Shore Fishing : Where have the bass gone?

After several weeks of decent to very good action, bass fishing at my favorite spots has gone to spotty, then to dead. Last two times out, not a single bite. Previous two times, I was able to coax 1 fish each time. I mostly fish Texas rigged worm but tried some crankbaits as well. Another guy there was using wacky worm and then switching to throw all sorts of stuff. Nothing for him either.

The water has gotten a foot higher. In my favorite spot, it makes fishing way more difficult and probably scattered the bass, but in the other spots, it shouldn’t have made that much of a difference.

Even the northern bite is down. Yesterday I fished exclusively for them. One fish hooked and fought but not landed. What I could tell is that it was heavier than the usual ones I catch there. And most of the pan-fisherman are gone. Usually there are numerous guys there fishing for crappie and sunnies/bluegills. Only one guy there yesterday, and he caught nothing.

Vegetation is dying near shore especially in bays-water in shallows is getting colder everywhere on the lake. fish are moving to where weeds are green and to where there are are fast breaks to deep water-good luck

Unless you have a fallen tree in the water or docks around you it’s going to be tough. I’d had really good days lately on docks and submerged shoreline structure but the shallower weeds are dying and if there isn’t anything for the bass to find cover in they won’t be there.

My favorite spots were never weedy. My top area is quite rocky. Bass and northerns use rock edges for cover. And the fish are gone. No panfish. No bass. No northerns. My number two area is the downside of a dam. Lots of water turnover. There too, the fish are gone. No panfish. No bass. Only the stray northern is turning up. Seems they all high-tailed it to other areas of the lake, though I haven’t figured out where.

Water temps are dropping and many fish seek deeper, more temperature stable water, as temps drop.

Tried any topwaters? Poppers, Spooks, Ploppers?

I haven’t tried topwaters. Yesterday would have been a good day to try. The water was smooth. Today, not so smooth but I did catch a 24 inch northern on a dardevle. Fished about 30 minutes. Pretty cold. I’ll try some topwater next chance I get.

I tried to solve the mystery of where the bass and northerns might have gone, but have come up empty. I fish the down side of a dam. According to a depth map of the lake, that whole area is less than 5 feet deep. It has an outlet to another lake. But according to the depth map for that lake, max depth is about 5 feet. From there, they can go through a couple of other inlets to equally shallow lakes.

The only deeper water is above the dam. It’s a lowhead dam about 3 or 4 feet high. So short of the fish somehow going over the dam, I can’t see where they might have gone.

I’d fish those inlets into the lakes. Have you tried downsizing your baits/lures? That could also help.