When Do Bass Spawn In Maryland?

30.11.2022 Irving S. Martin 0 Comments

Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides Key Distinguishing Markings:

Largemouth Bass can be recognized by the lower jaw which extends past the back edge of the eye. It is dark green above with silvery sides and belly. A dark stripe runs across its body.

View the Largemouth Bass Gallery Distribution:

Orginally, Great Lake and Mississippi River basins; the species is now found throughout North America and the world. Largemouth Bass is found in all waters of Maryland from freshwater to brackish (a mix of fresh and saltwater) waters.

Size:

Largemouth Bass has been known to reach a weight of over 20 pounds.

Habitat:

Largemouth Bass is found in all waters of Maryland from freshwater to brackish (a mix of fresh and saltwater) waters. They like large, slow moving rivers or streams with soft bottoms. They especially like clear water.

Spawning:

Largemouth Bass spawns as early as March or as late as June, depending on water temperature. The males build saucer shaped nests 20 – 30 inches in diameter. The male guards the nest and eggs from all intruders, until the fish hatch. Largemouth Bass may live for 13 years.

Fishing Tips:

These fish are an extremely popular sport fish. They are excellent fighters when caught on light spinning tackle. Good baits for catching largemouth bass include live minnows, night crawlers, and a variety of artificial lures. Popular methods of fishing are fly-fishing, bait casting, or bottom fishing. For current recreational size and creel limits, see Maryland’s updated regulation page,

Fun Fact:

This species is considered the most popular sportfish in the United States. Largemouth Bass fishing tournaments have become very popular in recent years.

Family: Centrarchidae (Sunfishes) Order: Perciformes (perch-likes) Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) For information concerning largemouth bass and their management, please contact Mary Groves at 301-888-2423 or Joseph W Love at 410-260-8257. Illustration Courtesy of Duane Rivers, USFWS

Contents

1 How do you know when bass are spawning?
- - 1.0.1 What month is spawning season for bass?
- 1.1 At what temperature do bass start spawning?
2 What time of year does largemouth bass spawn?
3 What month is best for bass fishing?
- 3.1 Do bass remember being caught?
4 Will bass bite while spawning?
- 4.1 Where can I find bass spawning beds?
  - 4.1.1 What triggers bass to spawn?
5 What triggers largemouth bass to spawn?
6 Do bass like colder or warmer water?
7 What is the best bait for bass right now?
8 How long does the bass spawn last?
9 Where do bass go after spawn?
- 9.1 How long does it take for bass to spawn?
- 9.2 What depth do bass spawn at?
10 What triggers largemouth bass to spawn?
11 What is the best bait to use when bass are spawning?

How do you know when bass are spawning?

The Bass Spawning Season – Bass spawning season is very predictable, because bass do the same thing every year in three basic stages, Bass spawn begins when waters start warming up. The first stage is called the pre-spawn stage, when bass move toward shallow flats from their deeper wintering areas.

What month is spawning season for bass?

For most of the country, mid-March through late May is bass spawning season for and it’s one of the most exciting times of the year for anglers. The temperatures are warming up, the water is becoming more active, and we’re starting to see people out on their boats again.

With this time comes unique but interesting bass behaviors.
Over the winter, they’ve been slow, sluggish, and not interested in feeding any more than necessary.
Once the water temperature reaches right around 60 degrees is when the bass are triggered to start spawning and for most of us, this occurs in spring.

One of the keys to becoming a successful bass angle r is playing whatever it is the bass are doing. Weather is a critical factor and the more you understand about it, the higher rate of success you’ll have when you hit the water again in the spring.

At what temperature do bass start spawning?

Bass spawn in waters that range anywhere from 55 to 80 degrees, which is a 25-degree range of possible temperatures.

What time of year does largemouth bass spawn?

Largemouth bass generally spawn during late winter in the southern regions of the U.S., and during late spring in the northern parts. The one factor that most influences spawning activity is water temperature.

What month is best for bass fishing?

The weather is best in April (for the bass and the fisherman!) – I think by now you see why I love bass fishing in April so much. The fish are easy to catch, nice and big, and easy to reach. But just to add a little cherry on top, the weather in April is great for fishing.

For both the bass, and the angler! I don’t know about you, but by February I’m done with winter. And it’s just hitting it’s coldest part. Snow, freezing rain, and the like are great at first. But eventually I just want to go back outside again without 3 layers and a beanie. April is when it just starts getting warm enough you feel like you can come out from hibernation.

And there is nothing more enjoyable than going out to a lake in April. The trees are just starting to get their leaves. Maybe some flowers or bushes are blooming. It’s picturesque after a lonely, cold winter. Bass must feel the same way about April too,

The warmer weather rejuvenates them because, as cold blooded creatures, the outside temperature affects their internal temperature.
Bass love water around 70 degrees fahrenheit.
April is when the water temps are just starting to get near that mark and they get into the shallows wanting to sunbathe and get that warm water in their gills.

So it’s not just that bass fishing is at it’s best in April. It’s just a great time to get out and be fishing. It’s the beginning of a new year and a return to nature in its most beautiful moment. You won’t just have great fishing success, you will just be happy to be outside even if you don’t catch a damn thing.

April is the best month to fish for bass. Depending on your region, bass may just be starting to come out from their winter depths or already well into spawn. But it really doesn’t matter. They’re still hungry. They’re still in shallower water than most of the year. And they will be big. But most importantly, it is the best time to just be outside and go fishing.

So this April, go out and bass fish. You won’t regret it! If you’ve enjoyed this article and want to learn more about bass fishing, check out this article which has 7 tips and tricks that will help you become a better bass angler!

Do bass remember being caught?

Edwardsville, Ill. — For years, bass anglers have sat in bass boats and pondered bass questions, such as: Can bass identify lures that previously led them to be hooked? That is, do bass remember? One scientist who has tried to answer that question says he thinks bass can remember lures – maybe for up to three months or longer.

