a power fisherman and I feel that we compliment each other well and can usually put something together but there have been some very tough days. My last 2 trips out have been evenings and into dark a little and we have really wrecked them, hopefully that is an indicator that the fish are starting to eat again.

08-24-09, 09:33 AM	#7
WaffleJaw BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dallas,TX (DFW) Posts: 2,212	saturday morning I finally broke my run of 9 trips in a row of completely skunked...and not just me,but the people i fished with as well...its was devastating.... so its been probably 40+ hours of fishing......ridiculous,no? but that the price i sometimes have to pay when i mainly fish the banks....cause moving spots means re-packing the car,and driving around the lake...i gotta get that jon boat finished quick.. Ive been hitting areas where big boats cant really get too....they use to always pay off.....but here lately, i think they've been getting over fished by the locals......locals carrying large 5 gallon buckets.........what can you do? __________________ [nelsoncustomrods.com]

08-24-09, 09:35 AM	#8
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	Its been a lousy summer here to, I went 3 times with no fish and took 7 weeks off, last week we had quiet a few but nothing over 14 inches, it will change soon tho.

08-24-09, 10:20 AM	#9
damian2b BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 122	Amen...I got out on the water for a couple hours on Saturday and I landed one dink. When things are slow I tend to get aggrivated and can't make up my mind on what I want to use lure wise. Generally that requires a few deep breathes and a fresh cold one. Once we get out of the dog days things will get better. __________________ "Hook up another barrel...Im coming around again!"

08-24-09, 10:31 AM	#10
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	You are not alone. It is has been a rough August for me as well. Far fewer bass than previous months and the ones I am catching are lacking size. For me, I find that speeding up my retrieval is important in the heat. I want them to not have a chance to think about it and just pounce on the bait. It is not making for large numbers, but it has put fish in the boat. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

08-24-09, 11:33 AM	#11
brushhog BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Whitesboro, NY Posts: 1,222	rough summer, here too... last trip was a little better, but overall the slowest summer in three or four years! __________________ 3/4 of the Earth's surface is water and 1/4 is land. Clearly god wants me to fish, not mow the lawn.

08-24-09, 11:38 AM	#12
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	Bob Smith is right. I will fish the ponds, when the fishing get tough on the big lakes. ~Mark

08-24-09, 06:04 PM	#13
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	The fishing was hot most of the year, but the past month I've really had to work for them. I was getting good size from most of the bass I'd caught for the most part all year, but the average size has dropped. The bigger ones are out there, just have to figure out where. Most of my fishing is on small natural lakes. The pattern I've been following is as follows. On the water and casting by 4AM. The topwater bite is still pretty good so far untill sun up, and then it slows down drastically. Not quite as many bass caught the past couple outtings on early morning topwater but still decent. The black Jitterbug has been my go to surface bait this year. They are killing it. By 7 Am the topwater bite is about done except for the buzzfrog lures like the rage tail frog. And that last a couple hours more. Around 7AM my spinnnerbait is next in line working through vegitation. Oddly this year, I have yet to take a bass from the lilly pads. Only milfoil and other grass seems to be holding fish. By late morning, I've moved out to the deeper weedbeds in 12 - 15 foot of water and I am working that with crankbaits primarily. I was landing around 10-15 bass per outting this year.My best outting back in may I landed 25. My outtings are usually early morning untill around 1PM. The last 3 outtings I've averaged about 8 bass. This sunday I landed 7 bass, and only one of them was decent size. How does a 8 inch bass engulf a 3 1/2 inch Jitterbug??? Too funny.

08-24-09, 09:22 PM	#15
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	<<<justs wants to go fishing. lol. even if i don't get a bite. tired of the house building already,lmao. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

08-24-09, 11:07 PM	#16
RandyHolt BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Maryland Posts: 85	Catching LM in the hot Maryland summer has evolved to learning the baitbaster. Slow as molasses. But there is hope. Temps dropped a tad today, and I saw one in the shallows. Pale as a ghost. But slow and steady wins the race. I am getting fully loaded for the pending fall assault. When they come back, i am going to be ready. I seriously need to purge some of my purchases, my fishing vest is so packed it looks more like a Type I PFD.

08-25-09, 12:34 AM	#18
Abbeysdad BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes Posts: 1,307	It's my fault, I got a boat!

08-25-09, 01:20 AM	#19
WTL BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,466	I had a real weak weekend as well. I think it might be the abnormally cool weather has fish a little flustered. It didn't feel like august in north alabama last weekend. __________________ Selling live waterdogs for less since 2005.

08-28-09, 03:52 PM	#25
abu4600 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Brandon Mississippi Posts: 480	Its been along hot summer here. My last 4 trips total about 30 hrs. of fishing and only 8 bass caught. August and sept. are my 2 hardest months to catch bass, all i can do is grind through it cause Oct. will be here soon and fishing will pick up. Good Luck this summer.

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