How slow is your fishing now?

[cd1]

It's been so hot and slow here that I've not fished in two weeks...and I might not go out for a few more.

Two weeks ago the water temp was over 94 degrees where I fish...the heat index was running 112 to 119 for about three weeks straight.  You'd sweat through your shirt in 5 minutes standing perfectly still in the shade.  It was really nasty weather. So I parked the boat. 

I thought about going out today as the temps are back in the 90's...but the fishing reports I'm hearing still talk about a slow bite and they are still letting water out of the reservoirs.

How is it where you fish?  Any good in August? 

[Ron Fogelson]

Night fishing is sooooo much better here in this heat. 

[coldfront]

I've had the opportunity to fish in water from 84°-88°F...and find the fish are still active...shallow early...deeper later (10-12) or deeper if a thermocline isn't present...

they just seem to 'gang up' more on spots...so I have to keep moving until I find them...

[cd1]

Night fishing is sooooo much better here in this heat. 

How late are you going?  I was at Guntersville this summer and it was blazing hot and some locals said the bite would be much better around 2AM.  I've only fished a few times at night and I had some issues with cast placement and finding cover to throw at.  I may have to give it another shot. 

[Camden]

i have not been fishin in the day light up here for two weeks now. All night fishing

[Broskee]

How late are you going?  I was at Guntersville this summer and it was blazing hot and some locals said the bite would be much better around 2AM.  I've only fished a few times at night and I had some issues with cast placement and finding cover to throw at.  I may have to give it another shot.

you should buy you some night vision goggles

[cd1]

you should buy you some night vision goggles

Don't tempt me...that thought hit me a few weeks ago.  Some of these reservoirs have a ton of flooded timber in them and you really need to stay alert. 

I was crusing back toward the ramp using the lights in the parking lot as my guide.  I could easily see the lights from 6 miles away and I was watching them closely to see if they "twinkled" at all as I was cruising.  Well eventually they did start to "twinkle" as something passed between them and me...I cut the power and broke out the big spot light and about 70 yards ahead of me was a group of telephone pole looking trees jutting up out of the water.  That could have been a real mess for someone not paying attention.  Thats when the thought of getting some NVG's came to me.   

They're not much more expensive than some of the HD Fish Finders, and they'd be a cool toy to have.  Hmmm...

[BIG PAPA]

As far a good numbers of solid fish it has been no problem to catch 10 or 12 here. Now I am talking 1-3 lb. fish, the big ones have been few and far between for me the last month or so but I don't mind the heat near as much as the mosquitos and fishing at night.

[oldjim]

Not that bad, 100 degree day at ultimate bass fruit jar at caddo. Heat index over 105 water temp 92 degrees. Fish still eat, finding feeding fish is the trick. We caught about 14 that day. Biggest was 6.49 next 5.4lbs.

OldJim

[GotstaFish]

Fishing has been so bad here with the river being screwed up all summer I've only had the boat out 5 times. Went last night for the first time in 2 months and managed 2 dinks. Should have waited another month 

[Ron Fogelson]

How late are you going?  I was at Guntersville this summer and it was blazing hot and some locals said the bite would be much better around 2AM.  I've only fished a few times at night and I had some issues with cast placement and finding cover to throw at.  I may have to give it another shot.

cd1, I use a head lamp, one just clips to the brim of my hat and on those dark nights I have one that is much brighter but I have to take my hat off or turn it around backwards.  When running any lake other than cypress/black bayou a Qbeam is a must, better to take it slow and safe than run blind   

AS far as fishing it can be a learning curve to judge lure placement but when fishing cover I find a light will not adversely affect the bite, when fishing open grass flats I don't have a need for a light but some have posted in the past that a light will scare off the fish.

Another good light is the white/black light 12volt units they are like 2 foot long and sit on the side of your boat, Noble and Cork use them more than I do but I have one and the only thing is I just have gotten used to the head lamp so I don't bother very often to run the floor light out to the front deck.


I fish as late as the bite lets me.  There have been times in the past I'll fish a night tournament, weight-in and go back out to catch some more.  Most bites for me are right at dark, from 930 to midnight and than about an hour or some before sun up.

[rjn cajun]

You guy`s are gonna think I`m crazy. Up here in the northwest the hole summer has been screwed. We had a spring that felt like winter but I still caught some good fish. Summer was like spring and I was catching good size. We had a month of 85 degree weather lake warmed to the min 70`s and it died. I was catching one maybe two before light. After light nothing. Weather is getting cool now and the lake has dropped almost ten degrees in a week. I haven`t caught a decent fish in a week. This is all on the same lake that I know very well. Don`t know what to do now.

[tsmith35]

How about trying some live bait? Regardless of air & water temperatures, fish must eat to survive. It's just a matter of finding something they want to eat.

[rjn cajun]

Live bait would be great. It`s against the law to use live bait up here. I agree they need to eat and if presented right they will eat it. It`s just trying to locate where they move to. There`s a reason why the tour guy`s don`t fish anywhere around here. I`m not saying it`s any easier or  difficult then anywhere else in the counrty. But I`ll tell ya this much. After living in Louisianna anf fishing there fishing here for me is way more difficult. But that may be for me.

[ex301p]

Have not had much of a problem here on the larger body's of water, although the bigger fish are far and few between and the numbers are not what they where last year, but still able to get a few each time out. However the smaller body's of water have been like fishing a dead sea. Seems the only time I can get them to bite at the ponds over the last few weeks is if there's some wind mixing up the water and then where still only talking a couple fish here and there.

I was thinking about this the other day, after the frustration has really set in from several skunked trips, what the heck is going on for last year the fishing was great. The only thing I can think of that is different is that last season summer around here was more like a long spring, many more cooler days and very few steamy hot days. This summer has been like living in an pizza oven for us humans and I am sure the fish think there being boiled alive, but like others have said, they still have to eat and are probably do so late at night like others have said. 

Good news is that fall is almost here and with that we all have some good fishing to look forward to, at least I hope so. Looking forward to a few cool days in row to hopefully get them bass active again and to be able to fish without the sweat burning my eyeballs out and the mosquitoes eating me alive. BRING ON THE FALL FISHING!

[DBrooke]

ex301, it's the heat here in IL screwing us up. upper 70's to 80's last week now 90's today. No real rain in a few weeks either. The only good bite is after dark right now as well. Which makes it tough for a tourney guy. Fish are staying deep during the day and coming up at night to feed. Except for the occasional big girl that gets hungry earlier than the rest. Sunday evening tourneys went from 4 lb limits to 1 1/2-2 lb limits here, hopefully these cool nights will cool the water down though, these mid 80's water temps are rough.