Understanding Seasonal Impact on Bass

Seasons impact bass’ locations, food supply, their activity level and reproduction.

Why is Seasonal Impact on Bass Important?

It is important to understand the seasonal impact on bass to:

  • Find More Bass: Identifying structures for migration movements and stops along the way (referred to as staging) and know seasonal impact of bass depths.  
Understanding Seasonal Impact on Bass
  • Spring: Generally is considered to start when the water starts to warm (daylight gets longer) and when the bass move off their winter positions. Some suggest it is the one of the times of the year where bass location is known as bass spawn in spring. It is common to break spring down into three periods:
    • Pre-Spawn: Bass generally considered to start actively feeding when the water is warming and has reached around 50F degrees as the bass prepares for spawn.
      • Pre-Spawn Staging Areas: Bass slowly migrate to warmer water which is shallow, stopping on route at what is referred to as staging areas. Staging areas allow the bass to acclimate to water temperature, wait for further warming, and eat. Staging areas generally provide cover and/or structure and forage plus they are located not too far from the spawning location (beds). Some suggest the migration routes followed are structures for example creek channels, and ledges sometimes referred to as bass highways. Staging areas have deep water nearby and are generally shallow water. Some suggest smallmouth and spotted stage around 5 to 12 feet.
        • Suspend when Sunny: Some suggest bass will warm their eggs by suspending shallow in deep water when it is sunny. 
        • Swim Bladder: A fish’s swim bladder is used to regulate depth and buoyancy allowing the bass to maintain a certain depth level while using energy on swimming impacts the rate of bass travel when changing depth. A bass’ swim bladder can’t manage quick changes in depth which some believe impacts the rate to which a bass can change depths. In other words, if a bass is deep, it will make several stops (stages) to acclimate to change in depths, while going shallow. 
    • Spawn: Generally starts when the water temperature exceeds 55 degrees Fahrenheit for largemouth bass and 52 degrees for smallmouth. Largemouth bass don’t actively eat during the 10 to 14 days of the spawn where smallmouth bass will eat opportunistically if forage comes on the spawning bed. Spawn locations on flat hard bottom for example sand and gravel in above 15 feet but most often around 3 to 5 feet. [Sometimes next to cover] Spawn locations are where lakes have protected areas from heavy wind such as large coves as these areas may be the best spawning locations as the bass want their eggs to stay in the bed. Locations are not only protected but get a lot of sun. 
    • Post-Spawn: Actively feeding near the spawning location. 
  • Baitfish Spawn: Baitfish also spawn shallow and just after the bass spawning season keeping the actively feeding bass shallow during the spring. 
  • Differences in Water Temperature: Some suggest as spring time can have large difference in water temperature from shallow to deep, this impacts bass behavior.  Specifically, bass seek warmer water temperatures in the spring bringing them to the shallow, wind protected bays often referred to as cuts or pockets.
  • Grass Habitat:  As there is less grass in the spring, specifically new grass in most locations, grass is less of a habitat as compared to summer and fall.
  • Summer: Generally, after the post-spawn, through the warmest water on the lake, until the water consistently cools and the daylight gets shorter.
    • Shallow vs Deep(Offshore): After post-spawn, the bass are shallow, where some will move deep(offshore). Summer considerations include:
      • Deep is Relative: Smallmouth deep can mean any depth where grass does not grow for example 15 to 25 ft but can be a lot deeper in some cases (but above the thermocline). For largemouth bass, going deep could mean moving a couple feet deeper for example from 2ft to 6 or 8ft depth; every lake is different.
      • 80 Degree F: Some suggest if water temperature reaches 80 F it is physiologically uncomfortable for bass, and they move to cooler water. 
      • Forage: If the forage is deeper the bass will go deeper the most common example being shad. 
      • Water Stability: Some suggest in some waters there can be large fluctuations in oxygen levels and water temperatures in shallow water driving bass deeper.
