Where have all the Smallmouth Bass gone..... Coastguard Maneuvers?

fishing diva

fishing diva

Well-Known Member
Many of us anglers have been discussing the lack of smallies this year in Longpoint Bay this season.. After originally cursing an east wind, rain, then record heat; a fellow fisherman blaims the Coastguard doing their rescue maneuvers for several weeks on the bass breeding grounds prior to opening day. I myself watched the coastguard on several occassions, taking off and landing a large plane for hours on the inner bay in the restricted fishing areas. Smallies are easily spooked and could have been frightened off of their nests prematurely. This makes sense that there are hardly any smallies around. I fished the Bay of Quinte last week, which experienced similar weather conditions as here and yet there were tons of Bass. I am NOT suggesting that the coastguard quit doing their exercises....just asking them to do them elsewhere. There is lots of water out there! What are your thoughts?
 
I think I'd be more worried about people keeping limits of slow growing smallmouth than the coast guard doing exercises. I really doubt the plane had a noticeable effect on numbers of fish in the bay. And I'd bet the heat is a big factor as well....

Josh
 
Dutchhunter said:
People have been keeping limits of smell mouth bass for many many years.
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Yup, that's why the rest of Erie produces giant smallmouth in huge numbers but the bay has a much smaller average size...I really could care less either way, Bass fishing doesn't interest me at all. I was just stating that there's bigger things to do worry about than the coast guard doing training exercises ;)

Josh
 
@stomp ... We are here on vacay for the week.... Pike fishing has been great always enough for supper.... Just can't seem to find any bass.... Any help would be appricated
 
Josh Roelofsen said:
I think I'd be more worried about people keeping limits of slow growing smallmouth than the coast guard doing exercises. I really doubt the plane had a noticeable effect on numbers of fish in the bay. And I'd bet the heat is a big factor as well....

Josh
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The heat has affected most of Ontario....tons of bass north east and up north where I was all last week and temps reached the same as here. You are lucky to get a bite here.
 
Inner bay temps are 80 degrees find cooler water and you’ll have better luck. Charters are outside the inner bay , we fished deep water and ended up with 22 nice smallies not great but decent. Really have to work for them this year.
 
The numbers were lot there even when the temps were cooler and prime . The nests were no doubt disturbed and probably played a role. Bad year class maybe as well and the bay is changing constantly. Usual spots did not produce . Had to work to every smallie hit . Scattered and unsettled weather didnt help
 
fishing diva said:
The heat has affected most of Ontario....tons of bass north east and up north where I was all last week and temps reached the same as here. You are lucky to get a bite here.
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Northern lakes are a completely different ball game than Lake Erie. Fishing is 90% location, find the fish and you should be able to get them to bite. Your success in a northern lake has zero effect on how whether you'll catch fish on lake erie. Not sure why you would correlate them at all!? If your not fishing where the fish are your pretty well gonna be out of 'luck' as as some would call it....tho successful anglers don't rely on luck too much ;)

Josh
 
While it's a different ball game yes, the numbers are not present in the bay like they should be even when temps were down. Yes they move deeper and to the rock piles but they were pushed out earlier than usual or they were not even there to begin with. Angling skill doesn't replace numbers. I'll use Glasgow as an example. Tons of perch years ago. Skilled and non skilled caught limits . Now ? Not even sure they fish for perch anymore there . Lake evolves and changes even season to season .
 
I fished the LPBAA spring pike tourney with my son. We caught a dozen small mouth over the course of 3 hours. Two weeks later was again fishing pike near old cut and caught a dozen smallies. I have never caught so many as a by catch and it has been years since I have caught them like that. I grew up on the bay, I’m 58, and I think like others that the heat is driving them deep. It’s normal that they vacate the bay, just usually closer to August.
 
Caught one on the North Channel early and saw a couple of others caught there @fishing diva . Maybe try along the north shore in 8 to 13 ft. of water.
 
I fished the opener like i have in the past 40 some years and we still found the fish. the highwater had a lot to do with it. i fished the next week following the opener and did really well in shallow and i watched all the boats going deep knowing the fish were in the bay still . The smallies were mostly all BIG this year and spawned out .

Capt.Blastr
 
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