To be sure, that’s not the answer bass anglers around Illinois were counting on. “You always wonder, especially when bass aren’t biting, if they are down there thinking to themselves ‘I can’t believe this guy is trying this purple piggy boat again,'” Don Holland, a Madison County angler who fishes Carlyle Lake and Lake Lou Yaeger, offered.

Perhaps. But studies by Keith Jones, director of research at the Berkley Fish Research Center, suggests that largemouth bass are “conditioned” in various ways. Along with memory research, Jones took a look at whether a fish becomes conditioned to avoid certain lures they might see swimming by over and over.

There are certainly trends on the bass tours that would seem to suggest that,” Jones said of his study. “For example, spinnerbaits, once a dominant presentation for top pros, seem a useless bait today. Swimbaits, frogs and other newer trends have replaced old lures.” Jones, widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost bass experts, writes about that in his book “Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach To Catching More Fish.” Four types of learning According to Jones, the four main methods of learning are associated learning, habitation, spatial and prey images.

He says to think of associated learning as “trial-and-error” learning. “The fact that bass are capable of associative learning is proven by laboratory experiments where the animal is taught to link two types of stimuli, such as a certain colored light with an ensuing electric shock,” Jones writes.

Bass readily learn these associations, both in the lab and in the field, although not as fast as some other species.” Spatial learning involves bass learning to move around their environments, recognize landmarks or objects and stake out their territories.
According to Jones, bass in his studies have been able to find their way through an underwater maze to reach a desired point.

Habituation learning involves bass gradually becoming less sensitive to specific stimulations. Jones says examples of this learning would include fish in an aquarium that no longer shy from people who walk by, or bass that learn to ignore boat traffic on a busy lake.

The fourth type of bass learning, prey images, is the ability to develop and recognize a shad or crawfish as prey.
Given enough positive experience with a certain prey type, a bass will gradually come to actively seek out that specific prey,” Jones noted.
Prey species, for their part, often counter the bass’ efforts by changing their signature stimuli, often through the use of camouflage.” Like humans, bass are capable of different types of learning, but individual bass learn at different rates.

Jones even cited a four-year study by the University of Illinois that documented recapture rates of largemouth bass. The average bass was caught twice each season, but some bass were caught up to 16 times in a single season. Bass memory for lures Holland isn’t so sure about the memory theory.

Or maybe it’s wishful thinking on his part – an angler with a strong hope that bass really can’t remember lures.
Illinois bass anglers tend to latch on to a favorite lure and use it over and over, Holland said.
But Jones meticulously tested bass memory for lures, and his study suggests that indeed, bass do remember.

In the study, bass were allowed to strike a minnow lure for a five-minute test period. In the beginning, most strikes came in the first one to three minutes. By the end of the five-minute period, the bass had learned to ignore the lure because it provided no positive reward – meaning there was no food to be had by striking the lure.

The bass were then divided into two groups, with no additional testing, for different lengths of time. After two weeks, the bass in one group were re-exposed to the same lure, again for five minutes. The response of those bass was about one-tenth of what it was in the initial exposure. According to Jones, that indicated that the bass had retained a strong memory of the lure during the two-week interval.

And it was a negative memory. After two months, the second group of bass still tested below the original response level. “The results show that under some circumstances, bass can remember lures for at least up to three months and perhaps much, much longer,” Jones concluded.

Will bass bite while spawning?

Reasons You’d Want to Fish During the Spawn – During the spawn, Bass become much more aggressive and much easier to catch because they are even more territorial during the spawning process. Fishing during this period is a great way to help novice anglers or young kids to catch Bass.

The Bass will eat almost anything while they guard their nests and their eggs, so if you can get your lure close to the fish, they will likely bite your hook! Some great lures to use during the spawn are soft plastic worms, craws, and lizards in natural colors – like green pumpkin or watermelon.
These lures mimic the creatures that are trying to eat the bass eggs and fry.

Since the Bass are territorial during this period, they will instinctively eat the bait while protecting their offspring.

Where can I find bass spawning beds?

What makes largemouth bass fishing so challenging is the fact that these fish are constantly on the move. From day to day, week to week, and season to season, the movement of largemouth bass throughout a lake is dictated by water temperatures, spawning desires, and the need to find food while avoiding predators. Largemouth bass will seek out different types of structure at different times of the year. In the spring, fish will gravitate towards ideal spawning areas, and in the fall, they will shift their attention towards finding an abundance of food to fatten up for the winter.

Article: Finding March Bass After ice-out in late winter or early spring, bass begin moving from deeper areas where they spent the winter toward rapidly warming shallow waters. However, early spring weather is unpredictable, and as the water temperature in the shallows fluctuates from day to day, bass will move back and forth between shallow and deep water.

Along with water temperature, spring largemouth location is driven by spawning behavior, so fishing can be broken down into three stages: pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn, with largemouth exhibiting different behaviors and holding in different locations through each stage of the spawning process.

Article: Go Light to Catch More Coldwater Bass Spring Tip: Always keep a crankbait tied on one of your rods in the springtime. Before, during, and after the spawn, a baitfish-colored square-bill crankbait, like the Strike King KVD Hardknock Squarebill Crankbait in natural bream or river minnow, is deadly.

If the water is very shallow, use a Bomber Square A. Bump the crankbait off wood or rock cover and run it through the isolated grass patches left over from the previous year. Rip the bait free from grass to trigger a reaction bite. Target sloping banks and wood cover with the square bill and large flats with isolated weeds using lipless crankbaits.

Early in the spring, largemouths will be looking to feed to regain the weight lost during the lean winter and to build up energy for the spawn.
Until the shallows begin to warm, shoreline points near deep water, sharp breaks that lead to large flats, channels or depressions in spawning coves, or any type of cover in deeper water located near shallow spawning areas will function as staging areas for pre-spawn bass.

Many of these structures are not visible and must be located with electronics. Crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, and jigs slowly dragged across the bottom are all effective on deep, early-spring bass. Article: Searching for Largemouth Near Downed Trees Bass moving toward spawning coves will stop to feed at isolated cover such as rocks or fallen trees.

