The first stage is called the pre-spawn stage, when bass move toward shallow flats from their deeper wintering areas. Spawning: In Wisconsin, smallmouth bass spawning usually occurs at water temperatures between 62 - 64º F, but they have been found spawning at 53º F. In southern Wisconsin, the smallmouth spawns from the middle of May through June (water temperatures between 55 - 75º F). Post spawn bass are easily tricked by a rigged finesse worm near the first major change in depth closest to the spawning grounds. To me, this speaks volumes about bag limits and catch-and-release — I feel these fish should all be released, even the big ones, and given maximum opportunity to spawn. → Follow Us. Written by matt allen On May 1, 2020 In Spring, Summer Tagged where do bass go, post spawn, spawn, Summer fishing, early summer, summer ← How To Catch Bigger Smallmouth (And Largemouth) - Everything You Need To Know - Finesse Bass Fishing How Fish React To Different Lures - Incredible Underwater Bite Footage! From my observations on Lake Simcoe, it seems the cloud of fry just spread out, and then they disperse into smaller schools." BASSMASTER: Do smallmouth "stage" or hold for a period of time in deeper water adjacent to spawning areas the way largemouth do? Wakebaits … When water temperatures reach and sustain 59 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the male bass prepares the nest by fanning the bottom vigorously with his tail. Some of the more successful fry yields are from beds with coarse gravel, which allows the eggs to settle beneath the cracks. The preparation of the next may take anywhere from a few hours to several days. As she rolls over on her side and quivers, the male looks for the results.
McCLINTOCK: I've seen a couple; they're light-colored and about the size of a dinner plate, with gravel around the perimeter. Steve Hacker is a veteran bronzeback guide on Pickwick Lake, Ala., a river-run reservoir known for big smallmouth.
If you're hankering to hang into a giant brown fish this spring, what follows can provide you with the input you'll need to succeed. Late ice out, followed by a cool spring, delivered a perfect recipe for late spawning bass. Despite having his hands full (or more accurately, his fins) fending off an array of predators, some of the eggs are still beyond reach of these hungry nest raiders. Weather and water conditions facilitate the transition in stages.Temperature, location and moon phase are the most important factors that affect bass spawning season.
The female typically stages back in deeper water until construction is completed and conditions are suitable. I've never even seen a smallmouth bed. If and when the occasional female arrives, rarely are her eggs still viable.
Their numbers have skyrocketed across Lake Simcoe, and they are very efficient bass nest raiders. News . Post spawn bass go too far if they leave the shallows and they’ll school up on the outer weed lines, contour breaks or nearby brush piles. HACKER: The 53 to 55 degree range is magic for big prespawn fish at Pickwick. Both the goby and the perch are barely detectable.Smallmouth spawned through August this year in Simcoe. This image is the first time White caught a smallmouth in the act of constructing a nest. Water temperature is key, obviously, as it dictates where smallmouths will be during the pre-spawn. If enough eggs are present, he fertilizes them. BASSMASTER: At what water temp can you expect smallmouth to be spawning? Fred McClintock guides on Dale Hollow Lake, a highland reservoir on the Tennessee/Kentucky border that produced the world record smallmouth. Bass spawning season is very predictable, because bass do the same thing every year in three basic stages. HACKER: Any smallmouth you suspect was caught off the bed should be released immediately so it can do what we Bassmasters need it to do: make more smallmouth!There are many advantages to using braid on spinning reels, the most obvious being the sensitivity because it has zero stretch.Membership Includes 1 Year Bassmaster Magazine, Plus $50 in free gear. If the water is clear enough to see the beds and fish, try enticing them with a dropshot. If smallies are on bed and the lake has a sudden rise or fall, or if there's a sharp air temperature drop, they may leave the nest and not return. BASSMASTER: Can factors such as flooding or drought negatively impact the spawn? BASSMASTER: At what water temperature do you find smallmouth beginning to move into their spawning areas? "It makes for an awful lot of editing afterward, but my friends tell me the results are well worth it," he said. Female bass that are not guarding fry will stick around in the shallows to recuperate from the rigors of spawning.