higher density of fish with low dam levels?

[nail]

Is this true that it is easier to catch fish when the dams are more dry?

[Leigh77]

well, it may be easier to find them, as they have less areas to hide in...

But that doesnt mean they will be easier to catch. Overall I would say that its not easier to catch them when the dam levels are low...because there are heaps more factors that come into account as well.

[Peter4]

My understanding is that while the fish are concentrated in a smaller area, so are the bait fish and other critters that they eat.

This means that getting a feed is easier for them and as a result fish do not bite or take lures as readily.

Pete

[Thepato]

I agree. I usually find it easier to catch fish when the dams are full. Usually when a dam is full the water level is stable and this supports good weed growth. This in turn brings the fish closer to the edges where I like to fish.

[clinker]

Hi Guys
So your theory goes, we have 10,000 fish in lake hume, when its full its massive, now we have it at 2% capacity and its really small. So your right the reality is we should cast in and hit fish on the head with a sinker hey.

Problem is that nothing is being caught, hasnt been good catches up here for months.
Trev

[kevin jackson]

Fish are harder to catch in low dams i feel. I did here a theory, as the dam get low the fish go into shutdown mode to conserve energy, which makes them not to eat or are generally not as active.

[ssab1]

i'll go with peter4,the food is also concentrated and the fish feed up,cheers alex

[WorthyStar007]

HI i reackon it's much easier to catch fish when the dam levels are lower, i reackon lower the better becuase you have less water to work with so the fish are all in the one area i wish the dam levels would get lower and lower becuase i am having a field day with all the fish i have been catching lately hehehe!!!

[Smithy]

I'm with Kevin. They sense the dropping water levels and shut down. Have a talk to a hatchery operator. They have trouble inducing the fish with hormones when they try to bread them during poor conditions. Mother nature is an amazing thing!

[Stumpy-USA]

I'm no expert on this subject but from what I have learned the lower the water the slower the fishing.

As water levels drop on a lake it also gets clearer and hotter. No inflowing water to give it color and less volume to surface area means it warms up quicker. Warm, clear water is often the hardest to catch a fish in.

Another thing to consider is lack of offshore cover. Most of the fish holding cover is in shallower water near drop offs, points, and such. When the water drops this cover becomes less attractive to the fish so they move offshore and suspend in the water column. When they do this they become very inactive, feeding only once every few days.

Over here, during summer, our bass will congregate in large schools of hundreds of fish and suspend 40 feet deep in 150 feet of water. When I see this on my electronics I don't even try to fish for them. They are almost impossible to catch.
Once it rains and new water comes into the lake they move to the shore and feed like crazy for a day or two.

[goddy100]

The fish are still there, just in different spots. I found with barra any rapid change in level will put them off, but low levels didn't seem to affect them as such. One thing I found though is that they will find new spots to hang out at.
An example of this is a particular small lump on the bottom that I fish when the dam is low. It has about 3m of water over it and fishes well. When the dam is full, it has about 10-12m over it, and is always barraless, never even bother when full. The fish will move to new spots and new areas (wherever the food is).
So, some people find it hard to fish when water levels low, because they have to find all new spots and sometimes even new methods to get the fish to bite.
It can be like starting all over again.

Goddy

[brian steele]

Dissolved oxygen levels have a big bearing on fish behaviour, warm water/ low water level = low oxygen = lethargy.

Big downpour/ big wind = increased oxygen level = increased activity

Pom