Power Plant Bass Movement

[Bassn7]

Do the bass in a power plant lake move into the areas with the warmest water or do they simply follow their normal movements based on seasons? Basically, will their be a higher concentration of bass on the warm water side of a lake in the winter than any other time of the year?

 

[dingbat]

Depends on water temps...bass do not congregate for warm water....

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Depends on water temps...bass do not congregate for warm water....

Maybe not Large Mouth but Smallies do go for the warmer water. They did here at the Nanticoke Hydro plant until they shut down. They could have been feeding on the smaller Perch that were drawn to it. So the answer comes with an asterisk perhaps.

 

[dingbat]

Maybe not Large Mouth but Smallies do go for the warmer water. They did here at the Nanticoke Hydro plant until they shut down. They could have been feeding on the smaller Perch that were drawn to it. So the answer comes with an asterisk perhaps.

Fish are drawn to a hydro plant to feed on the aquatic life grind up in the turbines. The presence of gulls is the give away. If the dam is generating, the dinner table is set.

In comparison, the draw of a warm water plant (coal fired or nuclear) is the warm water of the discharge. When the surrounding waters are cold, the bait congregates in the warmth of the out take which inturn draws the larger fish into feed.

Fishing these areas is seasonal with the best fishing coming at times of large temperature differentials between out take and surrounding water. A temperature differential of 20 degrees F is ideal

February to March is prime time around here. The 17 mile run from the closest marina keeps participation rates low for all but the hardiest. The rewards for making the trip can be high. Some of the largest fish of the year are caught at this time.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Fish are drawn to a hydro plant to feed on the aquatic life grind up in the turbines. The presence of gulls is the give away. If the dam is generating, the dinner table is set.

In comparison, the draw of a warm water plant (coal fired or nuclear) is the warm water of the discharge. When the surrounding waters are cold, the bait congregates in the warmth of the out take which inturn draws the larger fish into feed.

Fishing these areas is seasonal with the best fishing coming at times of large temperature differentials between out take and surrounding water. A temperature differential of 20 degrees F is ideal

February to March is prime time around here. The 17 mile run from the closest marina keeps participation rates low for all but the hardiest. The rewards for making the trip can be high. Some of the largest fish of the year are caught at this time.

Yes I agree 100%. Some of the best fishing in my area came at the Coal fired plant here at Nanticoke Ontario. It is a just few klics from the marina. The last turbine was taken off line about 5 years ago. Early spring and late fall it was a fish factory. From Salmon to Pike and all panfish were available. Never caught a Walleye here though. The 2 monstrous stacks are slated to fall this February. Many of us used the stacks to position our long line trawling routes. They could be seen across the lake in NY and PA from the I-90 if conditions were right. Many fishing guys are wondering what they will use as a beacon, get GPS I say. The joke here was if someone asked you where you got them nice fish you said "straight off da stacks Brudder."