Even old weed patches from last year will hold fish.
Use a medium-diving crankbait like the Storm Wiggle Wart to explore the water leading to spawning coves and flats.
Go with bright color patterns in stained water and natural patterns in clear water.
The crankbait should run deep enough to bump bottom.

A jig tipped with a plastic craw is another good option to slowly explore an area. Use black and blue in stained water and pumpkin or watermelon in clear water. Crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, and jigs slowly dragged across the bottom are all effective on deep, early-spring bass. Bass will begin looking for the warmest available water and start to move into the shallows as soon as these areas warm under the spring sun.

Shallow, stained lakes will warm the fastest, and bass in these waters will move shallow earlier than those in deeper, clear lakes.
Look to the northern sections of a large lake, particularly south-facing shorelines that are exposed to the sun for long periods of the day and protected from cold northern winds.

Protected, shallow coves will also retain water that warms quickly in the spring. Avoid shaded areas and areas exposed to wind that will mix the water. Once the water temperature in spawning coves is above the 60-degree mark, bass will move shallow and spawn.

However, water temperature in the shallows can change rapidly—literally overnight. A cold front can chase the bass off the beds and send them deep until the weather stabilizes. Most of the time, the bass won’t move very far. If you were catching them a foot off the bank before the cold front, try 5 to 10 feet off the bank and closer to the bottom after water temperatures drop.

You will see spawning beds on the warmest, most protected sections of the lake first. Bass spawn in shallow water on a hard bottom, preferably next to some sort of cover like a stump, dock piling, tree or bush, which helps protect them from wind and predators. Anthony DeiCicchi posing with a mid-April largemouth bass. Though bass in shallow water are often more aggressive, they also experience more angling pressure than bass holding in deeper water. Shift your focus to the mid-range fish and you will be rewarded.

Article: Jigging for Largemouth Bass Another benefit to fishing the mid-range depths during pre-spawn/spawn is the shot at the large females that lurk on the outskirts of spawning areas as the males prepare the beds.
When you see the smaller male sitting on the bed, know that there may be a large female waiting somewhere nearby—fish the deeper water leading up to the spawning bed for a shot at this bigger fish.

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When the time is right, the female will move up and spawn, only holding in the shallow water for a short period of time. If you choose to target bass on their spawning beds, it can be very easy at times. The less you are seen by the bass, the easier it will be to get them to bite.

Low-light conditions and wind will help camouflage you.
The most basic way to fish for bedding fish is throwing a 4- or 5-inch Texas-rigged soft-plastic bait past the bed and slowly moving it into the bed.
If the bass picks it up, wait a second and set the hook.
After the spawn, the larger female bass will move off to the outskirts of the spawning area to recuperate from the stresses of the spawn while the smaller male protects the eggs and fry.

After the bass spawn, bluegills move into the same areas and set up shop. This is a great time to catch big bass. Bass will wait at ambush points during bluegill spawning and readily eat lures worked past these points. Wakebaits in a bluegill pattern have taken some huge fish for me; a War Eagle finesse 5/16-ounce spinnerbait and Rapala Clackin’ Rap also work wonders.

The best spots are shoreline points on either side of a spawning cove, shoreline pockets, the front and sides of a downed tree, dock, or any kind of large structure near the bluegill beds. When you find early season bluegill beds, know the bass are somewhere close. Post-spawn bass hold in shoreline cover as the spring weather stabilizes.

There is a lot of fishing pressure at this time of year, and to catch more fish, you need to get your lure where most guys don’t. Weed lines have not yet set up, so bass are keying in on trees and brush. When fishing a laydown, pitch your bait deeper into the tree than most guys—don’t worry about getting snagged, it’s part of fishing. Summer bass fishing can be tough. The longer days, hotter temperatures and direct sunlight can send bass from the shoreline areas to deeper summer haunts. The best times to fish are early morning, the last two hours of daylight, cloudy days and nighttime. Fishing crankbaits along weed edges is a proven summertime tactic for big largemouths. Weeds have grown by summer and bass will relate to them. Weed edges that are well defined, like a wall of weeds, will hold the best fishing. These edges are usually so defined because of a drop-off bordering the weeds.

Early morning bass will be positioned toward the outside, so pull right up to the weed edge and fish parallel to it.
Use crankbaits, spinnerbaits or jigs.
Try slow-rolling the spinnerbait along the bottom as close to the weeds as possible.
During the day, bass will move toward deeper water or deeper inside the weeds.

When the sun is high, always fish the shady side of cover no matter how deep or shallow. Cast a frog into the weeds, pausing and twitching the bait at any openings. Pitch a jig into the same openings—you may need a heavy jig to break through the canopy.

In deeper lakes, some largemouths will seek out cooler water by moving to offshore structure such as small- to medium-sized gravel, hard bottom or shell beds.
Underwater humps surrounded by deeper water, long points that lead to deep water, areas where the channel swings close to shore, sunken brush piles, fallen trees and channels or deep depressions in coves will also hold summer largemouths.

Fish these structures with drop-shot rigs, football-head jigs, Carolina rigs and crankbaits. Article: Pitching Frogs for Lily Pad Largemouths Summer Tip: Get some good foul weather gear and make sure to be on the water when a low-pressure system is approaching (as long as there is no lightning). A lily pad largemouth that fell to an artificial frog. As the water cools in the fall, bass move shallower to feed and pack on weight for the lean winter. Once the water drops to 55 degrees, the bite can turn on. Another bonus is that few anglers are still fishing at this time of year.

Dress properly and you will have awesome days all to yourself. There are large fish still to be caught as well as large quantities. The bass will stack up in prime areas and you can catch them one after another. Early in the fall, before the lake turns over, bass will move back into the same shallow areas where they were feeding before the spawn.

A small- to medium-sized spinnerbait, like the War Eagle, and a square-billed crankbait will work wonders in the month of September. Points once again will be sure spots for fish as well as any cover adjacent to deeper water. Article: Deer Season Bass Strategies I have three go-to lures for fall—a medium-diving crankbait, a lipless crankbait, and a jerkbait.

