When the Hot Bite Turns Cold
by Karen Savik
Every angler – winter or summer, hard water or soft water – has experienced “the lost bite.” Fish were slamming your lure yesterday, but 24 hours later – in identical conditions – you can’t buy a strike.
What’s going on?!
First, let me assure you, such scenarios frustrate anglers of all levels, amateur and professional alike. Last September, while pre-fishing Lake Champlain in upstate New York, my co-angler and I enjoyed an absolutely fabulous smallmouth bite. Three- and 4-pounders were slamming a green-skirted spinnerbait and a chartreuse crankbait off a deep flat.
Believe it or not, my partner and were searching for places where the fish weren’t biting just to mix up our tactics. Bottom line, it was one of the best fishing days of my life.
You know where this is going, right?
Tournament day arrived 48 hours later, and the conditions looked identical: heat, dead calm, and sunny, clear skies. Yet I could not find a bite in the same locations with those two lures. The dominant thought in my head that day: They’re gone!
The smallies hadn’t evacuated the area. They still were there (or at least very close), but they didn’t want what I was offering anymore. Here’s how I salvaged the day.
One glance around the lake (many other teams were working the same flat) showed little casting occurring. Call me stubborn, but I just didn’t want to adjust. Finally, I switched to a less aggressive, tube jig presentation. Suddenly, on the same waypoints, I began catching smallies. They were in little schools, and good fishing commenced.
Two learning experiences from the day: First, being stubborn never pays off. And don’t think just because fish aren’t biting that they’re not present.
In this Lake Champlain example, there was a perfectly legitimate reason why the bite switched. Yeah, the conditions were identical to 48 hours earlier, but during the day in between, a big wind had whipped up the lake. It even kept me off the water for most of the day. Throw in several hundred hours of hard-core prefishing bassers on Champlain and go figure the smallies wanted a more casual dining experience! I thought the lake had settled down from the wind and pressure. It hadn’t.
After the yank-your-arm-off experience of prefishing, shifting my mindset toward a more patience presentation demanded serious effort. I had no patience for a wacky- or straight-hooked worm. Slowing down wasn’t easy, but it ultimately paid off.
Simply spying on fellow anglers rarely works, so allow me to create a simple protocol for when you find yourself in a similar situation on local water.
Many factors can alter a hot bite. Hot weather, cold fronts, big winds, no wind, fishing and boating pressure, and changing water levels. If a bite changes, take a hint from the fish, and take it quickly.
First, use and trust your electronics. In the 12-foot water
over this flat, we could see fish on the graph. That encouraged us to switch
tactics until we found success.
If they’re gone, let the search commence. Star at the break –
that neutral zone where stressed fish inevitably retreat.
Start slow. A simple finesse worm is my favorite; you probably have yours. A weighted jig with a nice steady fall ranks pretty high on my bassing repertoire during a tough bite.
Work with your fishing partner(s) to mix it up. Maybe your buddy fan-casts a search bait – a spinnerbait, rattler or shallow-diving crank – to find active fish, while you stick with a slower presentation, like a wacky rig.
Nothing doing? Work deeper. A rule of thumb: Deeper fish demand a more precise presentation, so work slowly and methodically. If nothing’s happening deep, move to the shallows fast, especially early in the season.
In really shallow water (where bass anglers often find themselves) you can’t see fish on screen because they’re not under the boat. Throw all manner of search baits – topwater, divers, and spinners until one of you finds an active fish. Then at least one of you should revert to a slower-action lure until you find the magic bullet.
Though not immune, river-dwelling fish seem less susceptible to allowing changes in weather, or whatever, affect their behavior. Maybe it’s because they cope with currents and a steadier diet of fluctuating conditions.
Sharp changes in weather aren’t mandatory to shut down a bite. All these rules apply during transition times of year: spring or fall, or around the spawn.
People and their attempts to improve lakes can alter the bite, too. Last year, I enjoyed fantastic fishing on a metro area lake – we’re talking a consistent catch of 3- to 5-pound fish off the weedline. Then the city or a local lake association sprayed the weedline, and the fish disappeared.
I searched and worked different spots via multiple presentations, and nothing. They didn’t die, because I didn’t see (or smell) rotting bass along shore, but I never did find those fish. Frankly, it’s been bugging me all winter.
Chemical spraying onshore or in the water can affect fish behavior. So can weed harvesting. Think all the milfoil cutting occurring on lakes like Minnetonka doesn’t alter bass behavior?
Don’t let a tough bite ruin your fishing. Chalk it up the challenge of fishing, then let the modern tactics and tools of 21st Century fishing lead you to the promised bite!
Editor’s Note: Karen Savik is a FLW Bass Tour pro-angler and a member of The Oxygentor Field Consulting Staff. For more of Savik visit keepfishalive.com.
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