Patterning spring bass
How to catch bass during spawning stage, beyond beating the bank
anglers can employ based on the spawning rituals of bass that have nothing to do with bed fishing.
Indeed, you can do well on most days by beating the banks with an array of lures. That's a pattern that works most of spring because the warming water attracts bass into shallow areas where they are more accessible.
But on lakes that get a lot of spring fishing pressure, those simplistic patterns don't last.
"The beauty of spring is that there is so much going on in a lake that you don't have to fish the same pattern throughout the day," says 2005 Bassmaster Classic Champion Kevin VanDam. "And really, on lakes that get a lot of fishing pressure, the best pattern may not always be the most obvious one."
This much is certain — the urge to spawn is the bass' primary concern and it's a time when water temperature matters most.
But not all bass move shallow or spawn simultaneously, therefore a lake can undergo phases of prespawn, spawn and postspawn activities concurrently.
"That's especially true on large waters, but I've seen it occur on smaller natural lakes, too," explains VanDam. "It also can vary from lake to lake. I've seen small lakes across the road from each other be in completely different stages of the spring season."
Lake depth and water clarity both factor in how fast the water warms and how quickly bass move into the stages of spring patterns. For example, river bass are often ahead of lake fish, and a shallow turbid lake that warms faster will progress more quickly than a deep, clear lake.
The same goes for sections of a large impoundment. For example, the upper end of the reservoir — where the main river enters and the lake is shallowest and less clear — will leap into spring patterns sooner than the lower end, which is often deeper and more clear.
"You can be fishing prespawn patterns on one end, bedding fish in the middle and postspawn fish at the other end," VanDam adds. "Don't ever assume that all of the fish are bedding just because a buddy told you he caught fish on beds."
Prespawn begins the moment the air temperatures rise steadily and the days get longer. The month in which it occurs depends upon regional climate, ranging from as early as February in Texas to April and May in the Upper Midwest.
While textbooks claim that bass spawn at 65 to72 degrees, veteran anglers know it begins much sooner than that. Though 65 to 72 may be the optimum temp, early spawners can be found bedding in less than 60-degree water on some lakes.
"A lot of guys get caught up on what they read and wait until the water climbs into the mid-60s to start looking for spawning activity," notes Californian Byron Velvick. "The fact is, many of the biggest fish in the lake are the first to lock onto beds, but they're long gone before some anglers start fishing that pattern."
Here's an overview of where to find spring fish on different bodies of water and how to catch them:
Reservoirs
From there, says Texas pro David Wharton, lowland reservoir bass head for the smaller creek channels, drains and ditches that provide a route to shallow spawning flats. Buckbrush or grassbeds in those areas make them even better.
"Most of the time you can find fish staging in those ditches or points outside the spawning areas before moving up to bed," says Wharton. "Anglers should really pay close attention to this type of structure because the fish use those same routes when they leave the beds after the spawn."
Hard bottoms that flatten out on the upper end of a ditch, creek or cove are prime spawning areas. Look for gravel, sand or hard clay bottoms and you'll probably find spawning fish.
Wharton says anglers need only four baits during the prespawn — a lipless crankbait, spinnerbait, Carolina rigged lizard and a jerkbait.
"Start with a suspending jerkbait when the water is coldest," he explains. "As it warms, switch to a rattling bait, such as a lipless crankbait or diving crankbait, because it allows you to cover a lot of water. If the lake has grass, the lipless bait is an awesome choice. Just make sure the bait is ticking the grass during the retrieve."
If the water rises or the grass is too deep to fish a lipless lure, Wharton advises, opt for a 3/4- or 1-ounce spinnerbait and slow roll it over the top.
"Bass bunch up along the inside edges of grass during the prespawn, so that's a good time to drag a Carolina rigged lizard through there," adds Wharton. "I often use the lipless lure to find them, then switch to the Carolina rig to catch 'em good."
Those same places are effective during the postspawn, but a topwater lure, Texas rigged worm or a wacky rigged soft plastic become better lure choices.
Bass move into the same types of areas to spawn on highland lakes, says Missouri pro Brian Snowden, but gravel becomes much more of a factor. Also, spawning activity frequently occurs a little deeper than it does on most lowland lakes, especially if the water is clear.
"Look for changes in bottom composition on the points, such as ledge rock to gravel, when searching for prespawn fish," Snowden explains. "They love to spawn on shallow, fine gravel pockets, but they will use the deeper pockets that have gravel shelves around the banks that are adjacent to deep water."
Snowden fishes jerkbaits like the Smithwick Rogue or Long A Bomber during the early part of spring. If he suspects the fish are hugging the bottom, he'll switch to jig-and-pork combinations in crawfish colors.
"Once the water gets above 50 degrees, you can wear them out with a crawfish-colored Cordell Wiggle O or Storm Wiggle Wart since they both have wide wobbling actions," he describes. "A stop and go action will attract smallmouth and largemouth strikes."
Allow the crankbait to strike objects, he adds, and pause momentarily each time the bait bounces off the bottom.
Topwaters are Snowden's favorite lure for taking postspawn fish that are moving out of the coves and recuperating on points and rock shelves.
Natural lakes
They also follow underwater points, or points of grassbeds, and use changes in bottom composition as their highways from the breaklines to the spawning areas. One of the best places to find bass staging during early prespawn is on an inside turn of a sharp dropoff, especially if that turn occurs alongside a point or a major flat.
