Summer Movement in Borrow Pits & Clear Lakes
Illinois Fishing
Jun 28, 2023 10:29:16 #
Hey fellas,
Been working some nearby borrow pits a LOT this year. I was out again yesterday in one that has been very productive - and I was surprised to find nothing but dinks along the entire shoreline. I caught 14, but they were all runts. Let me paint you a picture:
1. We had rain the night before
2. Water clarity was down slightly (probably from runoff), but still at least 6 to 8 feet
3. Water temps were between 74° - 75°
4. Banks are steep, and covered in Chara Algae with some Curlyleaf Pondweed out a bit deeper
5. Slight cloud cover, air temps from 64° up to 76° over the 5 hours on the water (started at 8:00 a.m.)
I fished a Neko Rig, skipped a plastic up under bushes along the shoreline, threw a wakebait, a small swimbait, and they all caught fish, but again - everything was small. Over the past month most days have been high activity, peppered with good fish between 1 and 3 pounds. Back bays and shoreline fishing have been very productive. Today was different. So I'm wondering two things:
1. Is it likely the bigger bass moved out of the bays and off the shoreline into deeper water, and is this because weather, temperature or time of year?
2. If the bass have in fact moved deeper - how would you target them in clear water with his kind of cover?
Any insight would be appreciated, especially before my next trip. Thanks!
Been working some nearby borrow pits a LOT this year. I was out again yesterday in one that has been very productive - and I was surprised to find nothing but dinks along the entire shoreline. I caught 14, but they were all runts. Let me paint you a picture:
1. We had rain the night before
2. Water clarity was down slightly (probably from runoff), but still at least 6 to 8 feet
3. Water temps were between 74° - 75°
4. Banks are steep, and covered in Chara Algae with some Curlyleaf Pondweed out a bit deeper
5. Slight cloud cover, air temps from 64° up to 76° over the 5 hours on the water (started at 8:00 a.m.)
I fished a Neko Rig, skipped a plastic up under bushes along the shoreline, threw a wakebait, a small swimbait, and they all caught fish, but again - everything was small. Over the past month most days have been high activity, peppered with good fish between 1 and 3 pounds. Back bays and shoreline fishing have been very productive. Today was different. So I'm wondering two things:
1. Is it likely the bigger bass moved out of the bays and off the shoreline into deeper water, and is this because weather, temperature or time of year?
2. If the bass have in fact moved deeper - how would you target them in clear water with his kind of cover?
Any insight would be appreciated, especially before my next trip. Thanks!
Jun 29, 2023 09:46:25 #
TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:
Hey fellas, br Been working some nearby borrow pit... (show quote)
My guess is that they were feeding at the mouth (s) of the feeder streams that were still running strongly from the rain event. Plenty of terrestrials and smaller fish to make a snack out of ?
Water temperatures preferences are gonna be different depending on SM or LM.
Suggest keeping a log or voice recordings of catch, species , temps , depths, etc. until you can establish some patterns. A little work, but it can pay off.
Jun 29, 2023 10:58:34 #
nutz4fish wrote:
My guess is that they were feeding at the mouth (s) of the feeder streams that were still running strongly from the rain event. Plenty of terrestrials and smaller fish to make a snack out of ?
Water temperatures preferences are gonna be different depending on SM or LM.
Suggest keeping a log or voice recordings of catch, species , temps , depths, etc. until you can establish some patterns. A little work, but it can pay off.
Water temperatures preferences are gonna be different depending on SM or LM.
Suggest keeping a log or voice recordings of catch, species , temps , depths, etc. until you can establish some patterns. A little work, but it can pay off.
Oh great point - do they congregate near incoming water areas after a rain?? I suppose that would make a lot of sense if it's true... yeah?
Jun 29, 2023 13:19:26 #
Jun 29, 2023 13:21:44 #
NJ219bands wrote:
2 lb fluorocarbon is best in clear water.
I'm still stuck on 8lb currently... :)
Jun 29, 2023 14:38:41 #
TheMinimalistFisherman wrote:
Oh great point - do they congregate near incoming water areas after a rain?? I suppose that would make a lot of sense if it's true... yeah?
Wouldn't bet my firstborn on it. But I'm confident it works under some conditions. If you're not catching fish, don't ya think it's worth a shot ? It's produced for me often, and if I'm catching, I'm not going somewhere else to compare.
Jun 29, 2023 16:10:42 #
nutz4fish wrote:
Wouldn't bet my firstborn on it. But I'm confident it works under some conditions. If you're not catching fish, don't ya think it's worth a shot ? It's produced for me often, and if I'm catching, I'm not going somewhere else to compare.
Yessir, without question - thanks for the tip - very appreciated!
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.