Panfish's lockjaw based on weather conditions

[Leo Nguyen]

It's been tough lately at the local lake that I'm at for fishing. I checked and rechecked my personal fishing database, and found some odd discrepancy in my finding for fish biting periods, especially cold seasons. Please, chime and in a correct me when I'm wrong:

Gills:

- Temperature change within 3 days in period, with a 5°F shift from warm to cold and cold to warm, feeding stops (lockjaw?) until temperature become stable, or at least temperature shift is in tolerable range between 1 to 2°F.

Redears:

- Not sure what's the deal with these fishes. They eat regardless of the temperature shifts, and I absolutely have not caught enough of them throughout the year to collect the data.

Crappies:

- Temperature change within 1 days in period, with a 7°F shift from warm to cold and cold to warm, feeding stops (lockjaw?) until temperature become stable, or at least temperature shift is in tolerable range between 2 to 3°F. However, I manage to land a crappie out of nowhere during a troll back to shore using a floating crankbait Rapala X, shimmering colors. That threw me off completely.

Recently, I literally was on top of the huge underwater habitat, 20ft down, dense with panfishes. Tossed everything down, scents and plastics of all sorts, yet, not even a nibble. Tossed the hoard of 25+ crickets twice on the surface to attract them, and not even the basses want to come up and chomp on them. Use every sort of rigs I could come up with, soaked the line for over 2 hours, and absolute nothing. Not just one habitat, but several with dense population. Temperature at the surface was 53°, bottom was 56°. Thermocline on that day was 16ft down, at 54°. Before that, surface was 47°, bottom was 54°. Thermocline at 14ft, 51°.

A few others that I know off use dropshot rigs, and jigs. They landed a few redears, and gills ear the shoreline. Okay..I'm absolutely baffled. Anyone has knowledge to share about this scenario?

Leo

[Jim Ducy]

  Well I have different idea!! ?? That's why spooning sounds so logical to me or and type of fishing that puts the lurer or bait in the feeding zone the fish prefer at the time when I am fishing. Fishin' Jimmy

PS You would be suprised how many times you can get a topwater hook-up in cold weather just before Ice-up- Blue Gill are no dummies they put on the feed bag before ice-up. size 10-12 poppers or dry flies work GREAT. Hint put a strike indicater 30" from fly to help you see strike.

 

aka Jim Ducy

[Dwayne Denison]

Leo, has the water depth changed any during these periods? Do you know the barometer reading? or if it is up or down?

[Leo Nguyen]

Hey Jim, it will be a very cold day in California before the lakes in the valleys ice up. Just nice frosts, but no ice. Will keep the top action in mind though.

Dwayne, there has been a few feet of water increased in the past 3 weeks due to rain. In flux of rain water will cause heavy temp shift and thermocline. Barometer has a heavy shift from 32 to 60 and down to 18 at times. Major baro shift before the rains and during odd wind sheers from the seasonal conditions. That's why I'm curious the lockjaw effects.

[Timbaux65]

Defintely right.

All my saltwater (speckled trout,redfish, drum) buddies laugh when they hear of talk like what you just said.. but we know its true.

A cold front is a disaster down here in the bayou and swamps. Sudden changes are common and it kills the fishing.

just like u said, i might catch ONE sacalait (crappie) straggler... the fish dont bite

What we call goggle-eyes,, warmouth i think they are called elsewhere..they seem to bite consistently , less prone to weather changes.

good post, bro.

[Leo Nguyen]

Tim, trust me when I say, I got plenty of those sarcastic laughters all the time here with the boys. We have a small scientific minds that love to fish, and try to solve the mystery to tye lockjaw effects so we fan fish even when heavy shifts occurs. We always end up answering questions about lockjaws to enquiry minds that laughed at us. Go figure. By the way, I may be able to introduce a natural extract from the roots that will trigger the bites and end the lockjaw effect. Still being tested, but need more info. Same chemicals can be found from rotting fishes.

