Seasonal Bass Strategies

Early Spring: Regardless of where they live, bass anglers get the "itch" early in the spring. But this is a tough time - a period of hit or miss angling. Some days you're going to get lucky, but the majority are going to be tough. Don't be too disappointed if you don't catch fish. (1) Water Conditions - The water temperature at this time will range from 45 to 54 degrees F., depending on locality. Water clarity in lakes and reservoirs will normally run from clear to extremely clear because spring rains and runoff have nor begun yet, although snowmelt can be a factor in northern areas. (2) Bass Locations - Bass will be found where even a slight warming of the water occurs. Key spots include the south-facing banks of coves, creeks and the tributaries of most reservoirs and lakes. Upper ends of reservoir tributaries warm first, as do turbid water areas and places with standing timber, rocky shoals, scattered boulders, even boathouses or marina docks. Bass will, however,, still be keyed to winter holding spots and can be concentrated. Look for deep water winter holding spots with potential spawning areas nearby. Early spring bass will often be located along a migration route between these two areas. When the day warms up, they move shallow; when the temperature drops back down, they move back to the deeper water. Many pros start looking for bass on the first major drop-offs between shallow and deep water. Good spots are bluffs, creek channels, channel bends and flats just off creek channels. (3) Water Depth - Look for bass anywhere from 8 to 30 feet deep. (4) Lure Choices - The absolute best lure at this time is a jig with some sort of pork, plastic or leather trailer. Select a 1/4 to 3/8 oz. jig in black or brown, perhaps with streaks of red, blue, chartreuse, etc. The No. 11 Uncle Josh Pork Frog is the top choice in trailers. Plastic crawdads, too, are also good trailers at this time of year. Weighted spinnerbaits or crankbaits retrieved slowly can also be good. These are weighted by simply sliding a worm sinker over the line before tying on the lure. Or you can simply crimp on split shot, but you'll have more problems with hang-ups. Tiny 1/8 and 1/4 oz. jigs such as the Blakemore Road Runner, which has a spinner added, can be deadly. Fish these just off the edges of creek channel drops. (5) Tactics - Early spring bass are just starting to come out of their winter pattern. Their metabolism is extremely slow, so they're usually slow to move and won't chase a lure far or make fast strikes at it. The best days to fish are those after a couple of days of warming weather. Fish through the middle of the day when the sun and heat are the highest.

Pre-Spawn: (1) Water Conditions - Normally the water will run slightly warmer than early spring, although there may be occasional fronts that will drop the temperature. Look for water temperature between 55 to 65 degrees F. Clarity can change rapidly and can range from extremely clear to turbid due to incoming spring rains. (2) Bass Locations - As water temperatures continue to rise, bass begin an ongoing migration from their deeper water winter holding spots to spawning areas in the shallow bays and coves and on sloping rubble or gravel banks. At this time you can hang the biggest fish of your lifetime. Bass go on a feeding binge in preparation for spawning, and females are heavy with eggs. The fish are more scattered now than any other time of the year and are continually roaming. This is also the time when anybody can catch a bass and, appropriately, the time when most bass anglers hit the water. Key locations will still be the migration routes between deeper waters and spawning areas, although bass will be continually moving shallower. In reservoirs, search out the shallow flats close to major creek channels. In natural lakes, shallow bays and coves are the best choices. Best action occurs when the water temperature stabilizes above 55 degrees F., which usually occurs once both the nights and days start becoming warm. When bass move onto the spawning areas just prior to the actual spawn, the action is the best of the year. Not all bass in a lake spawn at the same time, so if you wish to extend the productive prespawn season, merely follow the rising water temperature. For instance, you started in early spring on the north side of the lake in the coves against the south facing shore. When these areas warm to the point bass are spawning there, move to the lake's southern shore facing the north. Some bass also live and spawn in the middle of lakes and reservoirs where cover is good, and these will be the last to spawn. It's not uncommon to see bass spawning in flooded treetops and on underwater islands and humps and other structure such as old roadbeds, even into early summer. (3) Water Depth - Prespawn bass are located relatively shallow. Look for them in water from a foot or two down to eight feet depending on water clarity and amount of cover. (4) Lure Choices - Although the pig n jig can still be productive now, "locator" lures that are retrieved at a faster pace allow you to search for roaming bass. Thee include spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits and at times topwaters and buzzbaits. (5) Tactics - Even these faster moving lures should be used fairly slowly at the start of this prespawn period; speed them up as the water continues to warm. It's also a good idea to explore with these lures. If you get a strike but don't hook the bass, switch to a slower lure such as a jig n pig or plastic worm, and rework the area. Or simply slow down your retrieve with the spinnerbait or crankbait. If you get several short strikes with a buzzbait, try using a stinger or back hook. Normally, the smaller males spend more time in the shallows than the bigger females do. If you continually catch small fish, back out to the next deeper water layer.

