When the bait hits the water and DIES! - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

FASTEDDIE29 · #1 07-19-2020, 07:43 PM

Hit the Hybrid grounds with Mikey Saturday. Had quite a few members out there on a beautiful balmy Saturday morning. We all went our own ways and marked the fish pretty good. Some fish were stacked like cordwood but we weren’t catching! 4 boats that usually do very well catching “NOTHING!!!” What’s the problem here? Dying bait! There’s your answer. Bait was lively and lasted in the cooler all day with not many dying despite the heat. Once the bait hit the water in the 6 rod spread it was dying within 5 minutes. Never, ever had this happen before. Very aggravating to say the least. So does anyone have any input on this? Surface water temp was 80-82. The body of water does not have a thermocline as of yet. The body of water is also sick with the HAB. It’s really bad and never went away over the winter. Pretty strange! TIGHT LINEZ!!!

HBird11 · #2 07-20-2020, 02:35 PM

The only way I can ever keep minnows from dying is to slowly warm up the water I keep them in. If you take a minnow out of 40,50,60 degree water and throw them in water 80 degrees it’s to much of a shock and kills them

#3 07-20-2020, 07:42 PM

Completely agree with Hbird11. When herring die due to thermocline, it's oxygen related. When they die up top, it's usually differential in water temps versus temps they're kept alive in. You said the herring were in coolers and probably insulated meaning colder water. Throw a fish which is temperamental to begin with from cooler water into 80 - 82 degree water, it goes into shock. Without knowing, I'd bet Gerry didn't have his herring in an aerated cooler as opposed to maybe a floating bucket or just warm lake water if he didn't experience the same problem.

icebadger · #4 07-20-2020, 07:48 PM

it sounds like the curse of the black mama

Esox Luciano · #5 07-21-2020, 07:47 AM

Gotta be the heat difference that killin them. Have had this happen as well. As least you guys found a couple though. Nice wiper at that too!

thmyorke1 · #6 07-21-2020, 08:59 AM

That's a beautiful smb

Sorry the live bait wasnt cooperating. Hope they do next time! Tight linez

FASTEDDIE29 · #7 07-21-2020, 01:38 PM

Hmmmmm! Like i said this was the first time this has happened. Surface temp 80. We’ve thrown those Herring out without an issue with an 87 degree surface temp. Very strange day on the reservoir. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again.

Capt. Lou · #8 07-24-2020, 08:43 AM

Why wouldn't that reservoir have a thermo cline , which is nothing more then a temp,separation zone
Lack of oxygen killed those herring due to the fact warm water doesn't hold much oxygen !
If you drop the herring into 50-60'degrees water no issue ! The bottom level of thermocline also is drained of oxygen unless lake is very clear and sun can penetrate !
Game fish live in the thermocline due to temps n oxygen ! They do however chase bait outside this range .
Herring will come into different levels at night , my buddy and I,fish a local,lake and get Stripers n Hybrids in shallows at night , they're on herring !
These can range in size to 30# stripes and teen size hybrids !
We caught one last nite in 70 degree water with herring all around ! We do,top water only !
It's winding down for this season due to water temps shallow but if u get a cool nite , rain etc they do come back shallow .
This was a strange year for herring very small sizes and we did not get a fish over 20# ! Big herring runs we always get fish up to over 20#'s every season !

Mikey topaz · #9 07-24-2020, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt. Lou

Why wouldn't that reservoir have a thermo cline , which is nothing more then a temp,separation zone
Lack of oxygen killed those herring due to the fact warm water doesn't hold much oxygen !
If you drop the herring into 50-60'degrees water no issue ! The bottom level of thermocline also is drained of oxygen unless lake is very clear and sun can penetrate !
Game fish live in the thermocline due to temps n oxygen ! They do however chase bait outside this range .
Herring will come into different levels at night , my buddy and I,fish a local,lake and get Stripers n Hybrids in shallows at night , they're on herring !
These can range in size to 30# stripes and teen size hybrids !
We caught one last nite in 70 degree water with herring all around ! We do,top water only !
It's winding down for this season due to water temps shallow but if u get a cool nite , rain etc they do come back shallow .
This was a strange year for herring very small sizes and we did not get a fish over 20# ! Big herring runs we always get fish up to over 20#'s every season !

Just weird ! Never had this issue in the past and water was just as if not warmer.....????