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Apparently Wipers feed and grow most actively at temperatures of 77-81°F which is much warmer then the Stripers preferred temperature range of 65-70°F. I'm not sure what the preferred temperature range of the White Bass is. There's a good biology and life history summary for the Wiper at [url "http://srac.tamu.edu/300fs.pdf"]http://srac.tamu.edu/300fs.pdf[/url] . There are several other papers posted at that site ( [url "http://srac.tamu.edu/300fs.pdf"]http://srac.tamu.edu[/url] ) concerning other fish species that may be of interest.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Good reading Rip.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Thanks[/size][/font]
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I found one report on the white bass saying that they tend to prefer water temps from 80-85 degrees and in "turbid" waters, they will seek out more sheltered areas.
The other interesting thing I got from the report is that forage is the single greatest predictor of white bass location, even over structure.
Here is the link for those of you masochistic individuals. The most usefull stuff I found were in the first 2 pages after the table of contents:
[url "http://www.nwrc.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-089.pdf"]http://www.nwrc.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-089.pdf[/url]
See you on the water!
ES
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interesting read. i found at willard the magic number for heavy boils is around 55 to 60 degree temps. i wonder if our wipers are a bit different or something. in the heat of the summer when it is around 70 + degree temps ive always done terrible for wipers. anyone else have experiences with wipers in hot weather and temps?
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The Striper boils at Lake Mead were best at 65-70°F, sometimes a bit above that. 55-60°F seems a bit low for the Wipers. But perhaps the lack of depth, and hence the lack of readily available cooler water, makes the Willard Wipers more active at cooler surface temperatures. If I ever see anything this year that resembles a true boil (fingers crossed), I'll have to pay closer attention to the surface temperature and other conditions.
Concerning boils, I was always told by the old-timer Striper fisherman at Mead that the boils only occurred when the Shad got a bit scarce. In other words, the Stripers could be feeding like crazy and you'd never see a ripple on the surface if they were able to simply turn their head left or right and get a meal. It's when the Shad get scarce that the Stripers would start herding the Shad into the shallows or toward the surface for an ambush meal.
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i had a typo on my post. i meant 60 to 65. though i know nothing about stripers so i cant say either way about wipers and boils if the shad are scarce or not. i do know its been real slow at willard and will stay this way till the water and temps cool.
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All fish have a "preferred" temp range, but that doesn't mean that when the water temps in your favorite lake hit that magic temp that the fishing will be great. When their metabolism is in gear, they HAVE to eat. So they'll hang out in their preferred temperature and move into other waters to feed, then head back to their desired temperature zone.
For example, that monster striper found flopping on the surface of Lake Powell had a preferred temperature range much colder than any of the lake's baitfish. So it lives its life in the deep, cold water and only comes shallow when it has to eat. But if they expend too much energy chasing fish in the warm water near the surface, they might not have the strength to return to their "perferred" deep, cool haunts. That's probably what happened to that one.
Another thing, fish don't choose to boil when the temp is just right. Rather, it's a function of shad size (the young of the year have to grow large enough) and location (the shad must move from their shallow water areas to the main lake). Then boiling is a natural feeding occurance of schooling predators attacking schooling prey.
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I agree Gumbo. If the predator fish can find water that is at their preferred temperature range, that's where they'll hang out, even if they have to temporarily travel into water temperatures they dislike in order to get a meal. However, Willard Bay is very shallow and the surface temperature is fairly indicative (though not exactly the same as) the rest of the water column. If indeed Wipers grow most actively at water temperatures of [size 1]77-81°F, assuming food is available, that is when their metabolism is most active, again assuming no other factors (e.g. turbid water, low oxygen level, etc.) are influencing their feeding behavior.[/size]
I also agree that boils are more a function of Shad size and location rather then water temperature. However, Shad density can be a factor. My choice of the word "scarce" was not a good one. What I meant was "not abundant". Wayne Gustaveson has a great article on Striper Boils at [url "http://www.wayneswords.com/boils.htm"]http://www.wayneswords.com/boils.htm[/url] in which he also points out that Shad density can be a factor.
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