Topwaters, spoons and spinnerbaits can also be effective. As the lake turns over, fishing will be tough for a stretch. After turnover, when the lake has settled and cleared up again, bass will move to the steepest ledges leading to flats with the last remaining weeds on them. Pay attention to the weeds that get stuck on your hooks.

Bass pile up next to the last remaining living (green) weeds. Dying (brown) weeds will deplete an area of oxygen, and bass will not linger in these places. An early-fall nighttime largemouth. As the water gets colder, bass will start ganging up on steep slopes; you can leave flat shorelines alone once the water is in the 40s and 50s. Look for the sharpest drop-offs all around the lake and you can be fairly certain that these will be early- and late-season spots.

Action heats up at midday in the autumn, so don’t worry about getting out at the crack of dawn. Article: Fall is Crankbait Season A surefire way to score in late fall is to find baitfish and use a jerkbait or spoon. As you motor around, look for bait flipping on the surface. Cast past the bait and bring the jerkbait through them with a jerk, pause, jerk-jerk, pause, retrieve.

Pause the bait for longer periods of time as the water gets colder. Try to use a jerkbait that will go at least 5 to 7 feet deep. As the water drops into the low 40s, lakes with a shad population experience a shad die-off, and bass hang beneath the schools waiting for a shad to flutter down to them.

If you don’t see bait, work the jerkbait over deep points, humps, channels, and steep slopes—bass will suspend in these areas.
Work the spoon under the dying bait with a yo-yo retrieve, and hold on.
Fall Tip: In dirty water, bass will hold tight to shallow structure.
In clear water, bass will hold deeper, loosely associating to structure, and sometimes suspending over it.

Bass can be picky in clear water—make sure your presentation is as natural as possible. When water temperatures fall into the low 40s and 30s, it gets harder to catch bass—but not impossible. Their metabolism slows and they don’t need to feed as much, but they still will strike lures.

Target the sharpest drop-offs you can find that have bait on them. Most bass will hunker down on the bottom in cover or suspend over points and humps. Article: Ice Fishing for Largemouth Bass Winter Tip: Lipless crankbaits are deadly in cold water. Let the bait fall to the bottom after the cast and sharply rip it off the bottom by lifting the rod, letting the bait fall to the bottom again on a slack line.

Watch the line so you know when the bait has hit bottom. Bass will hit the bait as it flutters down, and when you lift the rod, the fish will be there. The Lucky Craft LVR D-7 chartreuse shad is a great choice for stained water and the Xcalibur Xr 50 Real Craw (left) works well when the water is clear. Rich Janitschek with a December, cold weather largemouth. My most productive winter tactics are slowly dragging a jig over the bottom, drop-shotting, jigging a spoon or fishing a jerkbait with long pauses. The colder the water gets, the longer the pause on the jerkbait.

What triggers bass to spawn?

Bass are beginning their most dynamic time of the year. Water temperatures are reaching that magic range between 55- and 65-degrees, which triggers the largemouth bass spawn. In lakes throughout the country, fishing for spawning bass is some of the best bass fishing of the year.

What triggers largemouth bass to spawn?

The mating process of the largemouth bass has certainly been studied by anglers far more than the spawning cycle of any other fish. Serious bass anglers await it with great anticipation, knowing there’s no other time of the year when big female bass will be so accessible and so vulnerable. But the spawn is far from an exact science, despite the cumulative angling lives spent observing it. After all, bass are individuals, and individuals sometimes do things differently even when nature is calling the shots. Let’s start with some useful generalities.

First, not all bass in the same body of water spawn at the same time.
Think of the spawn like a bell curve.
At the left side of the “bell,” just a few bass are involved.
As the season progresses, more and more bass will be nesting.
Then, the spawn peaks at the height of the curve.
After the highest part of the curve has passed, spawning numbers dwindle again on the right side.

The length of time between the first spawners and the last spawners on any body of water depends mostly on latitude. In South Florida, that bell curve may cover six months, generally starting in December and ending in April or May. As you move north, the period is compressed.

By the time you reach the Canadian border, the entire spawn typically takes place in just a week or two.
Two primaries triggers of spawning activity in largemouths are water temperature and photoperiods.
Bass have been observed spawning with water temperatures in the low and mid 50s on one end and in the low 80s on the other.

As a general guideline, though, expect the bulk of spawning activity to take place once water temperatures creep into the low 60s. Lengthening daylight hours are also extremely influential. As days grow longer, male and female bass undergo biological changes that drive the spawning urge, including the production of eggs and milt.

Moon phase is another part of the spawning equation, but not all bass hurry to build their nests around the full moon.
Some spawn during the new moon and many seem to have absolutely no idea what phase of the moon they’re in when they go to the beds.
Now that we’ve narrowed the period during which bass spawn — at least a little — let’s take a look at where it happens.

Speaking strictly about largemouth bass here, they’ll seek out areas with a hard bottom in protected bays and coves. The hard bottom is important because the bass’ eggs could sink into a soft, mucky bottom, preventing them from getting the sun and warmth they need to incubate and hatch.

Sand is an ideal spawning surface, but the bass is adaptable, and the male may make his nest over clay or gravel or whatever else is available as long as he can keep it clean by fanning it with his tail. In extreme situations where a hard substrate is hard to come by, female largemouths have been known to spawn on stumps or the stems of vegetation like lily pads.

It’s not the Ritz Carlton Honeymoon Suite, but it’ll do in a pinch. The depth of a bass bed is generally dependent upon water clarity and upon how early in the spawning season you’re looking for bedding fish. The clearer the water, the deeper the beds since sunlight can penetrate further to warm the eggs. But it’s also true that the earlier in the season you find a bed, the shallower it’s likely to be because shallow water warms fastest.

Late bedding bass are often the deepest spawners of all. All other things being equal, the first nests of the spawning season will appear in the northwest portion of your fishery. That’s because the spring sun strikes that area most directly and warms it first. Conversely, the southeast shores warm slowest, and bass in those areas will generally be the last to spawn.

