Where to find bass in a lake

Keep in mind that at this time bass are looking for areas to make a nest. Areas that a bass can fan out and clear a spot for a nest that he will eventually guard from the dangers of the lake.

Look for spots with the characteristics named above and that look "safe" to a largemouth. As the days heat up in the transition from Spring to Summer you will once again find the bass in deep water for most of the day. While early morning and late evening will still have some largemouth bass going shallow to feed, most of the day should be focused on off shore structure. Similar to winter when you want to be working areas of the lake where you find off shore humps and points. Creek beds can prove to be productive and any area around these where there is a transition in the make up of the bottom of the lake.

Such as a rocky bottom turning into sand. There will be some variances depending on the part of the country you are in and some of the seasonal patterns will start earlier or later again depending on your location.

As with anything in fishing learning where to find largemouth bass ultimately takes time out on the water. And using these guidelines, you should be well on your way to making your day more productive and locating those largemouth bass. Go to our home page to see even more bass fishing tips. The bass will be shallow in muddy water situations. Water temperature can also be a key in locating fish. Herren and Lane agree that anglers should follow the seasonal pattern based on water temperature.

During the spring and early summer months, water temps in the upper 60s to low 70s are ideal for spawning bass. The type of lake will tell what the fish are doing at a specific time of year. Usually, anglers are told to fish their strengths.

And generally, this is a good rule of thumb. However, anglers should approach an unfamiliar lake without any preconceived ideas about lure choices. Lure selection should be based on time of year, water temp and the primary forage for that particular lake.

The color red in crankbaits and jerkbaits performs well on Lake Guntersville. However, shad-colored baits seem to produce more strikes on other lakes of the Tennessee River. Also, lure may not be as important on some lakes as the type of lure used. Lane says he looks for good types of cover when fishing shallow.

Rocks, stumps or grass clumps are primary hiding spots for bass. Even after the spawn, bass will continue to use cover in shallow water areas. He says to look for something a little different along the shoreline. A group of rocks on a sandy point or a single log jutting out into a slough are a couple of examples.

Once the water is above 50 degrees F, Herren recommends a spinnerbait to locate bass. White, chartreuse or a combination of both colors is a prime choice for bass on most lakes.

As the water warms up toward the summer, bass will move out deeper near ledges, channel drops, and other structure. Deep-diving crankbaits, Texas rigged soft-plastics and shaky head rigs should produce some bass. Anglers can focus on points extending out into the lake.

A fish appeared, swung a semi-circle, opened a wide bucket mouth, expelled water out through its gills and the fly vanished inside. I set the hook like it was stuck in a log. Stung, in disbelief, the fish tried to get back into the weeds then it streaked out to open water and danced on its tail. Contact Lewis at garylewisoutdoors.

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Sign Me Up. Down Year for Ducks? Jason Halfen. See All Videos. Buy Digital Single Issues. Don't miss an issue. Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet. Shooting Times Subscribe. Firearms News Subscribe. 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. 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.

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 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. 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.

Some bass are spawning while some are still moving up. So when shallow bass are unresponsive, target the bass that are staging in deeper water. 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. 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.

When the time is right, the female will move up and spawn, only holding in the shallow water for a short period of time.