Cold weather dominates fish and anglers

Fishing conditions for the remainder of the week will remain constant because of the weather providing a consistent pattern - colder-than-normal temperatures, high of 60, low of 38, WNW winds at 10-20 mph, all producing water temperatures between mid-to-lower 50s and upper 50s.

For the next four days both the lunar and solar influences work in collaboration with the weather influences and this will result in fish migrating into feeding areas during the early afternoon in search of the warmest water available.

The major feeding migration of the day will therefore occur from noon to sundown for the rest of the week. The feeding intensity will be strong, reaching a 1-10 scale rating of 8 today, a 9 tomorrow and then a daily gradual decline by one number.

The duration goes the opposite direction and is short lived today with a peak period lasting only 30 to 60 minutes. Tomorrow and for the rest of the week, as water temperatures slowly climb back towards the 60s, the peak period will increase in duration while losing intensity due to an early morning bite developing for next week.

There is a minor feeding migration today during the morning from the hours of sunrise to 9 a.m. A very weak peak period might occur at 8 a.m. and last for 30 minutes, but I doubt it. This migration will see improvements each day over the next 10 days as the sun and moon trigger more and more fish to feed at this time of day. Hopefully the water temperatures will rebound enough during this time to help promote the migration to majority status for next week.

Nighttime anglers really don't have much of a feeding migration when the weather is as it has been-too cold. With only three days since the weak new moon there just isn't any favorable fishing influences working to benefit nighttime fishermen.

Fishing facts

The abnormally cold winter season anglers have do deal with this year has hurt the early morning anglers the most. Normally when the sun and moon work to create an early morning feeding migration the water temperatures are in the lower-to-mid 60s.

So far this winter the average is at least 10 degrees cooler which is just enough difference to cause many of the fish to not need as much food. And when their metabolisms are at a daily high speed it happens to occur in the afternoons. Twelve hours later digestion is still not complete and therefore less fish feed in the early mornings and those that do feed, do so slowly looking for small meals that don't require much energy to eat.

Fishing formula

The formula for success on the colder-than-normal water depends on whether or not the angler locates the warmest water within the normal feeding areas. It is hard enough to locate the feeding areas that fish are presently using, but now the additional challenge of learning that entire feeding area's characteristics is the key to success. When you find the warmer spots within the feeding area, you'll increase your results significantly.

Fishing fiction

"Because of the extremely cold Florida winter this year many of the bass in our lakes died and that's why we haven't been catching fish like we normally have over previous years."

I have heard of cases where some bass have died in smaller lakes with hard sandy bottoms - which do not hold heat like mucky bottoms do. However all lakes considered, the bass populations has not been hurt enough to change significantly the number of bass who will remain healthy and eat in temperatures in the lower 50s.

Consider for instance the bass tournament results on some of the more heavily fished lakes. Out of 30 teams, 10 catch a five-bass limit, and half of them have a total weight in double digits, and three of the five are over 20 pounds. Granted there are one-third of the contestants registering goose eggs and one team with 11 pounds consisting of two bass (one just under 10 pounds, and one dink), but the point is no one is reporting seeing dead bass while reporting that they can't find any bass

The fact is, bass don't feed much in water temperatures in the lower 50s, and it's biologically understandable in the cold blooded animal world, but if water temperatures remained for too long in the lower 40s there might be a measurable bass mortality rate for some lakes.

Fishing flash

Lake Istokpoga's level today is at 39.45' above sea level. All three S-68 spillway gates were open a half a foot yesterday as the northeasterner wind pushes six inches of additional water depth along the southeastern and south shorelines - 39.5 feet above sea level is the max height for the lake because of too many homes being built too low for sewage systems to properly work if the lake rises above 40' abs.

Tournament news

The Monday Morning Lake Josephine Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public and launches every Monday morning at 8 a.m. with weigh-in at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $10 per boat with a "winner-take-all" payout. One person or two per boat, three legal (more than 14 inches) bass per boat, and one bass over 22 inches per angler. For information, call Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 (home) or 863-273-4062 (cell).

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Tournament will be on Lake June today, and next week's event, Feb. 24, is on Crooked Lake. Launch time is 7:30 a.m. and weigh-in time is at noon. Entry fee is $30 per boat to be paid at the ramp. For complete information, call Paul Tardiff, home: 863-385-8007, cell: 863-273-4062, or Dwight Ameling at 863-471-3305.