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In order to fully
understand what takes place in the world of the bass as he moves
from Fall into Winter, we
need to take a quick look at the earlier transition from Summer into
the Fall posture. Since this transition can
support an entire series, itself, we will necessarily be brief and
omit going into detail.
Summer was a
time of heavy schooling, strong movements and much feeding. With the
rigors of the spawn
left behind, the majority of the bass gathered in open-water school
groups and passed the summer months
leisurely feeding on the new hatches of bait fish and other food
choices. In order to maximize the aspects of
comfort (primarily in avoidance of the strong penetration of the
nearly-overhead Summer sunlight), Summer bass
were generally found on mid-depth structures, rather than in the
shallows. Also, these locations were usually
near channel edges and other structures influenced, to some degree,
by current flow. (The availability of some
moving water is a guarantee of additional comfort in continual food
supplies and good oxygen content, with the
latter often being a problem during the hot months. Current causes
mixing of the water and adds oxygen, while
preventing stratification layering by temperature/oxygen content.)
With the waters warm and, consequently,
body metabolism high, feeding was a regular activity.
The first
cooling days of the approaching Fall season triggered an instinctive
reaction in the bass to consider
the impending preparation for the winter period. This preparation
basically consists of a period of very heavy
feeding, attempting to lay in as much strength and body fat as
possible to provide sustainment through a
generally dormant Winter. It also provides the basic body quality to
support the initial internal preparation for
spawning, a function that actually begins in mid-Winter in the
females. If we will note, this response is not
unlike most animals, birds and reptiles.
As the
waters begin to lose the heat of Summer, the penetrating sun is no
longer directly overhead and the
oxygen level is again supportive of life in the shallows. The
smaller elements of the food chain begin to emerge
in the shallows. The larger predators, likewise, follow and the
shallow zones again become the primary areas of
activity.
Recalling
the food value associated with current flow, we note that the bass
initially starts his movements to
the shallow zones by entering feeder tributaries and progressing
upstream. This movement sequence may not
have to take the fish far, in that he is only looking for feeding
flats and cover areas in four to ten feet of water.
A point to
note regarding the actual depth of the feeding locations involves
the normal clarity of the waters
you are fishing. The four to ten foot range we spoke to is the
`normal' during the fall for most bodies of water in
the eastern half of the country, those having some degree of natural
coloration.
However, on
exceptionally clear waters, such as Georgia's Lake Lanier or
Alabama's Lewis Smith Lake, the
general depth of bass activity and life functions will always be
deeper. On those lakes, we would probably
extend the expected fall depth range down to 12 to 18 feet. We often
refer to this factor as the `pattern depth',
and it provides us with a logical guide and starting point in our
determination as to where the bass might be on
a given body of water. The `pattern depth' is defined as the
depth the majority of school bass can be
expected to be, given the normal clarity of the water and the
seasonal conditions.
Now the bass
is in the Fall posture and we can begin our discussion of his
current actions and the later
transition to Winter.
Once the
water temperatures have dropped into the mid-60 degree range, the
bass family can be expected
to have progressed to the fall feeding locations. As we initially
said, these areas are generally characterized as
being associated with feeder tributaries, having some amount of
cover (to support the smaller elements of the
food chain, not to hide the bass), and be about four to ten feet in
depth. Normally, these locations will be
adjacent to the deepest available water in the area, most probably a
submerged channel.
Here, we
should take note of a `fine' detail. Recall, if you will, that
spawning bass are the least predictable in
regards to where they may be found. Granted, they will be on clean,
hard-bottomed areas, out of current
influence and in fairly shallow water. But, they do not adhere to
the primary bass rule of always remaining very
near a deep water access, or safety/escape zone. (I suppose love
makes all of us do strange things, though.)
At all other times of year, deep water is a firm requirement
regarding bass locations, the Fall being no
exception.
Therefore, we are able to make three
initial determinations to help us locate fall bass rapidly:
- Locate the feeder tributaries
- Look for cover locations along, or very near, the
submerged channel edge
- Key to generally four to ten feet of water (or the
appropriately-determined `pattern depth' for the target waters.
Once he has
located the proper areas and if the food supplies are there, the
bass will remain until the waters
cool into the mid-50 degree range. The period is characterized by
heavy feeding, a good amount of surface
activity and little change of location, save that required to follow
the food supply. The peak of this Fall feeding
spree usually lasts for about three weeks, with short interruptions
by weather fronts.
