The Bass College

Bass fishing has still been really good even with the hot temps in the 90's and 100's with high humidity in illinois. You just have to catch the fish at the right time. No need to go out and bake all afternoon i would go early morning and late in the evening like 7 or 8pm. Morning time i get to the lake at about 4am and leave around 8 or 9, still gives you a good amount of time to fish and i would start off throwing some topwater baits, what ever you prefer. Spooks, poppers, wakebaits, buzzbaits, ect. they all should work and then you go around with a swimjig later on and really get it moving then kill it and they will hit it on the pause almost every time. can even wake the swimjig and kill it and the bass are usually following right behind it and as soon as you pause that bait bam they smash it. Dont be affraid to go out in the hot weather just go early early morning and late at night and bring and drink plunty of water and you will be good to go!

LOL Sounds like somebody I know. lol Good advice, thats exactly what I have been doing and it works fine.

Delawarebass at July 2, 2012 at 9:45 AM

LOL Sounds like somebody I know. lol Good advice, thats exactly what I have been doing and it works fine.

Haha! that person dosent sound like you does it? lol, yeah iv been catching the better fish on the topwater stuff near rocky shore lines and as the sun comes up i will target the shady side of part of the lake and still get them to hit good on topwaters, then after that i go with the jig and catch the ones that didnt hit the topwaters.

Right. lol 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 29, 2012

CONTACTS:

Chris McCloud

217-785-0075

Low water, hot weather make conditions ripe for fish kills in Illinois rivers, streams and ponds

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The anticipated long stretch of hot, dry weather and low water levels in Illinois will set the stage for fish kills this summer in water bodies from small ponds to large backwater lakes along large rivers in the state. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is already responding to reports of summer fish kills from private pond owners and is anticipating more calls in the coming weeks.

Summer fish kills are reported almost every year and most are caused by low oxygen levels in the water. As temperatures rise and less rain falls, the water levels and oxygen levels drop in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams resulting in increased stresses on fish. Algal blooms are also typical and further deplete oxygen levels in bodies of water.

The IDNR Division of Fisheries receives thousands of calls each year from private pond owners who notice dead fish in their ponds and assume that chemicals may have somehow entered their pond. This is seldom the case. Ninety-nine (99) percent of summer fish kills are due to the natural conditions that have reduced the oxygen levels below what fish can tolerate.

“Typically, the pond owner doesn’t notice anything unusual until one July through September morning, and then fish are either belly up or are gasping for air,” said IDNR Fisheries Biologist Dan Stephenson. “The largest fish are affected first. Generally, pond owners will see the large channel catfish die first, followed by bass then bluegill, and working its way down to the smallest fish as the oxygen levels get lower and lower.”

A summer kill seldom results in 100 percent mortality of the fish in a pond, but may throw the predator-prey relationship out of balance, so future fishery management may be needed to restore that balance, Stephenson added. Local IDNR fisheries biologists can be contacted by pond owners for recommendations if they experience a summer fish kill.

Just like fish kill events in private ponds, summer kills happen in backwater lakes, rivers and streams as fish get trapped in pools that grow smaller and smaller as intense heat evaporates the water. Not much can be done to prevent the fish kill during times of persistent hot weather and lack of rainfall. Farmers and others who handle chemicals or animal manure can take precautions to prevent further impacts to surface waters and fish. They should check for discharges from chemical mixing stations and areas of livestock concentration to make sure those discharges cannot reach ponds and streams, especially in rainfall events.

Delawarebass at July 5, 2012 at 12:54 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 29, 2012

CONTACTS:

Chris McCloud

217-785-0075

Low water, hot weather make conditions ripe for fish kills in Illinois rivers, streams and ponds

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The anticipated long stretch of hot, dry weather and low water levels in Illinois will set the stage for fish kills this summer in water bodies from small ponds to large backwater lakes along large rivers in the state. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is already responding to reports of summer fish kills from private pond owners and is anticipating more calls in the coming weeks.

 

Summer fish kills are reported almost every year and most are caused by low oxygen levels in the water. As temperatures rise and less rain falls, the water levels and oxygen levels drop in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams resulting in increased stresses on fish. Algal blooms are also typical and further deplete oxygen levels in bodies of water.

 

The IDNR Division of Fisheries receives thousands of calls each year from private pond owners who notice dead fish in their ponds and assume that chemicals may have somehow entered their pond. This is seldom the case. Ninety-nine (99) percent of summer fish kills are due to the natural conditions that have reduced the oxygen levels below what fish can tolerate.

 

“Typically, the pond owner doesn’t notice anything unusual until one July through September morning, and then fish are either belly up or are gasping for air,” said IDNR Fisheries Biologist Dan Stephenson. “The largest fish are affected first. Generally, pond owners will see the large channel catfish die first, followed by bass then bluegill, and working its way down to the smallest fish as the oxygen levels get lower and lower.”

A summer kill seldom results in 100 percent mortality of the fish in a pond, but may throw the predator-prey relationship out of balance, so future fishery management may be needed to restore that balance, Stephenson added. Local IDNR fisheries biologists can be contacted by pond owners for recommendations if they experience a summer fish kill.

 

Just like fish kill events in private ponds, summer kills happen in backwater lakes, rivers and streams as fish get trapped in pools that grow smaller and smaller as intense heat evaporates the water. Not much can be done to prevent the fish kill during times of persistent hot weather and lack of rainfall. Farmers and others who handle chemicals or animal manure can take precautions to prevent further impacts to surface waters and fish. They should check for discharges from chemical mixing stations and areas of livestock concentration to make sure those discharges cannot reach ponds and streams, especially in rainfall events.

i was just reading up about this just the other day, I think alot of places are in trouble due to this lack of rain its really bad! Im glad the lake i fish is still very good and have seen no dead fish yet! we got lots of weeds and the very green so i think that helps alot and its a pretty big lake and some pretty deep water as well around 40 feet, so i think the lake i fish will be fine but all these rivers,ponds, smaller lakes and stateparks and stuff are all gonna see fish dying im sure witch really sucks. but all we can do is pray for some rain because we really need it bad! nothing is even growing all the grass is dead and everythings bone dry and its like walking on straw!