Large Lakes vs Small Lakes

[Pat Brown]

It's pretty much impossible to talk about bass behavior and catchability in the springtime without focusing on their spawn. They're the same thing.  Prevailing conditions dictate which areas have the warmest water and the most suitable areas to make nests and therefore attract the most aggressive large populations of bass to the shallows.

[JHoss]

55 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

It's pretty much impossible to talk about bass behavior and catchability in the springtime without focusing on their spawn. They're the same thing.  Prevailing conditions dictate which areas have the warmest water and the most suitable areas to make nests and therefore attract the most aggressive large populations of bass to the shallows.

Agreed, just seemed like folks were keying in on only the spawn. I'm curious how it effects post-spawn, summer, fall, etc. Assuming if a small lake affects how fish behave around the spawn, it would also affect how fish behave in the middle of summer. 

[Pat Brown]

Got it - well during other non cold seasons - they are also reproducing and it's dictating their behavior and location and catchability - understanding their reproductive cycle is darn near everything there is to know about shallow bass - except during the winter if you get a real winter.  That's when you need to understand what bait does in cold water in your area.

 

If you're talking about catching bass that are feeding and not reproducing?  You're confused - they feed so that they can continue to reproduce.  🙂

[JHoss]

1 hour ago, Pat Brown said:

Got it - well during other non cold seasons - they are also reproducing and it's dictating their behavior and location and catchability - understanding their reproductive cycle is darn near everything there is to know about shallow bass - except during the winter if you get a real winter.  That's when you need to understand what bait does in cold water in your area.

 

If you're talking about catching bass that are feeding and not reproducing?  You're confused - they feed so that they can continue to reproduce.  🙂

Mostly just trying to translate traditional wisdom to small water. There's a million videos on Youtube of pro's breaking down a large lake, very few where the break down a small body of water. If I had more time to fish, I could explore and test these things. But I'm fortunate to get out once a week and the club I fish with fishes 8 different lakes/rivers during the 12 event season, so it's hard to really stay on top of what's going on in a particular lake. Going in blind is when it would be good to know if a lake will fish by traditional logic or behave differently due to its size. 

 

Only time and experience will tell, but learning from other's experiences certainly shorten that learning curve. 

[txchaser]

Assuming man-made impoundments, yes they fish really differently from the dam to the shallowest end. Setups will be different, probably more cover oriented away from the dam and structure oriented near the dam. 

 

I've seen 3-4 degree temp differences from one end to the other in 1500 acres. Food preferences start to look different too. In my case the upper half of the lake feels like a 'big' lake - dramatic structure, lots of offshore bait, etc. Lower half feels like a 'small' lake - significantly more shallow, standing timber, etc. 

 

But someone mentioned above, the pattern might only be in one spot, because you may not have a repeat of a particular structure setup on a small lake. 

 

[JHoss]

On 3/22/2025 at 9:12 PM, txchaser said:

Assuming man-made impoundments, yes they fish really differently from the dam to the shallowest end. Setups will be different, probably more cover oriented away from the dam and structure oriented near the dam. 

 

I've seen 3-4 degree temp differences from one end to the other in 1500 acres. Food preferences start to look different too. In my case the upper half of the lake feels like a 'big' lake - dramatic structure, lots of offshore bait, etc. Lower half feels like a 'small' lake - significantly more shallow, standing timber, etc. 

 

But someone mentioned above, the pattern might only be in one spot, because you may not have a repeat of a particular structure setup on a small lake. 

 

That's very interesting because these are man-made water supply lakes, but they set up opposite of what you have going on. The most depth and traditional structure is by the dams of these lakes and you find the flooded timber in the more riverine-like upper ends. 

[scaleface]

I fish three small lakes  about 200 acres each. I can pretty much fish the entire thing in a day. There will be brush piles, laydowns, pads , algae... an occasional point, rip rap...I put the trolling motor down and just fish. Patterns usually emerge like what lure or lures they are hitting that day , how they are setting up on cover , inside or outside or both. Bass are bass, They fish like a large lake only a lot easier.

[Cdn Angler]

Smaller lakes follow the same general annual patterns as the bass still have to spawn, it's cold in winter etc. 

 

I fish a lot of smallish natural lakes amd some of the main differences I've noticed are:

 

Establishing a "pattern" is often less straightforward. Let's say a bunch of bass are on some boulders in 15 feet of water. There might not be another place on the lake like that. It tells you something, but it's less clear cut. Or you might find 1-2 good docks. Whereas on big water I can zoom a mile to similar location a few times over. 

 

Similar to above, less variability, like very dirty water vs. clear. It's more likely the entire lake is consistent. Same for water temps (mostly). 

 

The other thing I do notice on many smaller bodies of water is that the whole lake will often seem to be feeding at the same time (or not).  Whereas on bigger water I might see more random blow ups and fewer all out frenzys. So they run a bit more hot/cold.

[Swamp Girl]

11 hours ago, Cdn Angler said:

Smaller lakes follow the same general annual patterns as the bass still have to spawn, it's cold in winter etc. 

 

I fish a lot of smallish natural lakes amd some of the main differences I've noticed are:

 

Establishing a "pattern" is often less straightforward. Let's say a bunch of bass are on some boulders in 15 feet of water. There might not be another place on the lake like that. It tells you something, but it's less clear cut. Or you might find 1-2 good docks. Whereas on big water I can zoom a mile to similar location a few times over. 

 

Similar to above, less variability, like very dirty water vs. clear. It's more likely the entire lake is consistent. Same for water temps (mostly). 

 

The other thing I do notice on many smaller bodies of water is that the whole lake will often seem to be feeding at the same time (or not).  Whereas on bigger water I might see more random blow ups and fewer all out frenzys. So they run a bit more hot/cold.

 

Your thinking reminds me of @Pat Brown's. You're observant, reflective, and analytical. Best of all, your conclusions are daisy fresh because you're not only repeating what you've read.