Water temperature is an primary factor that dictates when bass will spawn. Water temperature is more important then the calendar date in determining when the bass will spawn. Bass doesnt spawn on specific dates, but instead, the bass will spawn once the water temperature reaches a specific range.
If the water temperature is too low for the bass to begin spawning, the bass will remain in deeper water and wont be able to begin building their nest. If the water temperature begins to rise, however, the bass will move to shallower area to begin the spawning process. Because water temperature dictates where the bass will be moving, monitoring the water temperature will help angler to find any active bass fishing in the area.
How Water Temperature Affects Bass Spawning
Bass from different species will require different water temperatures to begin spawning and will seek different type of nesting locations. For example, largemouth bass begin to spawn when the water temperature reaches the low sixties degree in the shallow areas of the water, and will begin nesting in areas with soft bottoms or weeds. Smallmouth bass require water temperatures that are more cooler than largemouth bass, though; smallmouth bass will wait until the gravel bar reaches temperatures of the mid-fifties degrees before beginning to spawn.
Spotted bass begin to spawn on the points in reservoirs where there is a current in the water, though spotted bass prefer area where there is a current that sweeps debris. River species, like shoal bass and redeye bass, will begin to spawn in areas with faster moving water to provide the necesary oxygen to there nests. Finally, temperate bass species, like striped bass and white bass, will spawn according to different cycles, as they are dependent upon spring water flow in their habitat.
Bass will go through a series of phase while they are spawning, and each phase will exhibit certain behavior from the bass, as well as manifest certain physical characteristic within the species. During the pre-spawn phase, the bass will begin to stage in areas near the ledges in the areas where they will spawn, and have swollen bellies due to the fact that they are either carrying egg or milt. During the peak spawn phase, the bass will be within their nests, and begin to fan the sand or gravel within the nest area.
The bright gravel that is within the nest areas within the clear water, or the cloud of fry that appear over these guarded nesting circles, can identify these nests. After the peak spawn phase, the spawning process enters the post-spawn phase, wherein the female begin to move towards areas with
Your fishing tactic will change based off the spawning phase of the bass and the species of bass that are in the water. If the spawning phase of the bass is the pre-spawn phase, use swimbaits to target the bass that are staging area near ledges in the water.
If it is the peak spawn phase, use more subtle presentation when fishing as the bass will be focused on their nests. For example, use weightless stickbaits for largemouth bass in weed bed and Ned rigs or tubes for smallmouth bass in gravel areas. Use reaction bait such as spoons and grubs when targeting temperate bass species that are traveling in large group.
Because the bass may be more defensive of their nest during the spawn phase, use long cast to cover more water and avoid loud noise in the water that could startle the fish. Due to the influence of man on the spawning of the bass and their population, certain consideration should of been made when bass fishing during these critical spawning time. Boats create wake that can crush the eggs of the bass in shallow waters.
Over-fishing these areas can cause the bass to abandon their nests. If the guarding bass abandon their nests, other bass may take over those nesting site. To protect the bass from being disturbed in their nests, give the visible nest space in the water.
If we can protect the spawning areas for the bass, their population will remain healthy for the bass fishing season to come.