Shallow Water Fishing

As we move into the last part of the summer fishing gets tough, the deep water is hot in water temperature, the bass are lethargic and getting a bite can be tedious work. Sometimes the answer is not where you might expect it; as many times the bass have moved into very shallow water. Yes many times the fish by the end of August or early September are in two to four feet of water and you抮e out working the river channel wondering why you can抰 get a bite. Many times the fish out deep are suspending and just trying to get oxygen and just will not bite.


The answer is not where you might expect it, but the reason is sound and deserves some clarification. One thing that many people do not realize is, as the water heats up in the deep the oxygen in the water actually depletes and the bass move to the shallow water especially where the grass is rotting and dying off from the hot sun. The reason is the presence of dissolved oxygen; you see the rotting of the grass and the foaming and nasty coloring actually tell you that the grass as it dies produces oxygen; yes dissolved oxygen comes from the presence of dying plants and bass need the dissolved oxygen to stay active.


The presence of dissolved oxygen on the surface weeds is a factual biological process that occurs in shallow lakes where grass is present the chemical makeup of a water molecule is hydrogen and oxygen; as plants die in water they enhance the oxygen in the water and bass move to it to gain energy and feed. Surface water run-off from rain and streams also enhance the dissolved oxygen level along the bank. You ever wonder why that big blow up through the grass comes from two feet of water after a frog is so impressive, well its simple the oxygen aids the bass activity allowing them to feed with energy. Going shallow in the late summer can make you a more informed fisherman and get you fishing where the fish are.