Bass Feeding Preferences (Seasonal)

[AJ Hauser]

Good morning brothers,

I've been doing some research trying to get ready for the year. Yesterday while reading about smallmouth bass in rivers (In-Fisherman) I came across an article that said as the water temps breached 40° they become more active, but they would start to become less "baitfish oriented" and begin looking down for crayfish, etc. This may have less to do with a magic temperature and more to do with the fact that the increase in warmth brings the entire food chain alive, along with the bass.

 

What are your thoughts on this, and have you noticed any seasonal preferences for largemouth bass that might be similar?

 

I know that much of what largemouth eat relies heavily on what's available, but assuming all things are equal - what have you seen on the water?

 

Thanks! 

 

 

[Reel]

At the beginning of the season, most of the smallmouth I catch are looking down at food.  I fish in an environment that harbors both gobies and craws and these two scurry along the bottom and both are brownish so this is what works.  

 

The relation between largemouth and gobies is not so clear.  It is something to look at.  Most of the largemouth I catch are perch oriented I think,  It's a early season, mid-season deal.  I don't have a pre-spawn, spawn, etc season.  Bass fishing is closed.  

[Pat Brown]

My bass are almost always looking for bait fish when they are actually eating food not just killing stuff - regardless of season or conditions or other available forage.  There are exceptions - but in terms of 'preference' I believe it is 99% bait fish here almost all of the time.

 

Bait fish to me is any fish that's under 10" or so.  Small crappie, small sunfish, big shad, small bass, small catfish, small carp, big shiners etc etc.  they seem pretty content to eat minners' .

 

They are opportunistic and get around events like hatches and other things knowing it will draw in these other bait fish a lot of the time.

 

I think when they eat something that isn't bait fish it's probably around their nesting area and they kill two birds with one stone.

[TOXIC]

Short answer is…yes.  Different lakes/rivers/ponds have different forage bases that present themselves at different times depending on the geographic location.  Smallmouth on St Clair for example have a huge hatch of mayflies, or as the locals call them fish flies, to the extent there are actual fly slicks on the surface.  Doesn’t last a long time but happens every year.  Many bass key on the Shad spawn if present and many chase open water herring, all seasonal dependent.  As the old saying goes….you’ve got to match the hatch.  That being said, I’ve caught bass with birds, ducklings, snakes, turtles and a variety of other creatures in their mouths that can’t really be described as a pattern. 

[TnRiver46]

I can catch SMB with craw baits or minnow baits in winter or summer and anywhere inbetween, they prefer what they can get regardless of weather. They are also big fans of worms 

[Tennessee Boy]

My thinking on this subject is pretty simple.  Larger bass will eat anything at any time in any conditions but their preference is shad.  If you want to fool one into hitting your lure your best bet is to throw what they are hunting for at the time.  Most bass have a home range that they hunt in and they know where to find certain prey within that range. A bass suspended over 20 feet of water is not looking for a crawfish.

[F14A-B]

I agree in principle. However it seems bass enjoy smaller sized crayfish if given a choice. Crayfish w eggs aren’t able to escape as easily as crayfish without eggs. But they feed up also..

 

Let's ask @A-Jay 

[A-Jay]

12 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

I agree in principle. However it seems bass enjoy smaller sized crayfish if given a choice. Crayfish w eggs aren’t able to escape as easily as crayfish without eggs. But they feed up also..

 

Let's ask @A-Jay 

Seems the OP noted that his SMB pursuit and his inquires here were mostly happening

while fishing rivers.

I do not do hardly any of that as I'm hunting larger inland natural lakes. 

Can't say if what I've found to be helpful would or even could translate effectively to river bass.

If and when I'm making a river presentation, I'd be starting from scratch.

Will admit to feeling right at home on Lake Menderchuck though.

A-Jay

[F14A-B]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

Seems the OP noted that his SMB pursuit and his inquires here were mostly happening

while fishing rivers.

I do not do hardly any of that as I'm hunting larger inland natural lakes. 

Can't say if what I've found to be helpful would or even could translate effectively to river bass.

If and when I'm making a river presentation, I'd be starting from scratch.

Will admit to feeling right at home on Lake Menderchuck though.

A-Jay

That’s a good point. Can’t help it though, when someone mentions smallmouth, I’m referring you 😂 

[A-Jay]

13 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

That’s a good point. Can’t help it though, when someone mentions smallmouth, I’m referring you 😂 

Thank You for the kind words.

There are plenty of supremely good brown bass sticks on this sight with as much

and many times, quite a bit more success than I could even hope to have.

Perhaps I hold my fish a little closer to the camera lens though. 

😎

A-Jay

 

[F14A-B]

3 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Thank You for the kind words.

There are plenty of supremely good brown bass sticks on this sight with as much

and many times, quite a bit more success than I could even hope to have.

Perhaps I hold my fish a little closer to the camera lens though. 

😎

A-Jay

 

You’re welcome. Being apart of BR for over a decade, I’ve seen the pictures and I’ve seen the weight’s thru out the years. You’re a hammer, plain & simple. 😁 a humble hammer 😆

[Scott F]

I’ve been apart of a smallmouth club that focuses mainly in rivers for over 25 years. A big thing I’ve noticed from reading the online posts and personal experience, is that when  bass in rivers  are feeding, they aren’t too picky. On any given day, reports show the bass are hitting a variety of baits. While one guy is getting them on jigs, someone else is using jerkbaits. Location and presentation are far more important than what bait is used. 

[A-Jay]

16 minutes ago, Scott F said:

 Location and presentation are far more important than what bait is used. 

Nice ~

And if there is something that translates in most every fishing situation,

regardless of where it may be -  add in timing and that is probably it. 

A-Jay

[Harold H]

Craw imitations do well in rivers. I like a Strike King Rage Craw and a a Rebel craw crankbait

[Harold H]

I read somewhere that male black crappies eat 33% more malocostrocans during the spawn, I would think that bass will key on on crawdads at certain times of the year. And some say their lips turn red when theyre eating craws. I'm not certain why their lips turn red

[AJ Hauser]

@Harold H it's lipstick. Bass are very trendy and as we've seen it is now socially acceptable to... nevermind...

Thank you guys for the input here - as always, you did not disappoint. I think my key takeaway here is that I need to put more of an emphasis on finding and following the fish, then I can worry about what they're eatin'!

Tight line all around, and thanks again.