Spawn: (1) Water Conditions - At this time the water will normally range from 65 to 75 degrees F., while clarity will run from turbid to clear, depending on lake location and amount of runoff. Good spawning locations can vary a great deal from lake to lake, depending on the structure available, but they have three general requirements. First is a fairly solid bottom such as gravel or rocks. Soft, mucky, weedy areas are rarely chosen. Second is depth, which will be fairly shallow so that plenty of sunlight can reach and incubate the eggs. Spawning area depths range from about a foot to 10 feet, depending on water clarity, structure, etc. Third, there should be little or no current that can wash the eggs away. Most spawn areas will be located fairly close to deep water such as a submerged channel. (2) Lure Choices - Although tube lures, plastic worms and topwater lures such as Zara Spooks are all productive during this season, the single most productive lure across the country is the plastic salamander. (3) Tactics - Many serious bass anglers do not fish for spawning bass, but follow the prespawn cycle mentioned earlier. Their reasons are two: First, spawning bass seldom feed, and although you can sometimes trick them into striking, it's best to look for bass that are still in prespawn period. The second reason involves conservation. Although fishing for spawning bass is legal in many states, removing nesting bass can have negative effects on a heavily pressured lake. If you're set on catching nesting bass, plastic worms and salamanders, tossed time again into or over a nest, may provoke a nesting bass to hit. Biologists say such strikes are generated more by protective instinct than a need for food. Make sure you release any bass caught during this period.

Post Spawn: (1) Water Conditions - Temperatures will range from 75 degrees on up. Water will quite often be clear to extremely clear, although occasionally runoff may produce some murkiness and windy weather can create turbid conditions on shallow lakes. (2) Bass Location - As soon as the spawn is over, a majority of the bass, particularly the males, retreat to the nearest deep water to recuperate. Look at the migration routes between spawning areas and deep water, starting shallow and working your way outward until you discover fish. Key areas are the deep ends of major lake points, creek channels, etc. (3) Water Depth - Will range from between eight to 15 feet. (4) Lure Choices - A few very slow-working lures such as the pig-and-jig, plastic worm grubs and tube lures are the best choices, although crankbaits bumped along the bottom in a medium to slow retrieve will also locate bass. Spinnerbaits pumped slowly near the bottom are also good choices. (5) Tactics - This is a tough time of year because many bass have become inactive. You can continue to fish for the active fish, such as prespawners in other parts of the lake, or wait for the fish to enter their summer pattern. Dawn and dusk often provide the best angling during this period.

Summer: (1) Water Conditions - The surface layer will be hot, 75 degrees and up. Water clarity will vary from extremely clear to occasionally turbid.
Water Depth-In most cases, there are two summertime bass-holding 
patterns, shallow and deep. Some lakes may only have one pattern while 
both may exist in other lakes. (2) Shallow Fish - Look for cover such as weeds, moss, overhanging trees, submerged brush, stump beds and boat docks. (3) Deep Fish - Look for sloping main-lake points, humps, islands, underwater springs, and deep-water structure such as old bridges, roads and submerged fences. NOTE: Headwaters or main tributaries of lakes and reservoirs are top producers during summer months as they often provide both shallow and deep water in one small area and are usually more oxygenated due to inflowing water. The water there may also be cooler. (4) Lure Choices - For shallow water, plastic worms, crank-baits and spinnerbaits will work while topwaters are top producers in and around heavy cover such as pads and brush. For deep water, small plastic worms, tube lures, grubs and small deep-running cranks are top choices. (5) Tactics - For shallow water, early morning, late afternoon and night fishing are best, particularly on clear-water lakes. Plastic worms, dark-colored spinnerbaits or topwaters and buzzbaits tend to be the top nighttime producers. Minnow lures and jerkbaits twitched slowly are often good producers during summertime as well. The Texas-rigged plastic worm, however, has to take top billing, but try the Carolina rig in deep weedbeds and Do-Nothings in spots where a current flows. For deep-water bass, small grubs, worms and tube lures jigged vertically are good producers on sultry days. Jigging spoons worked vertically over underwater humps can also produce bass, although you'll probably have to fight other species off. The Texas-rigged plastic worm is probably the best choice in deep water, too, but also try working small crankbaits across points and retrieving spinnerbaits deep along bluffs.

