Earth, Wind and Fire

Natural forces can ruin your bass fishing until you learn to work within the limitations rather than fight them. Personally not a fan of muddy water (earth) wind or fire(steaming summer water temperatures) each can have an effect on your fishing but when managed can help you take catastrophe and turn it into catches. Earth = Muddy Water. Spring or heavy rains around plowed fields, bank erosion or heavy downpours do create muddy conditions and reduce the ability of bass to see or freely move and feed thus turning them into cover hugging creatures. Knowing that bass migrate to bridge pilings, downed trees or behind large rock and other current breaking objects you now know where they are so next is what to put in front of them to get them to bite. Limited sight spells increase in size of your bait, brighter colors and potentially rattle or other sound making factors. Your list of muddy water rescue baits should include spinnerbaits, large rattling crankbaits, jigs with rattle chambers and oversized buzzbaits. Cast close to cover and employ a slow steady retrieve to make your offerings easier to track and hit. Wind, the bane of the bass angler.

Wind and kayaks are not exactly a formula for a bassing bonanza. You can answer with the use of anchors front and back to give you position stability, maybe drop a drag chain to slow you drift, a stake pole or a Power Pole set up, another possibility is to allow the wind to troll you from spot to spot. Wind does often start a feed cycle. As the bank and bottom are churned up, small particles which are food sources for smaller creatures start them feeding, following closely are bait fish and then enter the bass looking for a collection of critters to turn onto an easy meal. Pick up a spinnerbait or a minnow imitating “plug” and work the banks in all directions. Fire- Sizzling Summer Water Temps. Look for relief from the heat as relating to the fish. Check out over hanging trees, boat docks, any overhead cover supplying shade, inflowing creek and springs. Each of these provides bass a few degrees of relief from the hot water and in the case of the flowing creeks and springs additional comfort and delivery of food sources moving in for the same reasons as the bass. Plastic worms worked slowly in the vicinity of the heat relieving objects will often be rewarded with fish of all sizes. Another option is a night time kayak adventure where surface lures and black plastic worms, black bladed spinners and darkly colored topwater lures are very effective. While you can’t fool Mother Nature you can to work within her limits to catch a limit!