Well its September and Fall is here. Night time temps are droping into the upper 50's to low 60's. We are getting into the time of year were the dreaded turnover puts the big hurt on the bass fishing. Here are a few things to look for and ways to get some fish in the boat even when the bite turns south due to these conditions.
There are scientific words and discriptions of the process like hypolimnion and epilimnion that I could use but lets try to keep it simple. Lake turnover generally occurs on lake Fork around mid to late September. It occurs on any body of water that stratifies during the summer. Basically stratification is when the lake developes layers in the water collum and you have a "thermocline". Warm water near the surface is seperate from a cold deeper layer that is denser and has very little oxygen content. Debris that settles to the bottom does not decompose and builds up. When you get a dip in air temps that cool the upper layer of water to the extent that it is cooler than the lower layer of water it sinks and mixes the lower layer and upper. The matter/debris on the bottom now exposed to oxygenated water starts to decay. This process can lower the oxygen levels rapidly. Signs of turnover on the lake can a foul odor, scum on the surface, small bubbles associated with rotting vegetation giving off gas.
If your like me, these cool temps mean I can finally fish without drowning in my own sweat. So turnover or not its time to wet a hook. The first thing to do when you hit the lake is figure out wht stage of turnover the lake is in. It dosent happen all over the lake at once
Well it’s September and Fall is here. Night time temps are dropping into the upper 50's to low 60's. We are getting into the time of year were the dreaded turnover puts the big hurt on the bass fishing. Here are a few things to look for and ways to get some fish in the boat even when the bite turns south due to these conditions.
There are scientific words and descriptions of the process like hypolimnion and epilimnion that I could use but let’s try to keep it simple. Lake turnover generally occurs on lake Fork around mid to late September. It occurs on any body of water that stratifies during the summer. Basically stratification is when the lake develops layers in the water column and you have a "thermocline". Warm water near the surface is separate from a cold deeper layer that is denser and has very little oxygen content. Debris that settles to the bottom does not decompose and builds up. When you get a dip in air temps that cool the upper layer of water to the extent that it is cooler than the lower layer of water it sinks and mixes the lower layer and upper. The matter/debris on the bottom now exposed to oxygenated water starts to decay. This process can lower the oxygen levels rapidly. Signs of turnover on the lake can have a foul odor, scum on the surface, and small bubbles associated with rotting vegetation giving off gas.
If you’re like me, these cool temps mean I can finally fish without drowning in my own sweat. So turnover or not, it’s time to wet a hook. The first thing to do when you hit the lake is figure out what stage of turnover the lake is in. It doesn’t happen all over the lake at once and can sometimes take weeks to happen if the temps don't drop down for long and things heat back up quickly after a front. One fact of every lake especially lowland lakes that have lots of shallow arms and creeks, shallow water does NOT turn. If it’s shallow there is NO stratification! As a matter of fact these fronts that drop temps can actually improve the bites in the backs of the creeks. Fronts usually bring rain which flows into the upper creeks bringing oxygen and nutrients that stimulate and energize the fish. Shad schools are moving up into the creeks taking advantage of the nutrient rich waters and bass are usually staging up moving into flats and creeks to take advantage as well. Bass in the deeper waters are still there, but they usually get scattered. Whereas the thermocline made it easier to focus on the depths the fish could be found in, now they are scattered even though they still eat they are much harder to locate and even start showing signs of stress. Deep bass will start to lose weight and look unhealthy.
This is a time of the year where you need to cover water fish baits that get reaction bites. You may see bass keying on schools of shad so hard that its difficult to get a bite, you will also see bass get tight to wood on blue bird days. Flipping wood with a jig is one of my favorite things to do when they're tight, I like dark muted colors rather than the brighter colors that you may use in the spring. Black/brown is my first choice going through the fall into winter, Pumpkin is another good choice. When I'm working feeding flats or shallow high spots/points I go to the shad pattern lipless rattle baits or double willow spinner bait with a shad colored skirt. Top water baits any time the bass are shallow can be awesome and sometimes all day. Buzz baits, walking baits, poppers, and frogs can all be big producers. I have been keen on prop baits over the past couple of years like the N-Line Buzz bait by Tightlines. Rip baits like these can trigger some savage bites. When the bass are in a chasing mood and you want something a little different, try the MESU Swim Raptor in shad pattern. This bait comes with an interchangeable TK 120 Trokar hook that swims freely allowing any trailer to have optimum action.
I hope you get out and enjoy these cooler days and don't let the thought of "turnover" keep you off the lake. Knowing your enviroment and how the bass react is half the battle.
Check out the links below for baits mentioned, thanks and be safe!
