TYLER, Texas — The warmer than average afternoon temperatures that have continued into the middle of October are making for some challenging days on the lake.
The changing temperatures, from cool mornings to warm afternoons, is making the fish fickle.
We recently spent a day on Cedar Creek Lake with Herbeck's LoneStar fishing guide - Brent Herbeck - trying to catch White Bass and Hybrids, and the fishing was tough.
“We're in this little transition with some cooler weather,"Herbeck said. "And all of a sudden, they kind of shut down. But we found them yesterday, but you got to work for them. You get to a spot, and you don't catch them for 15 minutes. You got to move."
And we had to move. We hit at least a half dozen spots on this trip. But everywhere we stopped, this particular bait worked. Herbeck showed us these little lures that mimic small shad.
“Last week, we're out, and the fish started schooling, and it's little, tiny, micro shad that are coming up,"Herbeck said. "So, they're feeding on little, tiny baits right now."
The finicky fish are reluctant to chase, so we go with a slower retrieve -- a method, Cliff Holubec, on the boat with us on this trip, could teach a master class in.
“You can see it hit the bottom", Holubec said. "And then just let it stop, so that it the line goes slack. And then just roll it again, about three or four cranks, maybe, and then let it go back down to the bottom, and be ready on the, on the on the fall, especially these hybrids, they'll hit that bait when it's falling”.
This technique comes with pitfalls. Dragging the bait across the bottom can mean more snags. I asked Holubec if he was worried about getting snagged.
"You're going to get snagged, but if you do, we will go get it off," Holubec said.
The bottom of the lake isn’t as deep as it was two months or even a month ago. And may drop more if we don’t get some rain. Herbeck urges caution when boating.
“Small little humps come up, and there are sandbars," Herback said. "Boats run through them, and they get stopped really quickly. So be careful when out there. Make sure you're looking at your GPS. If you don't have a GPS, stay out in the middle of a lake."
The warmer temperatures are holding the water temps higher, and the fish deeper and the fish aren’t aggressive. That will change soon. Longer nights and shorter daylight hours mean water temperatures will drop.
"The next month, it's probably going to drop somewhere down in the 70s," Herbeck said. "I think the bigger hybrids and the wet batch are going to mound up on the humps like they did last fall. We'll be using umbrella rigs, maybe some bigger baits."
We should probably enjoy these warmer fall days because November and December will bring colder air and water temperatures. It'll be time to bundle up and take a different approach when trying to have a good day on the lake.