River/Tidal Systems and Bass Spawn

[DEPS_250]

I mainly fish lakes where the water level stays pretty constant throughout the year. I have never fished a river/tidal system before, where the water level is constantly fluctuating hour to hour, day to day due to tides. Therefore, it got me thinking, how do the bass spawn in a river/tidal system where the water level is constantly fluctuating hour to hour, day to day due to tides?

 

Specifically...

1. What is the general pattern and/or how do the bass 'setup' to spawn, when they know that the water levels are always fluctuating? 
2. How do they figure out where to put the bed, so the eggs don't end up 'high and dry' at low tide? Therefore, do the bass tend to spawn 'deeper' so the eggs don't end up high and dry at low tide? 
3. Does the constant changing water level have an effect on the bass's timing? Do they tend to spawn sooner? Later? 
4. Does the constant changing water level have an effect on how long the bass stay on a bed/spawn? I would think that the constant water level fluctuations would tend to make the bass stay for a pretty 'short/quick' amount of time and therefore would make the bass have a more 'let's hurry up and get in and get out' kind of mentality, right? 

[Susky River Rat]

I do not fish tidal waters often. What I can tell you on a river system the utilize creeks more for spawn and to escape high water. 
 

I do not think the timing changes spawn us spawn. They are only ready for so long. 
 

how long they stay on the beds? I would assume as long as they would in a lake. Protecting fry is protecting fry.

[Pat Brown]

I fish at a pond and a lake where the water level is being drawn down for rain all the time and I see bass beds made and then the next day the water level will drop and the bed is exposed to air and the bass simply try another day.

 

This is the kind of thing that can contribute to a bad spawning year sometimes. When water clarity is good - like 2 to 3 ft good or better, then the bass will simply spawn deeper than you think they will and that will prevent any of this stuff from affecting them.  They will definitely find current breaks, under water and above water.  They will definitely spawn in protected areas but not always as protected as you think.  They don't need much breaking the current and will spawn on main points and in areas where water flows in and out.  Look for hard surfaces (rocky bottom/sand/gravel/rip rap/pad roots/stumps, laydowns etc.  they like hard stuff to rub up on and lay their eggs on but even with a mucky bottom with mud, they'll find places that work.  They're fish after all.

 

Basically if you have a large population of bass on a body of water, they pretty much spawn everywhere constantly until weather prevents them from doing it (temps get too hot) and even then they'll still often just keep doing it a little bit deeper.  Remember they're basically giant sunfish.

 

Edit to add this clarifier:  when I say 'the bass' it should be understood that I'm saying 'some of the bass'.  You'll almost always have some bass doing something somewhere when there's lots of bass and chances are good there's bass making beds that are gonna be dry soon, some bass making beds directly in current, some bass making beds in protected areas, some bass making beds in mud, some bass making deep beds etc etc etc

 

Heck if you get a bite up shallow any time of year - a LOT of the time it's merely because you're in a nursery unbeknownst to yourself.  Fish aren't actively feeding much and they don't indiscriminately attack plastic because they're stupid.  They have instincts to guard these areas that override their caution.

 

They aren't all programmed to do one thing together and they do what conditions allow.

 

 

[DEPS_250]

8 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

I do not fish tidal waters often. What I can tell you on a river system the utilize creeks more for spawn and to escape high water. 
 

I do not think the timing changes spawn us spawn. They are only ready for so long. 
 

how long they stay on the beds? I would assume as long as they would in a lake. Protecting fry is protecting fry.

Creeks make a lot of sense. Especially, If the bass can find a creek with a relatively flat/gradual topography that does not have a very rapid/fast change in water level due to the tides. These areas would make a lot of sense, since the eggs would probably have a lower probability of ending up high and dry at low tide. 

[TnRiver46]

The waters in East TN go up and down 4-5 feet every night and day in many places . I don’t know how they deal with it but they do. It is very rare to be able to see them spawning, so I’d imagine it happens a little deeper than you would expect 

[Spankey]

I haven’t been on the Delaware River yet this season but will be. I struggle with spawn time so I don’t try to pinpoint it. The tidal sections I structure fish, fish feeder creeks and flats with drop off same as non tidal. Can’t say I ever fished the main body of the river. Would not know how. 
The D is a mixed bag of Smallies and Greenies  from the same areas. They seem to take the same things. But again I’ve never tried to figure out Smallie spawn in the Tidal areas. The D is not too far from my location but I’m fishing non tidal closer to home. 
Have fun with it. 

[river-rat]

I fish areas affected by the tides all the time. The bass will set up to spawn in areas where there is enough water to bed during low tide. They just seem to know that any beds they build at the high tide level will be high and dry after the tide falls. 

[Bird]

Our coastal river systems are fantastic bass fisheries, highly rated year after year.

Bass know more than we know and lay there eggs knowing they can tend the nest on low tide.