The Perfect Day?

What exactly is the perfect day to go bass fishing?  That is a tough question as there are very few days where all of the conditions are aligned to make it perfect to catch bass.  That does not mean you only have a few days each year where you should go fishing, it means you have to be able to adapt your method of fishing to the conditions presented you on any given day.  In all my years of fishing I've found that Barometric Pressure, Water Temperature and Water Clarity are the major factors into deciding on when, where and how to catch bass.  Here is how I approach each of the different type of conditions.

Barometric Pressure
It has been widely known for many, many years that Barometric Pressure has an affect of the habits of fish.  This is very true about bass, but the one thing you have to understand is no matter what the Barometric Pressure reading is on a given day, the bass will still eat if they are hungry.  The key will be to put your bait in front of them to present an easy meal.  Your problem is there are also other factors that play a role in where the bass will be and how you should present your baits.  Here is a short guide that might help you catch some bass no matter the Barometric Pressure.

1. Falling Barometric Pressure
As a general rule when ever you can catch the Barometric Pressure falling or rapidly falling it will be the best time to catch bass.  The problem you might face here is there is a reason the pressure is falling and that is because there is impending bad weather coming.  This may mean an approaching front with heavy winds, rains or even thunderstorms.  So you have to be prepared for these conditions before heading to the lake. If you are able to fish during a falling pressure then you will find the bass actively feeding in most cases and easy to catch if you know where they are feeding.  If the water temperatures are good look for cover near the shore of shallow points or creek channels in the back of coves to start your fishing.  In these cases fast moving baits like Spinnerbaits and Crankbaits will draw you a lot of strikes.  This is also a great time to fish a Swim Jig with a good trailer fast in the cover to hookup with a big bass.  Water clarity and available food source will play a role into the type, size and color of the bait you will be fishing.  In other words if the bass are feeding on Shad then you need to to be fishing a bait that looks like a Shad.  So just like fly fishermen do with trout you have to match the hatch so to speak.  It doesn't do you any good to throw a Crawfish type bait if the bass aren't actively feeding on Crawfish.  Again as a general rule of thumb, if they are feeding actively they will be chasing faster types of bait foods.

2. Stable Barometric Pressure
When the Barometric Pressure is stable that means the other weather conditions are also stable.  This can mean some very good fishing if your stable weather is fishing friendly conditions.  What I mean here is "Stable Weather" could be winds blowing so hard that it is not safe to be on the lake.  So you will have to decide if all the conditions will permit you to safely fish.  Also a stable Barometric Pressure could be High, Medium or Low and that means each would call for different methods and locations to catch bass

High Barometric Pressure:
When the Barometric Pressure is 30.50 or Greater it will also mean that the skies are likely very clear and the sun is shining brightly onto the water.  I do not recommend fishing this condition the first two days after there has been bad weather as this condition really shuts down the bass and can be really tough on your fishing.  If you do fish these conditions think Slow!!! The clear skies and bright sun is not pleasant to the bass so they will be holding tight to cover in deeper water.  They are not going to chase your bait so if you can present it very slowly right in front of their face they might eat it.   This is also a great time to think of going to Finesse Methods such as Shakyheads and Drop-Shots.  One of the key locations to look for fish in these conditions is under docks and piers.  Other areas where there is shade offered as protection from the sun can also hold bass.

Medium Barometric Pressure:
I consider a Medium Barometric Pressure to be between 29.70 and 30.40 which would also mean you are likely having Fair Weather.  This is by far the best fishing conditions you can have.  However that does not mean they will eat anything you throw at them anywhere you throw your bait.  So just because the bass should be biting you will still have to locate the bass and find out what they are eating.  Water conditions such as temperatures and clarity will play a big role also in deciding what types and color of baits you want to fish.  I generally apply these rules for water temperature:

• 55 Degrees or Less means you are going to be fishing slower and deeper.  The lower the water temperature the slower and deeper you will need to go in search of fish.  There is also some key structure that will draw fish such as boat ramps, riff raps or other areas with some types of rocks or concrete that has direct sun light shining on them.  The sun heats up the rocks or concrete which in turn hold the heat and warm the water in these areas.  You are still going to have to fish slow with jigs or finesse baits to get strikes but you might have one of the best days on the water.
• 55 to 65 Degrees is what I consider to be your prime temperatures for fishing, but at the same time may be some of the hardest times for locating bass.  The bass could be holding to many different types of structure in many different water depths.  It is your job to find them and catch them so to speak.  Once you locate the fish there are many types of baits and methods that could catch them.  You will have to keep trying different baits and presentation until you find the one that works best on that given day.  If you find fish don't give up on them too quickly if they don't bite at first.  Keep giving them something a little different until you find what they want.
• 65 to 75 Degrees can also be some awesome water temperatures for catching bass.  In the spring of the year this is generally the temperatures that kick off the spawn so you can find fish that are staging for the spawn, spawning or even in post spawn mode.   In all three of these spawning modes bass can be caught and I mean a lot of bass.  If they are staging or in post spawn the are eating and eating a lot so target areas close to spawning beds.  They will be eating the available forage foods so match your baits to these foods.  If the bass are on the beds they are not actively feeding but can be caught just as easy because they are protecting their beds.  Throw lizard type baits and big worms at the beds.  You will need to work them very slow in and around the beds to draw strikes from may just be a personal best bass.  Jigs and Crawfish type baits are also producers on spawning bass so if they don't go for the lazard or worms then give them something else.
• 75 Degrees or Greater means you are going to need to go back to slower and deeper as the temperatures climb higher.  This is also a time to think about night fishing or early mornings and late evening fishing where there are shady spots along the banks.  The fish will move up to feed in the low light conditions and you can have a great hour or two catching them on a lot of different baits.  Also during midday periods go back to the docks and piers and fish your finesse baits.

3. Low Barometric Pressure:
When the Barometric Pressure is 29.60 or Less will generally mean it is also Cloudy and maybe Rainy.  The wind and rain conditions will play a big role into your decision on going fishing or not.  If you do decide to go then you have to understand that Bass don't like low pressure so you are going to have to go back to your deep and slow tactics. Again water temperatures and clarity will play a big role in the type and color of your bait as will what the natural forage is in the area.

4. Rising Barometric Pressure:
Rising Barometric Pressure will generally mean that weather conditions are improving.  It will depend on what the pressure is at the start of the rise as to when will be the best time to head to the lake.  I like to wait for the pressure to be at least 29.60 before considering going fishing.  During the rise the fish will start to become more active but you will still likely have to fish in deeper water or around cover that offers the bass protection.  This can be a really good time to fish, but it can also be a day where you get skunked.  As with all the other pressure conditions water temperature and clarity will play a major role in to your method, bait type and bait color.

As you can see there are a lot of factors that play into the location, method, type and color of baits on any given day.   That is why it is such a good idea to keep a fishing log.  In this log record the conditions, methods and baits that worked for you and they will very likely all work again given the same type of conditions.   Also if nothing worked in certian types of conditions then you know it might be best to just stay home and watch movies during those conditions.  The bottom line here folks is there just isn't any one "Perfect Day" for fishing that I can point out for you.  The way I look at it is any day I'm out on the water fishing is a "Perfect Day"!!!!!

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!!