LAKE OCONEE — When I was a young boy picking cotton at my grandfather’s cotton patch, I remember some subtle references to dog days. I remember my granddaddy’s old hound dog that seemed to only want to find a shady tree and sleep. I guess from that that I developed the idea that dog days were just an annual time when it was so hot that nobody or not even an old dog wanted to exert much energy.

For many years after that, I assumed that you could determine when dog days were coming by just watching some old dog. I really thought it had something to do with canines. I wish that I could say that the arrival of dog days got me out of the cotton patch but that did not happen.

Every year about this time, you will hear meteorologist say that we are now in the mist of the dog days of summer. Since my introduction to the dog days from my long ago days in the cotton patch, my understanding evolved to understand that dog days were an July-August event when the highest temperatures of the year occurred and the fish stopped biting almost completely.

But later after some tough days fishing during this period of time called dog days, I decided to do some research and find out exactly what was behind the dog days phenomenon. I would learn that the dog days were actually named after the star Sirius and a dog was indeed involved after all.

Sirius is the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation and that constellation looks like a big dog to the naked eye. The star is brightest during the July-September period when generally the hottest muggiest weather of the summer occurs. In ancient days people thought that when the star Sirius was closest to the sun that the two combined their heat and this created the hottest days of the summer.    

Most everyone agrees now that dog days have nothing to do with any heat that Sirius might produce in conjunction with the sun but the name dog days stuck anyway. Dog days are referred to as a period between late July and early September when the most humid and sultry hot weather occurs in the Northern Hemisphere. This period also ushers in a period of stagnation and inactivity and we are flat dab in the middle of dog days right now.  

I know you are probably asking by now, what does this have to do with fishing and my answer is everything. This dog days phenomenon impacts fish and anglers alike. No one wants to sit through a day of hot humid weather when the fish do not bite. Water temperatures reach the upper 80s to low 90s and oxygen levels become depleted in area lakes during late July and the fish become stressed and inactive.

Fish species in Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair are keenly aware of what is happening and they react. The fish try to locate in a zone of water where the most comfortable temperature and oxygen levels can be found. Last week we looked at how Lake Sinclair and Oconee are negatively impacted by factors like the pump-back operation at the Wallace Dam and the release of hot water from the power plant at Plant Branch. These lakes fail to stratify and produce a level of water where temperatures are lower and the water is well oxygenated.

When the dog days arrive in late July, the fish seemingly disappear in large numbers. I have read all kinds of both scientific and non-scientific theories about the dog day phenomenon and how it affects the fish and many theories deal with water temperature, air temperature and oxygen levels as being the basis for the SLOW fish bite.

While fishing over the past several summers, I have attempted to pay close attention to factors like water temperature, water current and the location of baitfish. Until late July, the largemouth bass were located in good numbers on points, humps and ledges at known hot spot locations throughout the lakes and would readily bite when current was present.

But suddenly toward the end of July, they seem to almost vanish in large numbers from those locations. My theory is that game fish like largemouth bass and hybrid bass scatter and suspend around open water schools of baitfish during the dog days and that makes catching them very difficult especially in those places you normally fish.

During late summer, the water near the surface contains the highest levels of oxygen, so many of the fish will suspend in the upper water column underneath schools of baitfish. Both game fish and baitfish fine this water more comfortable. However, when clear water is also present as it is now in a large portion of the lakes, the fish try to find refuge around shady docks or may just become inactive.

Tough late summer fishing conditions are due in large part to the location of the baitfish and to a lesser degree the conditions of the water and the weather. Game fish are always going to be located near baitfish if possible and will bite if presented with the right lure. They are not going to expend much energy while stressed out so lure presentation is vitally important.

To catch fish during the dog days, you’ve got to fish where the food is located and at times that could be about anywhere on the lake. Good fishing and see you next week.