I asked the Kraken Bass community, “What’s your biggest challenge with bass fishing?” A number of responses were concerns about how to identify and find what is best to use out on the water. Here is part two of a five-part series of posts to help with such concerns. This post deals with water temperature and how the water temperature can effect your choice of techniques and baits to consider. This is stuff which has really helped me when out fishing. Hopefully, it will help keep you “Kraken” bass no matter what you are faced with. Enjoy the post!
Knowing what to use when you get out on the water can be a struggle. Once you figure out a few key factors to look for, you can greatly reduce your stress and have more confidence in what you are using. The last post, on Seasonal Bass Behavior, eliminated a lot of techniques based on the time of year. Another key factor discussed in this post is water temperature affects on bass fishing. Both water temperature and the season you are experiencing will play a key part in the algorithm of finding the right bait to get Kraken Bass!
Bass behave differently depending on the type of water temperature they are residing in. The swing in temperatures throughout the year play a huge role in knowing what to use. Bass are cold blooded, so their body temperature and habits are often determined by the water.
Another key factor in water temperature affects when bass fishing is that temperature dictates how frequently a bass will need to feed–how much a bass needs to eat to sustain itself. The colder the water, the less need to eat and feed; the warmer the water, the greater need to eat and feed. You will find the bass fatter in the winter months, because of how slow their metabolism is in the cold water. In the summer months when water temps are at their highest, you can catch some really skinny looking bass because their metabolic rate is so high.
Here’s a quick breakdown of typical water temperature ranges and what styles of baits and techniques seem to work best in these ranges. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are some of the observations I’ve seen others and myself have success with at each listen temperature.
This is cold stuff! A Carolina Rig, a small blade bait, or a hair jig can be good options. Think teeny tiny movements and hope your bait drops right on a bass’ head. It can be tough getting bites in these conditions, but it isn’t impossible. You really need to make sure you have fish in the spot you are fishing. Bass don’t chase bait much when water is this cool.
Still things are cold at this range, but you might get more bites. Try using lipless cranks ripped up from the bottom to get reaction strikes. Plus, jerkbaits and rubber skirted football jigs can be good options in these cool water conditions. The bass aren’t moving a ton, but still might be enticed to eat a little more. Subtle, slow movements are still in vogue for bass at these temperatures.
The bass begin moving around more at these temperatures of 50 – 60 degrees, but still are often found tight to the bottom. Try using drop shot’s, shaky head jigs, and subtle swimbaits. Bass will move out to crush these items in this water temp. Some of my best days on the water are in these 50 – 60 degree temperature ranges. These are usually the water temperatures that indicate a swing in seasons for bass, so they are typically eating up to either prepare for the spawn or the winter depending on when you are fishing.
Fun times can be had in 60 – 70 degree temperatures. The bass are usually chomping pretty well. Throw moving baits like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Once you locate fish, try pitching and flipping soft plastics at them in cover. A wide arsenal of baits will find you bites in these temps. You can be sure bass are needing to eat at these times, so concentrate first on finding them. After that is accomplished, you can use what you like to catch them.
The warmer water temperatures affects on bass fishing makes the bass become super aggressive. This is a good time to bust out your topwater baits. Also, look for bass to hang deep to stay cool. A drop shot or a heavy swimbait are good choices to get down there to catch some fish. Bass become super sensitive to the intense sun from these warm days, so target shade or matted vegetation to find them hanging out to ambush their next meal.
Hopefully, you can take this information about the water temperature affects on bass fishing and use it on your next outing to catch more fish. My first question I always ask when I hear about someone catching bass is, “What was the water temperature?” Getting clued into the water temperature will help you make better technique and bait selections on the water.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog for more solid details to improve your ability to “Krak” bass! Plus, feel free to check out some of my trip reports of different lakes throughout the year. The reports might help you determine some good techniques to use at various water temperatures. You can always glean from my experiences on the water. Thanks for your support!
As Always,
Stay Stoked
The links above and below are affiliate links were you can pick up baits, rod’s, reels, line, and anything else I use to “Krak” some bass with the various water temperature affects on bass fishing. Kraken Bass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits, and gear I personally trust and know work. These links are here to be helpful for you–not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. Hopefully, these products can help you “Krak” some bass! Thank you for your support.
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3 Responses
When water temperature is right at say 70 degrees, which baits would you start with the 70 to 80 degrees or the 60 to 70 degrees range, just wondering, thanks. P.s.love your color chart and tips.
The 70 – 80 degree mark. Great question. Bass are really quite active at those temperatures.