Early Fall: (1) Water Conditions - The cooling autumn weather will start bringing surface temperatures down from 80 degrees to 60 degrees. Although some lakes may have ultra-clear water at this time, others will have turbid areas caused by fall rains. (2) Bass Location - During early fall bass will still be in their summer holding areas, although they'll move around more and travel the migration routes between deep and shallow areas. As the water and air temperatures drop, bass will move toward the shallow areas and spend more time feeding in them. A sudden rise in a lake or reservoir due to fall rains can cause a mass migration into the freshly submerged weeds and brush. Major tributaries are also prime fall spots, since bass tend to follow foraging fish toward the influx of water. (3) Water Depth - Varies from very shallow to fairly deep, just above the thermocline. (4) Lure Choices - Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits are top choices at this time, 
although Zara Spooks and topwaters can be extremely good worked in submerged trees, over major channels and over deteriorating weedbeds. Shallow-running crankbaits or rattling shad-type lures are also excellent. (5) Tactics - Since bass are moving, more spread out and more aggressive, retrieves should be fairly fast. Lures should be larger at this time to match the larger size of the forage. Shad are the top forage on many reservoirs, and anything white or silver can be productive.

Late Fall: (1) Water Conditions - By now, water temperatures continue to drop from 60 degrees down to 42 degrees or so. Water is usually fairly turbid 
due to incoming rainwater as well as lake turnover. (2) Bass Location - As the lake cools, bass become even more active, needing to fill up before the coming winter months. They can be located almost anyplace at this time, but shallow areas particularly those close to major migration routes as well as migration routes themselves can be productive. The fish are generally moving back to their winter holding areas, and the same places you found them in early spring can again be productive. The upper ends of tributaries and major creeks can be extremely rewarding to prospect as they provide a concentration of shallow water, migration routes and deep water in a relatively small area. (3) Water Depth - Varies from extremely shallow to relatively shallow (one to 12 feet). (4) Lure Choices - Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and buzzbaits are all good choices now because they are fast-moving, "prospecting" baits and bass are feeding aggressively. As the water temperature continues to drop, pig-and-jigs can become increasingly productive. (5) Tactics - It's best to fish slow at the beginning of this period, or until the annual fall turnover. While this annual phenomenon is going on, fishing can be really tough because bass tend to be disoriented. Once it's over and there is a fresh mix of oxygenated water throughout the lake, look out fishing is going to be the best since spring. Retrieves should be sped up to garner strikes from aggressive fish and also to cover a lot of territory. As the weather gets colder, fish tend to drop deeper and become less aggressive. However, a warming day or two can bring on renewed activity, and spinnerbaits and crankbaits are hard to beat at that time.

Winter: (1) Water Conditions - During this season, water will be 45 degrees or 
colder over much of the country except the deep South, and usually fairly clear. (2) Bass Location - Most bass will be schooled in deep holding areas at this time, although they may make occasional forays into shallow water along major migration routes. Winter bass prefer vertical holding areas such as bluffs, submerged trees and deep creek channels, rather than the sloping areas of shallows, flats, etc. The reason is that they can adjust to light and temperature changes simply by ascending or descending, rather than making a more strenuous horizontal migration. (3) Water Depth - Varies according to structure, water temperature and water clarity, but most bass hold at 18 to 30 feet or deeper. (4) Lure Choices - The pig-and-jig or a jig with some other sort of dressing is the top wintertime choice in many areas. Jigging spoons can also be successful, and modified jerkbaits work in some areas. (5) Tactics - Start medium-shallow and gradually work deep until you locate fish. Work the vertical areas such as submerged timber, bluffs, etc. Look for bass to be suspended there or just off the edges or drops of the creek channels. Bounce a pig-and-jig slowly down a bluff wall until you locate the depth where fish are holding; then fish similar patterns at that depth. A jigging spoon fished vertically in the treetops for suspended bass may also be effective. Jerkbaits modified by adding shot to give them neutral buoyancy can be cranked down to suspended bass, then stopped. Even lethargic fish will often hit the lures as they sit motionless in the water.

Rather than fishing areas and lures randomly this year, try this seasonal 
approach to bass fishing. You may discover a whole calendar's worth of 
action you've been missing.