What does a bass bed look like?

[Bamajoker]

I have searched the articles and stuff but have not found a good description of what a bass bed will look like and what areas it can be located in.

[RoLo]

Bass beds appear as light-colored disks about 2½ ft in diameter,

typically contrasting against a dark bottom. The black bottom is the result

of several years of decaying vegetation, which produces a black organic soil known as "humus".

The buck bass sweeps away the upper layer of detritus to expose the firm sand substrate below,

which the eggs require for proper circulation.

Roger

[Bamajoker]

how deep of water and where are they relative to deeper water.

[RoLo]

how deep of water and where are they relative to deeper water.

One to four ft deep on balance, depending chiefly on water clarity (photosynthesis).

Bass prefer to be in close proximity to deep water, "year-round",

however in their search for the ideal bedding flat,

spawning bass are often remarkably distant from deep water.

Roger

[Bamajoker]

when you say flat does you mean like a flat area in backwater or a flat out in the middle of the lake?

[RoLo]

when you say flat does you mean like a flat area in backwater or a flat out in the middle of the lake?

Yes, "flat" refers to any bottom terrain with little or no depth change.

The flat may be anywhere on the lake, but will normally be located very close to shoreline protection.

The shoreline does not have to belong to the mainland, but may be the shoreline

of a peninsula or island. At any rate, the lion's share of bedding flats

are typically found in the "back" of a "backwater".

Roger

[Bass_Akwards]

http://pennsylvaniaclub.com/photos/2008/work_week/p7hg_img_1/fullsize/bass_bed1_fs.jpg

Many times the large rocks in this photo aren't there and it's just the bed.  This happens to be one heck of a well protected nest.

[clipper]

http://pennsylvaniaclub.com/photos/2008/work_week/p7hg_img_1/fullsize/bass_bed1_fs.jpg

Many times the large rocks in this photo aren't there and it's just the bed. This happens to be one heck of a well protected nest.

From the looks of those rocks, I would say they were put there by a fisherman so he could catch a bedded bass .

[burleytog]

how deep of water and where are they relative to deeper water.

I've seen them as deep as 15-20', as shallow as < 1'.

[grimboy]

I seen a bed today that was right on the edge of the bank,about a 1 1/2 of water. my brother tried and tried to catch the bass on it and it would even look at his jig. It was funny to me wthing him try to catch that fish, i just told him to leave it alone.

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

Very closely resembles this

http://binil.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/howitworks.gif

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

http://fishweb.ifas.ufl.edu/Havens/FishBed.jpg

[Big Bait Fishing]

here's one !!!

[lightsout]

Haha good one

[Raul]

Bed depth varies greatly, it can be in a foot of depth or 15 ft of depth, such variation in depth depends on many factors like degree of slope, bottom composition, water clarity & water temperature which also depends a lot depending upon height above sea level and distance to the equator.

Roger exemplifies the typical bed you can find in places like Florida, ask me and I will tell you it depends on the lake around my neck of the woods, some lakes will have beds like Roger described them, others won 't, there 's a chain of small lakes on the hills that surround the city where I live, lakes that are "mountain type" lakes ( steep slopes, rocky bottom, ultra clear water ) bass bed up to 15-20 ft deep and you can spot the bed because the rock is "clean" ( lighter than the surrounded rock ).

[fishizzle]

When the water temp is around 60 degrees, put on some good polarized sunglasses and scan the shallow water on a calm sunny day.  mornings are usually calmer.  Then you'll see em.

[WRB]

Bass tend to bed in the same areas year after year. The best places to look are wind protected bays that have some wood and rock or some other form of protection on one or more sides.

The picture of a dish shaped light colored depression next to some reeds is typical of bass beds. Bass don't bed tightly grouped together, those would be bluegill and beds are about the size of a dinner plate. Bass beds are usually at least 8' apart and 2X the size of a dinner plate or larger. The easiest way to see a bed is when the bass moves, then look closely with the sun at your back, wide brim hat to shade your eyes and a good pair of polarized sunglasses.

WRB

[shamgar]

anymore pics of bedding areas would be great.

[llunker]

here is a bream bed on SI on my 997c SI unit

[llunker]

[Gangley]

wow, thats a great picture!

[timothy_spain]

wow, i need electronics too... that's awesome

[Alex77]

here's one !!!

;D

[Paul Roberts]