      • Oxygen: Some lakes the oxygen level can degree dramatically deep due to thermocline. In some examples below 15 ft which results in baitfish and bass not going too deep.
      • Water Clarity: Some suggest bass will stay shallow in murky water during the summer and go deep in clear water.
    • Shade: Bass seek shade in the summer for a variety of reasons including cooler water temperature, better ambush positions and some suggest the sun bothers their eyes.
    • Thermocline: Bass that go deep stay above the thermocline due to temperature and oxygen levels.
    • Grass: Grass provides maximum grass cover in late summer.
    • Time of Day: Some suggest time of day has the largest impact in the summer. 
  • Fall: Also called the fall transition, the water cools.
    • High Activity Level: Some suggest that even those the water temperature is decreasing, or because the water temperature is decreasing, bass more actively feeding to prepare for the winter.
      • Baitfish: Some suggest bass leave cover and more aggressively target baitfish. 
    • Deep Bass Initially Move Shallow: Some suggest the bass that have located deep in the summer will move shallow in early fall as the baitfish move shallow. 
    • Start the Move Deeper: As bass winter deep, sometime during the late fall they will start moving deeper.
      • Shallow Becomes Coldest: At some point in the fall or early winter the shallow water becomes colder then the deeper water moving baitfish and bass to the deeper winter positions.
    • Greener Grass: Some suggest that bass will migrate to the greener species of grass, or locations and depths that have greener grass, presumably because greener grass produces more oxygen or provides better cover than dying grass.
      • Dying Grass: Some suggest bass leave dying grass and go to other forms of cover. Some suggest they move to nearest structures that are near steep drop offs.
  • Winter: Coldest water, and for bass, most research related to bass in the winter is in the south where the water does not freeze.
    • 50 Degrees F: Some suggest as soon as the water reaches 50 degrees fahrenheit bass move deep to their winter positions albeit some suggest the length of sunlight during the day may also be a factor. 
    • Winter Positions: Some suggest deep water as it doesn’t fluctuate in temperature. Some suggest cover or hard bottom on some structure that provides depth changes for example creek channels, ledges, points and humps.
    • Steep Ledge Structures: Some suggest bass will associate with structures that have rapid depth changes such that they can change depths without using much energy.
    • Dying Baitfish: Baitfish are less adapted to cold water and as such have a larger death rate.
    • Lowest Current: Some suggest that bass will seek locations with the lowest current to conserve energy.
Additional Considerations
  • Seasonal Impacts:
    • Water Temperature: Changes of water temperature impacts bass behavior for example bass feeding activity is higher in warmer water.  Change of water temperature is the major outcome of seasonal weather changes. As such, understanding water temperature impact on bass should be understood along with understanding seasonal changes.
    • Migration vs Depth: Some suggest migration may not be the correct term for bass movements throughout the year and suggest bass stay in the same general area and the depth they reside changes. In some cases, the deep water can be a long distance from the shallow water. Bass use structure for navigation between deep and shallow.
    • Depth: Some suggest the majority of bass move deeper in winter and move shallow in the spring. Some suggest some smallmouth bass go deep(offshore) in the summer but it is less about the season and more to do with forage, specifically, bait fish.
  • How do Bass Know the Season Transitions: Some suggest it is a change in water temperature and some suggest it is the change in length of sunlight per day. 
  • Spawning Areas: Spawning area can be identified and marked all year. 
  • Funnels/Saddles: Some suggest a good location to find bass is at funnels/saddles from deep water to shallow water.
  • Sight Fishing Spawning Beds: Where fishing seasons allow sight fishing spawning beds is possible.
It's About the ALLURE™

Fishing Slow Lures
Some suggest fishing slow lures in the winter.

Surface Water Lures
Some suggest surface water lures in the spring and summer due to increasing or warmer water.

Fishing Deep Lures
Some suggest fishing deep in the summer and winter.

MLF Videos and Articles
Major League Fishing (MLF) produces videos and articles including:
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