"Locate an inside turn on a point extending off the largest flat in the lake, and you'll probably find bass staging there," explains VanDam. "During stable weather, they move up on the flat to feed, but during cold fronts, they'll pull back to the inside turns or dropoffs."
On lakes that freeze, prespawn activity begins the moment the ice thaws. And, just as they do on reservoirs, bass will make short forays onto shallow flats or dark bottom bays during warming days and stable weather. Although they generally don't spawn on black, mucky bottoms, they will lounge there because the water typically is several degrees warmer than other sections of the lake.
Natural lake bass also are attracted to man-made canals cut off the main lake. Again, warmer water is the main attraction, although these canals can be havens for bedding bass.
They also bed along gravel shorelines, on the backsides of established weedbeds and against rocks or logs littered along tapering flats.
Just as they do on reservoirs, some fish spawn earlier than most anglers realize.
"I've seen largemouth bass bedding in northern Indiana lakes when the water temperature was in the mid-50s," says Hoosier pro Chip Harrison. "And oftentimes, those early spawners are bigger than the lake average."
Many of the same techniques used on reservoirs apply to natural lakes. Jerkbaits and tube jigs are good choices early in the season while crankbaits, spinnerbaits or lipless crankbaits can produce big bags when the bass are roaming the edges of dropoffs, grassbeds or flats.
When bass move into shallow, ultraclear bedding areas, they get skittish and become less likely to chase baits. That's when small finesse baits, fished on light line and presented with long casts, are most effective. Popular baits include wacky rigged stickworms or trick worms. Also, try split shotting centipedes or small worms.
During postspawn bass back away from shallows, especially in clear water. They don't go far, and in many cases, you can find them along inside edges of weedlines growing between spawning areas and deep water. Topwaters and finesse soft plastics, especially wacky rigs, are best lure choices.
Rivers
"When you get a few warm days in early spring, most anglers hit the local lakes when they should be fishing the rivers," says Arkansas pro Stephen Browning. "Lake bass are a little lethargic coming out of the winter, but river fish seem to get aggressive sooner."
And whereas lake fish often have to move a considerable distance between wintering areas and fast-warming shallows, river fish tend to seek the shallower water adjacent to deep wintering holes, such as marinas, protected coves and harbors that are away from the main current.
Browning says rivers often provide an abundance of rocky, riprap banks along wing dams, dikes and shorelines that were created to reduce erosion. Those rocks absorb the heat from the sun and adjacent water warms up quickly. "Bass are drawn to those rocks and you can catch them early on crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits," says Browning.
Some fish will leave the wintering spots and move to main river areas, but they still seek protection from the current. That's where heavy cover comes into play — be it large weedbeds, logjams, stump rows or bays protected by points. The points help deflect the current and the fish can spawn freely in the bays behind them.
Man-made channels should be considered, as well. However, in tidal waters, the fish may seek slightly deeper areas that aren't going to be left high and dry during low tide.
"To reach these areas, they'll use the same routes that lake fish use — creek channels, breaklines or any other change of depth," adds Iaconelli. "They also will use points, especially secondary points in some of these backwater areas, to stage before moving all the way back to spawning areas."
In most cases, bass will bed away from the current, preferring those shallows in very protected areas. The far upper reaches of creeks are the best places to find them. Of course, a hard bottom is a must, so choose only those backwaters that offer a good mixture of sand, rock or clay bottoms.
Words of wisdom
- Because of the earth's tilt and sun angle during early spring, northern shorelines receive warmth for longer periods of a day, therefore adjacent water warms first. It's the best place to start when searching for shallow, prespawn bass.
- Cold fronts can push bass out of shallow areas instantly. Both bedding and prespawn bass will leave areas and pull back to the nearest deep water that offers some form of cover.
- Spring bass are like ghosts. Just because you can't see them cruising a clear water flat during prespawn periods, doesn't mean they aren't there. Make long casts at dark bottom objects, such as mossy bottoms, rocks or logs. The fish often move from one object to another and are more likely to strike when positioned on an irregular bottom feature.
- The moon phase is your best calendar for targeting bedding bass. Fish tend to lock onto nests during full moon periods. However, not all bass bed at the same time. Some will bed before water temperatures reach optimum levels (65 to 72) and others afterwards, but nearly always around full moon periods.
In the bedroom
Seeing bedding bass is easy — getting them to bite is another matter, especially when fishing largemouth. While there are times when a largemouth will destroy a bait dropped on or near the nest, most fish that become aware of angler presence must be taunted into striking.
For that reason, successful bed fishing requires a stealthy approach. That means you must keep a reasonable distance between you and the fish, use the electric motor as little as possible and avoid projecting long shadows over targets.
Sight fishing — the art of seeing and catching fish locked on beds — requires relatively clear water and an adequate amount of available light. Bright, overcast days with little or no wind are ideal because you can see the fish, and the lack of sunshine eliminates shadows that can spook the fish.
Texas rigged tube baits have become the most widely used lures for catching bedding bass in stained or clear water, but don't overlook weightless stickworms like the Senko, split shot french fry soft plastics or any wacky rigged worm-like creature that falls seductively in the fish's protected area. And while some anglers prefer bright colored plastics that make it easier to see the strike, wary bass are more likely to bite natural colors like green, brown or black.
Another technique — one not discussed openly by bass pros — is the use of drop shot rigs on beds. By casting the sinker off to the side of a bed, you can dangle an unobtrusive soft plastic in the face of a bedding largemouth to get it to strike.
