large mouth bass

Question
Why do bass care about feeding in certain fresh water temps.

Answer
Bass, like most fish tend to feed when their metabolism is high and to feed less when it is low.  Warm water tends to increase metabolism but if it gets too hot fish move to deeper water to feed and they are more difficult to find and catch, They do continue to feed.  When water gets cold the metabolism drops drastically and they feed much less. Some fish like trout like cooler water and will feed at a temp in which a bass would not be feeding much. That is why you do not find bass in cold water streams nor do you find trout in lakes and streams that get hot.  I know of a lake in Southern Illinois that has both bass and rainbow trout.  This unusual occurrence is due to the depth of the water in the lake.  The 90+ feet of water stays cool so the trout live down there while the bass live in the upper structures where the water is not cold.  As I said bass feed some even in cold water.  They have been caught through the ice on occasion but rarely.  Keep in mind when fishing if the water is cold in most of the lake it will warm up on a sunny day in the shallows and often the bass will move into those shallows to feed.  Sometimes a difference of one or two degrees will make the difference.

I hope this is helpful.  Thanks for calling on me to answer your question.  If you have future questions I will do my best to answer them.

I am
Jack L. Gaither   (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia