Latest / Sac-A-Lait Talk / The Oxygen Hunt: Finding Sac-A-Lait in the Late Summer Stagnation
Transcript
- Dwain Turner: Mm-hmm. Cyber's knees rise where the shadows crawl. Moss hangs low like a ghostly shaw. Welcome back to Sakalay Talk. If you are fishing anywhere in the south right now, you know the feeling. It is late August, early September. The water looks like pea soup. The air feels like a sauna, and a Sakalay are crappy, depending on where you're from, have completely vanished from your spring hot spots. A lot of anglers hang up the rods right now and wait for deer season, but you don't have to. Today we are diving into the oxygen hunt. In the late summer stagnation, Sagalay aren't thinking about spawning, and they aren't even primarily thinking about food. They are thinking about survival. They are looking for oxygen. If you can find the air, you will find the fish. Let's break down exactly how to read a stagnant water column and rescue your late summer fishing trips. To catch them, we have to understand what's happening beneath the surface. Right now, lakes and bayes are suffering from severe thermal stratification. The top layer of water is incredibly hot and sometimes pushing ninety degrees or more, hot water holds very little dissolved oxygen. Below that is a transitional layer called the thermocline. Below the thermocline, the water is cooler, but because it has been cut off from the surface all summer, it has zero oxygen. This creates a literal squeeze plate. The fish cannot go deep because they will suffocate. They cannot go super shallow because they will cook. They are forced into a very narrow band in the middle of the water column. Your number one goal on the water today is locating the this line. Turn on your fish finder and crank up the sensitivity or gain. Look for a distinct horizontal line of clutter or or a sudden change in water density. That is your thermocline. Never drop your bait below that line. If you fish the bottom right now, you are fishing a dead zone. So, where do we look if the open lake is a stagnant bowl? You look for external forces that introduce oxygen into the water. Here are the three primary areas you need to pin your GPS. First, current and flow. Even a micro current makes a difference. Look for constriction points, narrow channels, bridge pilons, or the mouth of a small feeder by you. If there is a gentle breeze pushing water through a bottleneck, that movement mixes air into the water. Sacolae will stack up on the down current side of bridge structures just out of the main flow, waiting for bait fish. Second, deep water, cypress and shade. We know Sacole love wood structure, but right now shadow cypress knees are barren. You need to look for isolated cypress tree cypress trees or timber fields that sit right on the edge of deeper drop offs. The shade from a massive tree canopy can drop the surface water temperature by a crucial three to four degrees. Furthermore, living trees emit micro amounts of oxygen through underwater root systems. Focus heavily on the shady side of deep timber. Third, green submerged vegetation. Notice the word green. Brown decaying grass mats consume oxygen as they rot. Avoid them entirely, but fields of healthy, vibrant green contail or mill foil are or active oxygen factories during the day through photosynthesis. Look for grass beds in the eight to twelve feet of water. The fish will bury themselves right in the edges of the green stalks. Now let's talk about presentation. Because late summer Sakalae are notorious lethargic, they will not chase down a fast moving bait. You have to park it in their face. We are downsizing everything. Put away the heavy two inch tubes and one eight ounce jig heads. We are dropping down to a 132nd ounce or even a 164 ounce jig head for plastic. Colors think high visibility in dark water, charcheuse, pink, or a clear plastic with heavy silver glitter to mimic dying shad. If you are using forward-facing sonar, this where you win. Cast past the fish and pull the jig slowly right above their heads. If they are sitting at eight feet over a 14-foot bottom, hold that jig perfectly still at seven feet. If you are fishing traditional tight line or slip cork styles, patience is your best friend. A minnow hook through the back under a slip cork set exactly at the depth of the thermocline is lethal. Let the wind move the cork, do not twitch it. The less action you give it, the more natural it looks to a suffocating fish. My final tip for beating the late summer stagnation is all about timing. The absolute best oxygen levels occur at two times, right at dawn and right when a sudden summer thunderstorm rolls through. A heavy windy downpour breaks the surface tent tension, drops the water temperature, and floods the surface layer with fresh oxygen. If you can safely fish immediately after A summer rain event, you will experience some of the fastest action of the entire year. Stop waiting for the fall transition. Grab your electronics, hunt down the thermocline, target moving water or living green structure, and downsize your presentation. Thanks for tuning in to the oxygen hunt. Get out there, find the air, and case those catch those late summer slabs. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button, leave a comment with your favorite late summer tactic, and we will see you next time on the water. Cyber's knees rise where the shadows crawl. Ma s hangslow like a ghostly shawl. The moon's a land soft and pale. Guiding my steps down a whisky trail Out in the backwoods where secrets grow, the Bayou's whispers on the wild ones know with an alligator grin and a copper steel bride or chasing dreams in the Bayou firelight. Sing deep where the tatail sway Santa Mess rides the human breeze.