Tacklin' The Bass Spawn
Spring brings with it the mating ritual of most living creatures. Bass are no exception. When the water begins to reach the 60-degree mark there will be a mass movement for the bank by these great sport fish. It can be an exciting, but frustrating time to fish your favorite body of water. One day the bass will bite like crazy, and the next they have committed to the spawn and have lockjaw.
For the spawn to occur, there must be several conditions present. The water must be at, or near 60 degrees. When this takes place near a full moon phase, male bass will head to the shallows and begin preparing a nest or bed. Water conditions will also dictate whether things happen in slow motion or fast and furious. A cold front that lingers for several days will often cause bass to leave the bank and seek out the more stable deeper water, thus delaying the spawn. Warm weather will have the opposite reaction. Just a couple days of bright sunny conditions will rapidly heat up the water and the fish's sexual drive.
Water levels are also key ingredients for a good spawn. Generally high or stable water levels are conducive to a good breeding period. The high water allows fish to seek out cover in which to build their nest, so that predators will have difficulty finding or attacking the bed. This is a period when bass become reliant on man for the success of the hatch. Nearly every year, spring rains bring rising waters to area lakes. In our haste for electricity, stable lake conditions, and the (Corps of Engineers) cry of flood control, we humans release large amounts of water from one lake into another and vice versa. After releasing water and dropping lake levels, any beds that were up in the high water that has since dropped are lost. Furthermore, the strong current created by a heavy influx of new water often adversely affects those impoundments down stream.
When the conditions are right and the bass are spawning it is a primetime to head to your favorite waters. The first trick is to find the fish. The upper end of the lake usually warms first and that is where the spawn generally begins. The backs of creeks, coves, and sloughs where there is semi-clear water and a firm bottom are the optimum places to start your search. Bass prefer to lay their eggs on a gravel type of bottom, but they'll make due with a mixture of rock or sand if nothing else is available. Their goal is to seek out protected areas where the eggs will be sheltered from wave action and heavy current. Remember that the north and west banks receive the most sunlight, therefore will harbor the most fish.
Depth of the spawn depends on the water clarity. In order for their eggs to hatch, bass require a certain amount of sunlight to incubate their eggs. Thus the clearer the water, the deeper bass will spawn. In murky water, anglers will find bass nesting in very shallow water. Here in the Ozarks, I have observed bass bedding in twenty feet of water. As a rule, the bigger fish will bed in slightly deeper water.
With the basics covered it's time to go fishing. How do anglers catch these bedding fish? Probably the biggest asset to bed-fishing is good eyesight. Quite often you'll hear bed fishing referred to as "sight fishing." There is a very good reason for that -- it's because the angler spends more time looking for, and at fish, than actually fishing. A great tip for beginners is to slowly troll down the bank while keeping all noise and movements to a minimum. Look for circular spots on the bottom. These will resemble a clean plate, amongst a silted bottom. Don't look for the actual fish, but instead focus on movement or silhouettes. Remember, that if you can see them, the bass can surely see you.
Once a bed is spotted, the next step is to determine the nature of the fish. Pros like Guido and Dion Hibdon, can instantly tell if the bass is catchable merely by its actions. Pay close attention to how it reacts to your presence. When you approach the bed, does it travel a long way before returning to the nest? How far does it go? Does it move into a different position, or does it stay "locked on the bed"? Often anglers will notice fish just swimming down the bank. These are called "cruisers" and are not worth fooling with. The general rule is that the farther a bass travels when initially observed, the less likely it is to bite on that day. Those bass that stay "locked on" the bed, are the ones you will want to target. Should you observe two bass on the bed, it's normally a waste of your time to fish for them. A pair of bass means one thing -- they are in the process of spawning. It's rare to even get them to notice a lure, let alone bite one.
After you find a bed with a seemingly "locked on" bass the fun part starts. Occasionally the bass will bite the very first time a lure is tossed in the bed. Most of the time it won't, and it takes a lot of patience and attention to detail to catch them. Observe how the bass moves at the lure. Does it react differently when the lure lands in a certain spot? Most sight fishermen refer to this spot, as the "sweet spot." That's the area of the nest that the bass is guarding the most. Once the angler locates the "sweet spot," just keep repeatedly working it. Try different lures, retrieves, scents and line sizes until success is found. Often the best means is to simply leave the bait motionless in the nest, which often drives the fish crazy.
Without polarized glasses you may never see the bass pick the lure up and spit it out within a split second.
