Originally Posted by
doggone
Oxygen
water clarity
water temp stability
movement of plankton ie movement of baitfish
Fish move to depth for stability in water temp and oxygen.If the bait is readily available they will have a tendency to stay there all things being equal,but sunfish are not open water proficient feeders with the stamina to constantly chase down their prey like a striped bass. So when they get hungry they will move to shallow water to enable them to use their short burst speed capability. If the baitfish or other food source are there or have moved there also. That's another reason sunfish like crappie,bluegill,and bass ,like structure,to enable them to ambush their prey with short burst.
When you see fish pushing baitfish to the surface,they are using the surface as a means to get the baitfish to turn and slow down so they can catch them.They use the bank,weed beds,etc for the same purpose.They sort out the weaker slower fish first. They are the ones on the outside of the baitball typically because the stronger fish have pushed their way to the middle.
I have broke ice with the boat to then catch fish in shallow water,but typically that will happen when that shallow water has warmed to match the deeper water or at least close.
Also it takes some turbidity in the water or a dark bottom to allow shallow water to warm sufficiently in the winter.Ultra clear water will generally keep the fish deeper.
Rivers and lakes with current have a more widely distributed oxygen and temperature dispersion so fish can stay deeper much of the year,and fish use bottom structure to hold against the current
At any given time their are typically some fish deep. Not all fish move together,not all fish feed together or at the same time ,and year classes of fish will be in different places sometimes
Baitfish follow the plankton.Fish follow the baitfish except when using other food sources like insect hatches,crayfish,etc. Shad are the predominant food source now on almost all bodies of water.Was not always like that,fish use to be shallow more when their predominate food was minnows,fish fry,crayfish,sunfish. The metabolism determines how much the fish has to eat to survive.Water temp plays a role in the metabolism more in some fish than others.
Not all fish are always doing the same thing,all the time.Though sometimes they come close.
Oh yeah,seasonal light changes and the barometer also play into effect of course. Why.....it affects the plankton movement too.
Hows that? A lot of hooey you think?