How to Know When it’s Time for Pre-Spawn Bass Fishing

For many anglers, the pre-spawn in the most anticipated time of the season. Photo by Realtree.

It’s the most wonderful time, of the year … but not because it’s Christmas. For hardcore bass anglers, the pre-spawn is the best part of the fishing season. Big bass charge the bank, hungered by winter’s withdrawal and an urge to procreate. It truly is like Christmas to bassers, but with nicer weather.

Depending on where you live and fish, the pre-spawn could be greeting you right now. But how do you know? Here’s our fool-proof checklist to determine when the happy days will occur.

1. THE CALENDAR

Most anglers believe that water temperature mostly controls bass activity, and although that’s true to an extent, calendar period supersedes all else. Sure, a very late spring and delayed warm-up might slow the spawn a bit, but almost regardless of the weather, a large population of bass will still stick to the seasonal clock.

A seasonal clock dictates bass behavior more than the weather. Photo by Realtree.

How do the fish know? Length of day never varies. As the days get longer in spring, the need to reproduce begins to control bass behavior. Their focus will shift toward a shallow-water migration and increased feeding. This will occur for a significant population of fish at the same time each year, and you can depend on it. There might be a few days of wiggle room, but generally, if the first week of April has been hot in the past, you can count on it every year.

2. WATER TYPE

We’ll get to water temperature in a moment, but before we do, it’s important to first characterize our fishery. A clear-water lake, for example, will offer more stability than a cold, muddy river. Therefore, early spring fishing has a better chance to pay off. Current can also play a role.

For the best pre-spawn bass fishing, choose a clear lake rather than a cold, muddy river. Photo by Realtree.

In general, clear, calm waters will have the first noticeable uptick in fishing in early spring, and offer the best crack at a pre-spawn bonanza. Churned-up areas will take longer to stabilize, pushing pre-spawn back a bit. Shallow, muddy rivers have the latest cycle. Sometimes, it’s possible to switch bodies of water and capitalize on the delay.

3. WATER TEMPERATURE

OK, time for the factor that gets all the press. In the pre-spawn, it’s almost always a good idea to seek out the warmest water available. Years ago, anglers carried thermometers in tackleboxes to check the water temperature. But today, every electronic gizmo on a boat has a temperature gauge. But how do you narrow the search?

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First, it’s important to understand how water temperature changes. Here’s a rule you can count on: Nothing warms water faster than a sunny, windy day. Wind is the critical component, and it increases water temps even more than warm rain.

During the pre-spawn, seek the warmest water available for your best chances at catching bass. Photo by Bill Konway.

In North America, the sun shines for the longest on south-facing banks, meaning those on the northern side of the lake or a pocket. Start there. Almost universally, spawning takes place first on the northern reaches of most United States waters.

A moderate breeze is your friend. It makes a tremendous difference in mixing warm water throughout the water column, activating bass.

There is no magic temperature to determine pre-spawn, as locale plays a big role. In the South, water temperatures might need to rise into the upper 50s to signal a change in behavior, whereas Northern bass often move up when the water cracks 45. Regardless, put yourself in a warming area to have the best chance at fresh fish.

The pre-spawn won’t last forever, so get out there, go fishing and enjoy it while you can. Photo by Realtree.

4. SPECIES OF BASS

It’s generally believed that smallmouth bass are more active in cold water than largemouth, and that spotted bass fit somewhere in between. Although this might be true in some bodies of water, it’s not a hard, fast rule. I’ve caught largemouth in Northern fisheries on Rat-L-Traps with ice on half the lake. If you find, however, some correlation on your lake, duplicate the pattern and adjust your technique accordingly. You might run into a bronzeback flurry on a lake that’s known for bigmouths.

5. WATCH OTHER FISH SPECIES

In general, other fish can be used to gauge the reproductive whereabouts of bass. Walleyes spawn in very early spring, well before bass, but that activity signals a renewal of the seasons. Look for their upswing in activity a good month before pre-spawn activity by bass. Yellow perch are early, too; a good couple of weeks before the bass hit the bank.

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Crappies are usually shallow and active around the time bass show up. The crappie spawn can spread out, but their movements to the shallows signal good things. If pumpkinseeds are in your waters, chance are their reproductive activities match the bass in the same lake. But when bluegills get on the nest, most of the best bass action has likely passed.

As the days get longer in spring, the need to reproduce begins to control bass behavior. Photo by Brookieland.

6. GO FISHING

Too often, anglers miss out on a great bite simply because they don’t get out there and try. When I lived up North (I’m in Florida now), I fished as if pre-spawn was happening whether it was or not. Often, I was greeted by cold, stained water, and I didn’t catch anything. Sometimes, though, I’d find a stable, warming area and catch the year’s first bass, followed by others. Great Lakes smallmouth fishing was the same way. Most of the early fishing included subtle finesse tactics with water temps in the low 40s. However, just one sunny day brought monsters up to shallow boulders, where a suspending jerkbait got crushed. It was well worth pushing the needle.

So, get out there and go fishing. It’s spring, pre-spawn is coming — or already here — where you are now. You can be like a kid at Christmas again, but just like that magical morning, the pre-spawn won’t last forever. Enjoy it while you can.