As the
nights become longer, the temperatures more crisp and the waters
start to cool, the bass' instincts
caution him that Winter is getting closer and he must begin to
adjust for survival. Suddenly, we no longer are
able to find him around the shallow cover. He appears to have
`pulled up stakes' and moved on to greener
pastures, wherever they may be.
(This particular
happening always seems to coincides with the
departure of most anglers from the waters for the Winter!)
Well,
actually, it is what CAUSES the anglers to leave. On the mistaken
belief that the bass have `stopped
biting because it is getting too cold', many fishermen winterize
their boats and actually miss some of the finest
angling of the entire year.
The bass
NEVER `quit biting'. That's the oldest and most incorrect notion in
the world of fishing. In 99 of 100
cases, fish do not ever fully stop feeding (biting, if you prefer).
The reason they are not caught is because they
are no longer where the angler is drowning his bait or lure.
In response
to some influence, they have simply moved. In our case, with the
peak of the Fall feeding binge
over, most bass are beginning a gradual migration towards the deeper
waters. But, they will still be feeding
along the way. This migration is gradual and takes place over
loosely-defined period, dependent in part upon
the rapidity with which full-scale winter sets in and its intensity.
As the water temperatures continue to drop,
life begins to vacate the shallows and head for the more stable
conditions of the deep water. Yes, it will be
cold in the depths, but it will still be warmer than the shallow
areas and there will be little, if any, fluctuation
of conditions.
As the fish
move deeper, generally following defined, major structure features,
the singles and small groups
tend to join and form large schools. The school is searching for
something and, by understanding what that
`something' is and the associated conditions, the angler is able to
find Winter bass nearly as easily as he
does at other times of the year.
The bass
school is looking for an isolated, well-defined piece of hard, clean
structure for use as a reference
point to hold the school together. The associated conditions
required are two-fold: no influencing water currents,
and an area deep enough to preclude influence from the volatile
Winter weather and its turbulence.
I expect the
reader, after having it called to his attention, easily recognizes
the depth requirement for
environmental stabilization and the use of the structure as a
reference point. However, the additional desire for
an absence of current flow possibly deserves a few words of
explanation.
Bass, like
all cold-blooded creatures, undergo a substantial reduction in their
bodily function (metabolism)
rate as the temperature of their immediate surroundings drops.
Accordingly, there is a corresponding reduction
in the amount of food and oxygen intake required to sustain life.
Although it is not actually what can be called
hibernation, a cold-water bass does enter a state of relative
dormancy, during which he moves as little as
possible and is very lethargic. During the warm months, current flow
was a `friend' which brought food and
insured oxygen. However, those are not primary concerns during the
winter. In addition, current would force
the bass to expend valuable energy to retain his positioning.
Therefore, it is obviously to be avoided.
Let's recap where we
have been and where we are now, regarding the
transition of the bass from a Fall to Winter posture.
We discussed
where the bass would most likely be during the Fall season and, very
briefly, covered how he
transitions from Summer into that fall posture. Then, we talked
about the characteristics of the fall locations and
how those characteristics helped us to identify potential fishing
locations with some degree of confidence. Next,
our dissertation went into the gradual abandonment of the Fall
positioning and the movement to the deep
wintering areas. From this information, the reader should now have
an understanding of what is happening in the
world of the bass and why. He also should be able to recognize the
associated conditions and make reasonably
accurate assumptions as to where the bass might be at a given point
in time.
We still
should say a few more words about those deep water, winter bass.
First, it
should be recognized that the deepest we will normally find bass in
a given body of water will be
during the Winter months. (Although it is a discussion reserved for
another day, suffice to say that bass DO
NOT go exceptionally deep in the Summer. After the spawn, they leave
the shallows and school in open water
structure areas, with occasional forays to the shallows.)
Second, and
understandably so, feeding activity is greatly reduced during the
cold months. However, these
bass are still catchable. In fact, the knowledgeable angler will
usually catch more bass per outing during the
Winter, simply because the fish are schooled in large groups, are
easier to locate, and do not move much. A
second positive point, and one that most year-round anglers will
readily recognize when it is called to their
attention, is that bass always average larger in the Winter than
during the other times of year. If your average
bass weighs in at one and one-half to two pounds nine months out of
the year, he will be more like two and
one-half to three pounds during the mid-Winter months.
Keep the
changes of season and their effects in mind and it will help your
fishing. |