On a body of water of several thousand acres, an angler could conceivably follow the spawn around the lake for a couple of weeks or more, keeping a close eye on the temperature gauge and looking for evidence of bedding fish. After the male prepares the nest by fanning it with his tail — often working until his tail is bloody and disfigured — he’ll try to herd his female of choice onto the spot. Once nudged toward the nest, an amenable female will deposit several hundred to many thousand eggs on the bed, and the male will fertilize them with his milt. The female may lay her eggs across several nests with several different males, but the male is generally committed to one nest and, after the female is finished, he guards it with a zeal seen only in nature.

The female may stand guard as well, but she’s generally not as closely tethered to the nest as the male and may only dart in when she sees that the male is in jeopardy of losing the nest to marauders like bluegills, salamanders, turtles, wading and diving birds and other predators. A day or two after she’s finished laying her eggs, the female is often gone from the nest area and trying to recuperate from the rigorous process.

At this time, you may see spent females swimming listlessly near the bedding area and struggling to regain their equilibrium. The period two or three days before the actual spawn until the female leaves the nest provides the single greatest opportunity for an angler to catch the fish of a lifetime.

Big bass are shallow, aggressive and often impervious to the close proximity of boats and anglers.
It’s a great time to cover water with a noisy and ire-inspiring topwater like the Berkley Choppo, Spin Rocket, Drift Walker or HighJacker,
The Choppo, with its hard plastic, plopping-style tail, creates a lot of surface disturbance at any speed.

You can fish it fast and steady like a buzzbait, but it’s often better on a stop-and-go retrieve. The Spin Rocket mimics an injured baitfish, and its cupped plastic propellers spin at the slightest twitch. This makes it ideal when bass want maximum action in a confined space, like holes in vegetation or tight spawning pockets. And when the bass are active on top but require some finesse, the Drift Walker is a great choice. It’s a walking bait with a small profile — perfect in calm water. Just cast it out and let the ripples disappear before twitching it to life. The zig-zag action calls bass to it.

For anglers just learning the ropes of the walk-the-dog retrieve, the HighJacker is their best choice. It casts like a bullet and is the easiest bait on the market to “walk.” It’s ideal for both seasoned anglers and those who are new to the technique. If bass ignore the lures on top — or just slap at them — try the Berkley SPY,

It offers a more finesse presentation, and the underwater props are often just what’s needed to get action. Try it on light spinning gear and 6- to 8-pound test Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, The SPY comes in two sink rates, and the slow fall version is generally best when fish are shallow and in spawning mode. Once the fish are “on” the beds and focused on the act of spawning, you’ll likely need to change your approach to one that irritates or aggravates the bass into striking. That’s when a Texas-rigged soft plastic creature or lizard is best. A lot of anglers will opt for a large bait, thinking it will better fire up the protective instincts of the bass.

That may be true, but a big bait with a lot of appendages is easy for a bass to grab and remove from the nest without ever getting the hook in its mouth.
Never forget that these bass are not particularly interested in feeding.
They’re guarding a nest from predators, and if they can scare away the threat without striking or eating it, that’s what they’ll do.

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They will sometimes inhale a bluegill or salamander, but only long enough to swim away from the nest and expel it. This is the ideal time to rig up a PowerBait Mantis Bug, PowerBait Jester or PowerBait MaxScent Lizard, PowerBait is a proprietary flavor attractant that’s been lab-tested and proven in the field. PowerBait MaxScent is Berkley’s latest enhancement to the PowerBait formula. Baits infused with it catch lots more fish than those without. It features a water-absorbent PVC formula that soaks up and releases a super-charged scent field which makes its shapes ideal for finesse style fishing.

The combination of the scent release technology and the same great Original PowerBait taste make PowerBait MaxScent a double threat to bass! The soft and durable material has an ultra-realistic texture, comes in natural matte colors and won’t dry out like other scent-emitting baits. PowerBait and PowerBait MaxScent can play an important role in triggering strikes during the spawn, but they’re even more valuable in getting fish to hang on long enough to set the hook! Put the Mantis Bug, Jester or Lizard right in the nest and crawl them slowly through.

When you can see the bass paying rapt attention, you know you’re in the sweet spot. Just remember that if you can see the nest and the bass, the bass can see you, and that might drive them away for a while. Best to make note of the location, back off and cast from a distance. Absent a devastating cold front that could kill all the eggs in a nest, the eggs will hatch in two to five days, and the male will stay with the fry, guarding them and pushing them to an area with brush, vegetation or other cover where they’ll be somewhat protected from predators.

By this time, the male may have gone two weeks or more without eating. He’s understandably ravenous and may even turn on his brood as a food source. This is the time to target the males with a bait that can be cast or skipped into shallow cover. A weightless PowerBait MaxScent The General in green pumpkin is the perfect choice.

Just cast to the cover and let the unweighted bait fall. The General does the rest. On top of its wafting, wiggling action, the PowerBait flavor and MaxScent scent release is too much for a hungry male to resist. A final note on fishing during the spawn is that catch-and-release is vitally important.

Do bass like colder or warmer water?

How seasons and temperature affect bass Bass are confusing creatures. If you’ve spent much time trying to catch them, you already know that. One day you can’t keep them off your lures. Come back to the same lake a week later, and it seems like every fish has packed a suitcase and left the state.

Bass don’t travel, of course, at least not out of their home waters, but their moods change often, which is why bass that were so active one day may seem like they have taken a vacation the next time you go fishing. More than likely, something in their homes has changed. Those changes are probably the result of a change in the water temperature or the season.

Both play a major role in how bass behave. Although bass adjust to changes in their environment, they’re easier to catch during certain times of the year because they’re easier to find and more willing to eat. That’s why fishing can be so good in the spring and early summer and again in the fall.

But Ken Cook, a retired fisheries biologist and a professional bass angler, said it’s a mistake to say bass prefer one season or another or that they “like” a certain temperature range.
Bass are cold-blooded, so they are more active in warmer water because their metabolisms are faster.
Their bodies use more energy, so they need to eat more often,” the 1991 Classic champ explained.