[Timbaux65]

very interesting post, Leo. One thing they really on me about is the size of fish we catch. We lose a few lures a day and then the fish we catch rarely weighs more than a pound.

 

Truth is, a freshwater fisherman has to be a complete fisherman, the whole nine yards. My freshwater friend casts out his line, sticks the pole in the ground..sits there..the fish hooks itself, he stands up and reels it in. To me, thats kind of boring. I like what we do.

[Dwayne Denison]

Leo, I will look through my logs and see if I can find anything. Here in Southern IL, high pressure and higher water. the fish get lock jaw, sounds like what is going on with you. Do you remember if any clouds out on bad days?

[Leo Nguyen]

Dwayne, it varies. Cloudy day before rain, high water from last rains, cold front kicked in like crazy. Temp different from surface and bottom has a 6° to 9°. The day I was there recently, nice glorious sunshine, temp flux around 3° between surface and bottom, and water risen by 4ft.

Glad to know that there are data loggers out there. I thought I'm one of those nutty scientists that do this because it's my nature. Looks like there are plenty of enthusiasts with the hunger for knowledge.

[Dwayne Denison]

Leo,

I been looking over my notes and have a couple questions.

(1) Have you been having a mild fall?

(2) Have there lots of cold fronts,followed by longer periods of unseasonable warm weather?

(3) Does lake go through, a fall turnover?

(4) is thermocline higher, than normal?

 

I think this will help us both out.

 

Thanks

Dwayne

[Leo Nguyen]

Dwayne, you are truly a freaking info monster! Love it!

1. Yes. I have several instances of mild fall to even extreme fall due to the odd weather patterns Cali created. Occurances are becoming quite the norm lately.

2. You got it. Cali is known for odd weather temp shifts, from sudden hot to sudden cold. The fronts would come in, may not rain, then a sudden warm trend that may exceed prior years heat levels for a few days by 5 to 12 degrees.

3. Lake continually go through turn overs when heavy temp shifts by 12 degrees for more than 14 days. The lake under went turnover in mid of Nov, creating a dead fishing period during high wind conditions.

4. Thermoclines shifted about 3 to 5 ft based on the atmospheric temp in comparision to bottom. But, yes, there is a 4ft rise on the shallow areas, and a 12ft for the deeper areas.

Excellent note taking. You truly know your waters' changes.

[Dwayne Denison]

Leo.

I live in Southern Illinois, and we are going throught pretty much them same as you in Cali. We have been having days that are 50-55, with nights  between 25-35. Also lots of one and two day cold fronts and rain. Then 3 to 5 days for warm weather. The water level is up and down from 16" to 28" weekly. Most water here have a long lasting, fall turn over pattern, for the winter months. Are fish are like yours, in a lock jaw period. The fish seem to feeding in a winter pattern after fall turn over. Here the turn over produces huge amounts of plaktoon, which is easy for the fish to feed on, so they will not bite any larger bait. Are lakes and fish are in a confused period, they cannot seem to figure out if it is sping or fall. I the last two weeks, we have had 7 days of ran and warm fronts,daily highs have been from 33 to 66. Nights have been from 21 to 47. Are weather is really messing things up. Normally we have hard on some of the smaller lakes arounf here.The only way I have been catching anything is by drop shot or carolina rigging small plastics.I guess the old wives tell about wooly worms was right this year. Are worms were almost blond this year. We are hillbillies and rednecks here, so in case you dont know about the worms. the tale go the lighter the hair on the worm in early fall, the miler the winter. If the hair is dark)like it was last year) the longer and colder and lots of snow. Last year at this time full ice over on lakes. I have tried every thing in tackle box on them this year. The crappie are biting, but not the gills. Best thing I have found is a 1" Charlie brewers slinder, rigged carolina style. Hope some of this helps...Dwayne

[Dwayne Denison]

Leo, Has anything changed? Good moon coming late in week, maybe things will change. Another front and winds from east arn't helping either. Was 56 today, last year at this time 40 days of ice over.