what temp do you start seeing beds?

[kms399]

I alway thought bass would spawn around 60 degrees or so. my local lake is sitting between 58-60 right now. I went this morning and didn't see a single bed. I did notice that i caught a lot of smaller 1-2 lbers in 6-8 feet of water and marked a bunch of fish around 12-14. is this the fish staging for spawn?

[fishfordollars]

Beds will show when the water temp hits 55-57** around here if the water , sun, moon, etc. is right. Lots of larger bass will come and be gone long before the temp hits 60* Surface temps can be several degrees warmer far back in the unreachable water than you are reading with your boat's equipment. The rocks, logs, and grass will absorb the sun causing the water temps around them to be 2-8* warmer than the water in the middle of the N.W. pockets and all along the upper reaches of a lake.

The spawn will start in the upper reaches of a lake and move south as the sun warms the region.

[CWB]

Got out this weekend. Temps were 56-58. Started to see a few beds.

Caught alot of good males and 2 real nice girls.

Agree with FFD. Some parts of lake will warm faster and bigger fish tend to spawn deeper up here.

[kms399]

I wonder what happened. I have been out every weekend since ice out and have yet to see a single bed on this lake. i am hearing about other lakes in the area where the spawn is starting.

the weeds are alot thicker than they were last year could that have anything to do with it, are they spawning deeper?

[RoLo]

Largemouth bass are known to spawn in water temperatures between 55 and 75 deg F, which is not exactly sticking-a-landing. Although water temperatures need to be supportive of spawning, they do not provide a reliable time-line when observed in isolation.

At best, water temperature is a coincident symptom of the bedding cycle, probably on par with forsythia in bloom or the appearance of nests built by red-winged blackbirds. In any case, coincident indicators have their limitations. For example, many believe that goldenrod is the cause of hayfever, but the true culprit is ragweed, whose blooming season happens to coincide with goldenrod.

Water temperatures during the peak of the spawn can vary widely depending on local weather patterns. On balance though, bedding is usually in full swing between 60 and 65 deg F., when the likelihood of a fatal trend-reversal is very low. The spawning cycle also appears to be tied to "photoperiod", the same as our vegetable kingdom. This would make sense, because the trend of day-length is a more stable yardstick than the yo-yo trends of water temperature.

Roger

[Dwight Hottle]

Roger, now I know why everone welcomed you back. Your a wealth of knowledge. Good reply.

[WRB]

Bass egg survival is tied to water temperature; the colder the water is the longer time it takes to hatch. Bass laying eggs in 58 degree water, for example, require up to 15 days to hatch and that is a long time for the bass to protect the eggs form egg eating predators.

On the opposite end bass laying eggs in 70 degree water, the eggs hatch in a few days, however the bluegill and carp are swarming the beds sites and egg survival is low because the bass are over run.

62 to 67 degree water is a good water temperature range to consider for spawning activity as the water warms from the cold water period in protected locations and depth the bass use for spawning. Stable weather, length of day are all factors that warm the water. Moon phase is another factor that triggers spawning activity. Water temps are a primary factor in the life of cold blooded bass.

WRB

[fishfordollars]

Largemouth bass are known to spawn in water temperatures between 55 and 75 deg F, which is not exactly sticking-a-landing. Although water temperatures need to be supportive of spawning, they do not provide a reliable time-line when observed in isolation.

At best, water temperature is a coincident symptom of the bedding cycle, probably on par with forsythia in bloom or the appearance of nests built by red-winged blackbirds. In any case, coincident indicators have their limitations. For example, many believe that goldenrod is the cause of hayfever, but the true culprit is ragweed, whose blooming season happens to coincide with goldenrod.

Water temperatures during the peak of the spawn can vary widely depending on local weather patterns. On balance though, bedding is usually in full swing between 60 and 65 deg F., when the likelihood of a fatal trend-reversal is very low. The spawning cycle also appears to be tied to "photoperiod", the same as our vegetable kingdom. This would make sense, because the trend of day-length is a more stable yardstick than the yo-yo trends of water temperature.

Roger

I'll have to agree with these statements. I've caught fish trying to spawn as early as mid January around here. I also caught an 8.14 off a bed on Rayburn four years ago on June 11. This fish was locked on and activitly spawning at the time.

Jack

[Sam]

Moon phase is very important.

Couple the moon phase with 60* water and you have bass bedding.