“But that doesn’t mean they aren’t active at all in cold water. They just eat less when they’re cold. Humans are similar because we need to eat more when we’re more active because we burn up more energy.” Water temperatures change as the seasons change, and although temperature and seasonal variations both play different roles in bass behavior, the two are linked.

We all know that lakes, rivers and ponds are colder in the winter, hotter in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall, but do you know bass move as the seasons and temperatures change? That’s why we catch them in shallow water sometimes and in much deeper water at other times.
Confused? That’s okay.

Even Cook, a 14-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, didn’t fully understand how natural variations in weather and seasons affect fish. Nobody really has all the answers. But based on his lifelong experience as a bass angler and biologist, he had a good understanding of where to find bass as the seasons change and as the water temperatures rise and fall.

“They really don’t move that far. It’s more of an up and down movement. They go shallow and deep all within the same relatively small area as the seasons change, but they don’t migrate from one end of the lake to the other,” he explained. As winter gives way to spring and longer, warmer days heat the water, bass start thinking about spawning, so they move into shallow water because bass eggs need sunlight and warmth in order to hatch.

Bass eat more often in warmer water, which makes catching them seem pretty easy sometimes. They stay shallow — typically less than 8 feet — until hot summer days push water temperatures into the high 80s. That’s when they start to move out to deeper, cooler water where they stay until the shallower water starts to cool again in the fall.

Food is what really dominates the lives of bass.
In the spring and fall, the “grocery store” is usually close to the shoreline and around cover like aquatic grass, rocks and docks.
Small fish, crawfish, frogs and other creatures are most abundant and most active in shallow water, so that’s where the bass will be.

“A primary reason they go to deeper water in the summer and winter is that it’s more stable. There are fewer temperature and oxygen level fluctuations, which bass don’t seem to like,” said Allen Forshage, director of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Research Center.

Shad also go out to deeper water, and they’re an important food source for bass.
If a lake has shad, the bass tend to follow them in the summer and winter.
Even bluegill will move out to deeper water during those seasons.” How deep do they go? It depends on the lake, but they can stay shallow if a few basic needs are met, or they could go to cover that’s 25 feet or deeper.

Cook caught spotted bass that were 60 feet below the surface in some deep, clear lakes in Arkansas, but Forshage said there is virtually no oxygen below 15 feet in most Texas lakes in the summer. “Oxygen is a limiting factor. Bass and all fish need it to survive, so in many cases, they can’t go any deeper than 15 feet,” he said.

It depends on the lake or the region of the country.” He adds that those bass that do stay shallow in the summer seek darker, cooler water when it gets hot.
That can be shade provided by a dock, aquatic plants or a fallen tree.
Cook said bass in clear lakes will often retreat to deep water in the summer to find that shade if they have food and oxygen, but bass living in murky water will often stay close to shore throughout the summer.

For much of the year, temperature really isn’t that important. Bass can tolerate high and low temperatures pretty well. Cook said he only pays attention to his boat’s thermometer when it’s very hot — above 85 degrees — or very cold — which to him is anything below 50.

But if it’s between 55 degrees and 85 degrees, temperature really doesn’t affect bass behavior all that much.
They’ll usually be in shallower water.
Remember, the air temperature doesn’t have any effect on bass.
As the water starts to cool again in the fall, forage fish such as shad move shallow, so the bass follow.

In many cases, shad move toward the backs of long coves and bays, so the bass are in those same places,” explained Cook. As the days shorten and the air temperature falls, the water starts to get cold. Once the temperature reaches 50 degrees, the bass start moving to deeper water where they’ll spend most of the winter.

Although bass eat less in the winter, they still have to eat something occasionally. That’s why catching bass in the winter can be tough; but it’s not impossible. When Cook fished in the winter, he liked to spend time on the water after a couple of warm, sunny days have raised the water temperature a little.

A few degrees difference can really put the fish in the mood to eat. “You have to keep in mind that in the winter, bass don’t need to feed much at all, so don’t expect to catch a bunch. If you can catch a couple in a day, you’ve done pretty well,” he explained.

Of course, if you catch bass any time you go fishing, you can consider yourself fortunate maybe even good. After all, it takes more than luck to understand how bass relate to water temperature and the changing seasons. It takes practice and lots of it. The more you fish, the better you’ll be at finding and catching bass, no matter the time of year.

Originally published September 2007. Ken Cook, quoted in this article, passed away in 2016. : How seasons and temperature affect bass

What is the best bait for bass right now?

Baitfish (Minnows, Shiners, Shad) – There are various ways to rig or hook your baitfish, depending on how you want it to look in the water. The most common way to hook a baitfish when presenting it to largemouth bass is to hook the bait through both lips from the bottom up, so it gives the most natural presentation with the slightest chance of damaging the bait while hooking it.

Anglers can also hook the baitfish on its back below the dorsal fin. However, once your baitfish starts slowing down and not moving very much, it’s time to replace it with another one. Shad, minnows, or shiners are some of the best live baits for bass, hands down. Baitfish come in different sizes and can be used in all types of bass waters, but they are incredibly productive in deeper water to target huge bass.

They also work to catch more fish in general since they also attract giant catfish and other species.

How long does the bass spawn last?

How Long Is Spawning Season? – The bass spawn can often last around three weeks, or sometimes longer but they will usually lay on their nests for around two weeks. During this time they will guard their nests and will generally not actively feed. However, they will tend to defend their nests rather aggressively if anything comes too close or poses a threat.

Where do bass go after spawn?

Its really easy once someone explains it! Post Spawn bass don’t just disappear, they follow a very consistent pattern as they transition to Summer haunts. Today Matt walks us through each step as the fish shift from spawning to recuperating, and from traveling back to feeding.

Post spawn is notoriously difficult because many anglers are unclear about how the fish move from April to June but its about to get a whole lot easier! We’ve already discussed “Where Bass Go In Spring”, post spawn is the exact same story run in reverse, but with a twist.
After the fish spawn they’ll move to the first ledge or point along their transition route.

