When Do You Start Prespawn Fishing?

[1099gl]

My fishing is pretty much done here in Missouri so I figured I would ask when you all start prespawn fishing? 

[ChrisWi]

Whenever the ice goes away.

[Scott F]

I fish when I can, but the bites don't REALLY start where I fish until the water hits 50 degrees. It's like somebody threw a switch that tells the bass to feed.

[smallieking]

no fish eat all the time even when the water is hard you just need to get away from the bank and learn how to catch bass in cold water.  44 degrees in the spring is fish start there prespawn activities and as anglers we can start patterning them and predicting where theyll be. 

[RoLo]

For sure, the "pre-spawn" period is the peak season for beer-keg lunkers 

The timing of the pre-spawn hinges on geographic latitude and strain of bass.

Here in central Florida, I don't get serious about pre-spawn fishing until after New Years Day,

a season that normally continues through March (quarter of a year).

 

The definition of coldwater is relevant to the strain of bass. For Florida-strain bass, anything below 65-deg F

is cold (they're not uncomfortable, but behave differently). For this reason, bass fishing grows increasingly

more productive 'after' the pre-spawn, and the months of April & May usually provide the best action of the year.

On the downside, the mean weight of bass during the post-spawn is lower than during the pre-spawn.

 

Roger 

[Raul]

Many moons ago when I had time and hunted the beeg mommas prespawning the hunt began in February for the Gulf and Pacific coast, then it was time for my local waters, March and April and then it was time to climb to higher grounds in May.

[bassguytom]

I start pre spawn fishing after the spawn. I'm pre spawn fishing now. I fish for the fat bottomed girls when the water hits 45 degrees or so with jigs and lipless cranks in the red craw color.

[Sam]

Virginia - April when the Dogwood trees bloom.

[teamtrout]

For me in MA, it always seems to be the same week - April 22-28. Not sure why, thats just when they seem to pre-spawn in my local lakes, but we usually have similar conditions if you compare one year to another.

[gulfcaptain]

Now.  Prespawn in S. Cal normally starts right after fall.  The bigger fish target the larger swimbaits and trout stocks.  But gernerally Feb starts to produce more fish.

[Bluebasser86]

Late February/early March here and it should be about the same in your area. 

[Catt]

Now!

I'm gonna follow the bass I'm on right now all the way to the nest!

[ww2farmer]

I have caught a lot of fish from ice out till the water got into the low 50's, but once it hit's that 50 degree mark, it's like a switch is flipped. Some years it happens two weeks after the ice is gone, some years a month, or more. But generally it starts mid April in the backwaters/creeks feeding the lakes,  early May on the main lake.

[Crestliner2008]

Toward the end of February, I'll riding by the ponds almost daily, hoping for ice out conditions. But usually that doesn't start to really get going until mid-March around here (MA). I'm not a fan of ice fishing, but as soon as open water occurs, I'll be out there for sure!

[stepchild]

It's illegal to target bass here in Ontario until the 3rd or 4th weekend of June, when the bass have usually finished spawning....so in short, no prespawn fishing for us!

 

To scratch that fishing itch, the walleye/pike season usually opens mid-May.

[Dave Jakes]

Now, pretty much. Not a whole lot of winter season here in the part of AZ I fish. Lakes don't get much below 50 degrees for a long period of time here. The bigger lakes tend to slow down a bit more than the smaller ones but I can always manage a fish or two. Just yesterday I caugh 8 bass in about two hours on a lipless with a fairly quick retrieve in 10 feet of water. The worst part about winter time fishing here is the sunburns!

[Matthew2000]

Before the spawn

[ColdSVT]

As soon as i can launch my boat!

Usually late march early april...

[Bankbeater]

I fish as long as there is no ice. You can really tell a difference in the bite around mid-March. The bass start going after moving baits.

[long island basser]

My fishing is pretty much done here in Missouri so I figured I would ask when you all start prespawn fishing?

April

[fisherrw]

Here in CA around late jan to early February is when I start

[WRB]

About 2 weeks!

Tom

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Right after spawn....,,,,

[RoLo]

Right after spawn....,,,,

 

Why wait for the spawn? 

 

Roger 

[Senko lover]

Technically, we start the prespawn right after the postspawn. But I guess for me I'll start seriously fishing again in late February, early April.