The biggest factor when sight fishing is good vision. Anglers will want to have a pair (or two) of high quality polarized glasses with them. These cut the glare and allow the fishermen to see minute details. It's critical to see how the bass picks up the lure, and if it actually has the bait in its mouth. Without polarized glasses you may never see the bass pick the lure up and spit it out within a split second. Believe me, it is hard to fathom that an angler can be watching the bass intently, but the bass can pick up that little bait, spit it out before even before you can react and set the hook. Most times the angler never even feels the bite, hence the name "sight fishing." This is the one time that I refrain from rearing back to set the hook if I can't tell how well the bait is situated in the fish's mouth. I have found that once a fish has had the bait ripped out of its mouth, it is less likely to pick it up again.
Remember, these fish aren't interested in eating they simply want the intruder out of their area. They will chase off bluegills and minnows they could easily eat any other time. Quite often you will see the bass nudge the lure with its mouth closed. This is a good start.
When the bass begins to nudge the lure out of its bed, its getting aggravated. That is the fish's way of saying, "I asked you nicely to leave. Now I'm shoving you." The next step is for the bass to physically move the intruder (your lure) out of the bed. That is what we are hoping for. Watch for the bass to nose right up to the lure. Concentrate on the lure, but if you can't see it from your angle, look for the tell-tale sign of the gills opening quickly. When you see the red of the gills, strike hard and quick. That means the fish has inhaled the lure.
Should the fish get hooked, but come off before landing it, don't worry. That's simply a characteristic of sight fishing. The bass doesn't pick up the lure very firmly and a good hookset is not always possible. Many times the bass will pick up the lure by its tail, the sinker, or even cross ways in its mouth. It's simply trying to move the imposter out of the way instead of eating it.
The cardinal rule of sight fishing is that any bass not hooked on the inside of the mouth has not been caught in a legal and fairchase method. This fish must be returned to the water immediately if fishing a tournament. Likewise, if the angler is just fishing for recreation, any bedding fish caught should be returned to the water as well. These spawners are the future of our fisheries, and we have to protect them.
Tournament anglers fishing for bedding fish must take every precaution to ensure the safety of the bass. Fish are easily killed during the spawn. Bass have a lot of stress on their bodies and can die from a lack of oxygen, rough boats rides or many other details. Be sure to regularly add "Stay Alive" or another livewell additive to the water in your boat. Run the aerators constantly, and check on the bass in the livewell often.
Bedding bass can be caught on many different lures. Most serious anglers limit themselves to those lures that employ a single hook, for reason of fairchase. Soft plastic baits are considered the optimum lure for sight fishing. Choose a lure that you have confidence in then pick a highly visible color that will contrast with the bottom. I have the best luck with a Culprit Salty Tube, or a five-inch lizard. If there is a lot of heavy cover, I will pitch a jig into the bed, but rarely use a trailer, since the bass are inclined to pick up the trailer chunk, and miss the hook.
In the past, pros have relied on spinning gear and light line for their sight fishing needs. While this sometimes becomes necessary, I chose to start at the other end of the tackle spectrum. My mainstay is a Team Daiwa flipping rod and Team Daiwa baitcast reel spooled with Bass Pro XPS Fluorocarbon line in the 15-20 pound range. I start out heavy and gradually go to light tackle. The use of a razor sharp hook is critical due to poor hook sets, so I tie up to a Gamakatsu EWG hook, and normally peg my slip sinker.
By no means are these the only lures that can catch fish while they are on the beds. Often bass will react to a minnow, and huge limits have been fooled with a Rapala type of floating plug. The key is to rapidly jerk it through a bedding area, allowing it to pause ever so slightly. This works well for dingy water when it's tough to visually see the bass. Topwater baits will also catch some good fish off the beds. Top picks include the Storm Chug Bug, and "spook" type baits. I have no idea why bass find these topwaters a threat, but they can really get some explosive strikes. Surface baits also serve another purpose, and that is to locate bedding fish. For instance, should a fish swirl or slap at a topwater, it has given itself away. Key in on that particular location and often you will find that bass has built a bed and was merely protecting its domain.
As you can see, the feat of sight fishing is simple, yet complicated. This is one method of fishing that should actually be referred to as hunting. Most of the time the angler will become frustrated, but with time and experience the success will come. It becomes a game of wits. Remember though, if at all possible, practice CPR -- catch, photograph and release. These bass are carrying the future of our sport inside them. Returning them right away helps the future of our sport.