Here they will sit for a week or two to recuperate before feeding again. This is often the time when anglers feel lost and begin to panic about where the fish have gone. As soon as this period ends, the fish make a split. Half of the bass follow the remainder of the route out to deep outside or offshore structures and the other half push back in to the shallows.

The fish that turn shallow are the most fun because you’re able to power fish them (flipping, punching, and frogging) but the fish that head offshore school up into mega schools and offer a whole different kind of excitement! It doesn’t matter which direction you go, you’re going to have a great time targeting either group of bass.

Below is a breakdown of the baits and tackle we’re using to target these fish throughout the transition process and beyond. Frog – Bully Wa 2 Frog: http://bit.ly/2axyR2a (Little Allen, Ghost, Snipe) Punching/Flippin’ -Sweet Beaver: http://bit.ly/29W3RZW (Tramp Stamp, Delicious, Hematoma) -1 oz Tungsten Weight: http://bit.ly/2bHj2pB -Gamakatsu 4/0 Superline Hook: http://bit.ly/2ac92XG -Peg X Bobber Stopper: http://bit.ly/2bHjowk Offshore or Ledge Fish.

-Norman DD-22 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2LKB37w (Glimmer Shad, Smokey Joe, Blue/Chart) -Strike King 6XD Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2ery44M (Clear water minnow, sexy shad, Sexy Ghost Minnow) -Strike King 10XD: http://bit.ly/2gHT4F0 (Chartreuse Sexy Shad, Green Gizzard Shad) -Dirty Jigs Pitchin’ Jig: http://bit.ly/2amL3of -Zoom Trick Worm: http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E (Junebug, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Magic) -Strike King Fat Baby Finesse Worm: http://bit.ly/2aKei5y (Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Red, Blue Fleck) Matt’s Crankbait Combo.

Rod- Zodias 7’6″ Med Heavy Glass: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe Reel- Curado 150 DC: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4 Line- 15 lb Sunline Assassin Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm _ Need Apparel? Tacticalbassin Gear is in stock! Get your hats, hoodies, and sunshirts by emailing [email protected]

How long does it take for bass to spawn?

When it’s time to spawn, bass mean business. As a rule, they don’t waste a lot time. In fact, the entire spawning process, which involves building a nest, finding a mate, hatching fertilized eggs and guarding young fish until they are ready to be on their own, can take a little as three weeks.

When winter ends and the water warms back up, bass feel the urge to spawn.
At this time, male fish will find a suitable nesting area and prepare it for mating.
Then the male bass circles the humble home slowly and waits for a mate.
When a female has chosen to join the male in the nest, they waste little time getting to know one another.

The mating process begins with the two bass swimming right next to each other around the nest. While swimming, the bass are tilted on their sides with their vents closed. Simultaneously, they release their respective eggs or sperm into the nest. With the female’s role in this spawning over, she’s free to leave the spawning area or mate with a new fish.

The male bass is responsible for watching over his school of offspring. He’ll stay close and protect the eggs from harm until they hatch a few days later. After hatching, the young spawn will spend about two weeks growing and learning what to eat. Then they’ll disperse and leave the male free to mate again or head to warmer waters,

Read on to find out exactly when and where the magic happens.

What depth do bass spawn at?

SPAWNING ACTIVITIES – If we are to be successful in the pursuit of the largemouth bass it is important to understand the factors relating to the propagation of its kind and their resulting effect upon the later life, habits and instincts of the fish.

Ordinarily they spawn only once each year, in the spring when the water temperature reaches the preferred condition. Generally, the largemouth bass can be expected to commence spawning activities almost anytime after the water temperature has risen past the 60-degree mark. The most active spawning, however, occurs when the water for the first time reaches the 65-degree mark.

In the northern regions the spawning doesn’t begin until late April or May. Yet the entire reproduction process there may not begin until June. Bass are typically school fish for the greater part of the year but they disperse or scatter when the mating season approaches and they become very territorial about their bedding locations.

A largemouth’s spawning bed will take on a circular shape from twelve to twenty-five inches in diameter by about six inches deep. Largemouth bass normally spawn at water depths averaging between three and five feet, but the extremes run from a few inches to ten or twelve feet. Spawning sites ideally are where the bottom is of hard-packed sand, pea-gravel, clay, or marl with a very thin layer of mud covering the hard material.

Largemouth bass prefer to deposit eggs on rootlets of submerged grass or aquatic vegetation. An average bass nest will be in water three or four feet deep. Bass bedding locations will predominantly be found in coves and bays adjacent to the main body of water.

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These are the shallow areas where sunshine first increases the water temperature to a desirable spawning level. Such areas are located predominantly on the north shores of the lake where the seasonal low-angle un-shaded sun has a more prolonged warming effect. There will probably be ten beds back in protected embayments for every one located along the banks of the main body of water.

Selected sites will be where they are not buffeted by prevailing winds. Mud shallows won’t do unless nothing else is available. Lily pads ordinarily will be over muck bottoms and bass will avoid these for spawning unless better areas do not exist. Normally, nests are seldom closer than twenty to twenty five apart in order to escape from potential predator “cousins”.

The male bass serves the most important and active role in the spawning behavior of the species.
The male “buck” selects a suitable bedding site and then fans out the nest.
When the water temperature has remained at spawning level or above for several days, the females begin to appear.
The female bass linger in “holding-areas” near deeper water, awaiting preparation of the spawning beds.

The male searches out a “ripe” female and herds her to the bedding location. Once on the bed he may swim continual circles around her to discourage her from leaving and may even repeatedly bump her ventral region with his nose to trigger her into dropping her eggs.

If shallow-water fishing efforts during the potential spawning period seem to be resulting only in small bass, the season is probably still in its earliest stages and the majority of fish in the shallows are the smaller males concerned with nest-bed preparation. Fishing efforts may be shifted to the drop-offs, the edges of stream channels, and similar (adjacent to deeper water) holding-station locations of the larger females awaiting the males to lead them to the spawning area.

