Spring bass fishing is around the corner for some (enjoy it Texas) and a faint figment of the imagination for others (anyone up north). Regardless, every state will eventually have their spring bass spawn for both Largemouth and Smallmouth bass. Spring is probably voted the most exciting time to fish for bass. Many large bass seem to appear out of thin air on the spawning beds and then cease to exist the rest of the year. The popular trophy bass legend Dottie, the 25 pound unofficial world record was frequently seen on her spawning bed, but never again the rest of the year. Big bass in small, concentrated areas of water means a lot of fun. But it is not as easy as it sounds. There is a lot of knowledge on the subject of the spring bass spawn. Below are my experiences specific to spring bass spawn locations.

Bass Spawn Temperatures

Bass eggs develop quicker in warmer water, so bass naturally want the water as warm as possible for their spawn. Bass like to spawn in shallow bays which soak up the sun rays most effectively relative to the rest of the lake. The northwest side of the lake is usually the warmest part of the lake. Looking for shallow bays on the northwest side of the lake can’t be a bad place to look for spawning bass.

The premium spawn temperatures vary from region to region, but expect at least some bass to spawn as soon as the water temperatures get to 65°. At 60° the males can be found scouting spawn beds looking for the best spot to defend the nest from sunfish and other predators. These males typically do not grow much larger than two pounds. While the males search for nests the females wait for the right time in the depths, probably no more than 150 feet away. From 55° to 50°, when the water is a bit colder, the fish tend to stage nearby (like in a creek channel or on an adjacent point to a spawning flat) waiting for the waters to warm up. It is not that unusual for fish to move back and forth between staging areas throughout the day. The best fishermen will check and recheck typical spawning flats and holding zones throughout the day, it is only a matter of temperature before they run into the fish. When the water is much below 50° the fish hang out on main points in deeper water close to the spawning flats. The image below is a place I’ve fished spawns before and had great results (click image to enlarge).

Extra Spring Fishing Tips

Lake surface temperature is not equal to deeper water temperature. For example, a trolling motor takes the surface temperature at 61° on a warm spring day. This would mean the bass are on the beds. But this temperature is only the surface temperature, three feet below the water hasn’t soaked up those sun rays and is still 57°, thus the bass are still hanging in deep channels. For this reason some trolling motors have two temperature gauges, one at the surface and another at the base of the motor 2-3 feet below.

These temperature estimations are not absolute. Depending the region, the optimal temperatures may change. Also, Largemouth bass have evolved in such a way that schedules the population to spawn at different times. For example, some bass will spawn at 60° and others will spawn at 68°. This evolutionary defensive mechanism protects the population from natural disasters. Say, for example, a very bad storm front comes through after all bass lay their eggs–the water temperature plummets and all males leave the nests, leaving all eggs to be eaten by predators–the spawn is a disaster. This is why not all bass spawn at once. All bass will spawn over the period of a few weeks to cover for drastic circumstances. I’ve frequently read that the largest females tend to spawn earlier than the rest of the bass.

Spring Spawn Weather

Weather is obviously a big factor for the spring spawn. Keep in mind warm rain will be much more effective at increasing the water temperature than sunlight will. Spring is often a time of cold fronts and unstable weather. The fish will be moving back and forth between spawning and staging areas for weeks. In general though, wait for a few solid days of sunlight and head for a shallow bay! I prefer to search for bass on the beds in the afternoon, giving the sun a few extra hours to warm up the shallows. Dark-bottomed bays heat quicker than lighter colored bays, because the dark color soaks up the heat more effectively like a black car will heat up quicker than a white car left in the sun. Dark-bottomed, shallow, and calm bays, adjacent to large lake points and deep water are ideal spawn locations. Also, lots of shoreline structure is essential. Weeds, brush, logs, laydowns, docks, or anything else the bass will find helpful in defending the eggs against predators are prime bed locations.

A few months back I was standing on a cliff edge overlooking a small lake somewhere in eastern Washington. It was early summer and all the beautiful, but of course I was interested in what I could see in the water from the cliff top. What I saw taught me a lesson about bass fishing and I’m going to share with you what I saw and more importantly what I’ve learned.

My Aerial View

I was on a tall cliff edge that dropped straight down into the water where there was a narrow channel about 5 feet wide that separated this cliff from an expansive and thick weed bed. This thin channel ran about 100 feet along the cliffside, separating the weeds from the cliff all along the way. I had an aerial view on all of the habitat from the cliff-top, which allowed me to view a peculiar bass behavior. After studying the area for a bit I found about four 2-3 pound bass swimming together along this channel. At first I figured I lucked out to see them and they were just moving to another ambush spot. But the bass continued swimming along the channel, and when they got to the end of the channel–they turned around and swam back. I watched these bass swim this 100 foot channel together 3-4 times before I left. Below is a conceptual drawing of this scenario.

As a fisherman, I would have given this area 1–at most 2–casts and moved on (a little confused because the spot looked so good). The reality could have been the bass were in the area I was casting, but due to movement, were there 2 minutes ago and moved too far away by the time I cast. Bass often have a reputation <--(see Food Usage/Selection section) for hiding in an ambush spot and waiting around to strike at unsuspecting prey. While this notion can be correct at times I think it is more of a guideline than anything. Bass are opportunistic and behave by what works best. In this case, these fish found it most beneficial to take the calorie loss and swim the 100 yards back and forth looking for prey. Time and time again I have seen bass lazily swimming along in circular repeated paths. This kind of bass movement happens more than we like to give it credit for.

Bass Movement and You

Bass on the move leads to the idea that occasionally we just get lucky and run into fish! Or other instances we are casting to the right place at the wrong time. How would you like to know that at one of your recent fishing trips you were in the right area, just didn’t hang around long enough to cast at the right moment? That bucketmouth was just in the area five minutes ago! Or perhaps the bass you caught on that dock really wasn’t laying in ambush, but rather on a designated path it commonly follows and you found it at the right moment.

This is not to say all fish are on the move, but what makes fishing so tough is we really don’t know until we’ve amassed hundreds of hours on the water. Pros likely know like the back of their hand when is a good time for fish movement versus lay in wait ambush techniques. This article was designated as food for thought. Perhaps other (not easily seen) patterns are at play under the water. A good way to take advantage of bass on the move is to find the areas they will likely move to and from. From my channel example, grab a heavy bait and cast it as far as you can down the channel and hope you have increased your chances of reeling into the fish! Also, give the spot a few extra casts keeping in mind some fish will rotate back into the area. Sure, this style of fishing takes a little bit longer to fully cover an area but that decision is yours to take. Some Pros say they can fish a 100 yard strip of water for a whole tournament instead of jetting around all over the lake. Pros say that because of reasons like bass movement.