During this time the bass normally have no feeding urge, not unlike oceanic salmon during their spawning runs up coastal rivers. However, these bass can be provoked into striking a lure which they perceive as a threat to their spawning process. In most cases the female will drop only a portion of her eggs on a nest at any one time.

The male then spreads his fertilizing milt over the bed and eggs.
Days later, with another male, the female may drop more eggs on some other bed not far away.
Several female bass frequently deposit more eggs in the same nest as well as in others.
Multiple attempts at egg laying are probably nature’s insurance policy, since a certain percentage of beds or eggs each year are sure to be accidentally destroyed due to radical fluctuation in water levels or abrupt changes in water temperatures.

Eggs may hatch anytime from two to five days after they have been fertilized by the buck and are cared for by the male parent – until his appetite gets the better of him. The male largemouth will remain near the bed to protect the young fry from predators for a short while, usually not more than a week.

He eventually succumbs to his increasingly ravenous hunger and becomes a leading predator himself, gobbling up as many of his own fry as possible. The hatched fry initially feed upon plankton and other minute aquatic organisms, later switching to the smallest of crustaceans and terrestrials, including various insect forms which commonly flit about most shallow-water areas during the spring and summer.

Young bass that survive feed on tiny water animals called Cyclops or Daphnia. As they grow older they add larger and larger insects to the menu. A bass’ life is one of eating and being eaten. It is an aquatic rat race to survive. Insects and amphibians compete to eat the eggs as soon as they are dropped.

After they hatch, larger fish are always seeking the fry. Even their own parents and other bass feed upon them. And it’s only fair to add that anglers are the least serious threat in the entire life cycle. When bass are about five inches in length they may also feed heavily upon small minnow species. The well-planned scheme on the part of Mother-Nature causes them for the very first time to begin fending for themselves.

This instinct of self-preservation is usually accomplished by remaining in or around heavy shoreline cover, hiding from those who would make a meal of them in short order. The young fry up to an inch or more in length linger in a family school. This schooling instinct remains with the fish throughout his life.

With many predators now feeding upon the small fry, it is early on that a young bass becomes adept at hiding and soon accepts the philosophy of “eat or be eaten”.
This activity is exhibited throughout the life-span of the bass and is a major consideration for a bass angler in locating and catching the species.

Heavy rains and floods can take a toll. Conceivably they can wipe out an entire year’s quot;hatch” overnight in one lake or in one region. Similarly, any draw-down of the lake water during spawning season can wipe out the entire hatch of the year. Turbidity (the presence of silt or earth in suspension) can also interfere with spawning because it filters rays of sunlight necessary to hatch eggs by slowly heating the water.

What triggers largemouth bass to spawn?

First, not all bass in the same body of water spawn at the same time. Think of the spawn like a bell curve. At the left side of the “bell,” just a few bass are involved. As the season progresses, more and more bass will be nesting. Then, the spawn peaks at the height of the curve. After the highest part of the curve has passed, spawning numbers dwindle again on the right side.

By the time you reach the Canadian border, the entire spawn typically takes place in just a week or two.
Two primaries triggers of spawning activity in largemouths are water temperature and photoperiods.
Bass have been observed spawning with water temperatures in the low and mid 50s on one end and in the low 80s on the other.

Moon phase is another part of the spawning equation, but not all bass hurry to build their nests around the full moon. Some spawn during the new moon and many seem to have absolutely no idea what phase of the moon they’re in when they go to the beds. Now that we’ve narrowed the period during which bass spawn — at least a little — let’s take a look at where it happens.

Sand is an ideal spawning surface, but the bass is adaptable, and the male may make his nest over clay or gravel or whatever else is available as long as he can keep it clean by fanning it with his tail.
In extreme situations where a hard substrate is hard to come by, female largemouths have been known to spawn on stumps or the stems of vegetation like lily pads.

Late bedding bass are often the deepest spawners of all.
All other things being equal, the first nests of the spawning season will appear in the northwest portion of your fishery.
That’s because the spring sun strikes that area most directly and warms it first.
Conversely, the southeast shores warm slowest, and bass in those areas will generally be the last to spawn.

The female may stand guard as well, but she’s generally not as closely tethered to the nest as the male and may only dart in when she sees that the male is in jeopardy of losing the nest to marauders like bluegills, salamanders, turtles, wading and diving birds and other predators.
A day or two after she’s finished laying her eggs, the female is often gone from the nest area and trying to recuperate from the rigorous process.

Big bass are shallow, aggressive and often impervious to the close proximity of boats and anglers.
It’s a great time to cover water with a noisy and ire-inspiring topwater like the Berkley Choppo, Spin Rocket, Drift Walker or HighJacker,
The Choppo, with its hard plastic, plopping-style tail, creates a lot of surface disturbance at any speed.

That may be true, but a big bait with a lot of appendages is easy for a bass to grab and remove from the nest without ever getting the hook in its mouth.
Never forget that these bass are not particularly interested in feeding.
They’re guarding a nest from predators, and if they can scare away the threat without striking or eating it, that’s what they’ll do.

The combination of the scent release technology and the same great Original PowerBait taste make PowerBait MaxScent a double threat to bass! The soft and durable material has an ultra-realistic texture, comes in natural matte colors and won’t dry out like other scent-emitting baits. PowerBait and PowerBait MaxScent can play an important role in triggering strikes during the spawn, but they’re even more valuable in getting fish to hang on long enough to set the hook! Put the Mantis Bug, Jester or Lizard right in the nest and crawl them slowly through.

By this time, the male may have gone two weeks or more without eating. He’s understandably ravenous and may even turn on his brood as a food source. This is the time to target the males with a bait that can be cast or skipped into shallow cover. A weightless PowerBait MaxScent The General in green pumpkin is the perfect choice.

What is the best bait to use when bass are spawning?

The 5 Best Baits for Spawning Bass – Bait selection is critical during the spawn. As we know, bass may be less willing to feed during this period. They go more into defensive mode rather than the aggressive feeding mode they were in leading up to the spawn.

Irving S. Martin