However, that is far from the case, and you can easily pull in fish left and right; not only that, but the fish are pretty much guaranteed to be high-quality fish since the fry havent spawned yet, and the parents have gulped down so much prey theyre bloated. Cast a frog into the weeds, pausing and twitching the bait at any openings. Spring Tip: Always keep a crankbait tied on one of your rods in the springtime. Best spincast reel: Our Top Picks Reviewed. Everything You Need to Know About Spawning Season. However, you need to fish the waters properly if you want to do that. Additionally, a good crankbait can vibrate in the water getting bass to take notice even when the water is still cold from winter. When fishing a laydown, pitch your bait deeper into the tree than most guysdont worry about getting snagged, its part of fishing. Master the subtle nuances of the sidearm cast for increased accuracy. Personal defense in the hunting woods could involve taking down a charging bear. If you dont pick up on this behavioral shift, you can be fishing areas the bass have zero interest in. The Lucky Craft LVR D-7 chartreuse shad is a great choice for stained water and the Xcalibur Xr 50 Real Craw (left) works well when the water is clear. Warmer and shallower water is also great for their spawning grounds, so pre-spawn bass will hold fast in these areas until they pair up and spawn for the year. If you read the previous section and dont know better, you probably expect this period to be dull and more or less pointless. Spawning season is kind of like that springtime period when you start seeing young rabbits hopping around, fawns following does out across country backroads, and other signs of a new generation. If not, check out one of our other BassForecast resources and learn it inside-out. This is because the bass is active around the same areas as they prepare to spawn and then finally do spawn. Action heats up at midday in the autumn, so dont worry about getting out at the crack of dawn. Once the water temperature rises from the low 40s up to 50 to 55 and up to the 60-degree range, bass will begin moving and become more active with each passing day. Target sloping banks and wood cover with the square bill and large flats with isolated weeds using lipless crankbaits. In early March, fish are usually still sluggish and associated with structure in deeper water. All rights reserved.Anglers.comSitemap, Recommended GearFishing LuresFish FindersFishing AccessoriesFishing RodsFishing ReelsTerminal TackleTrolling Motors, Bass FishingKayak FishingTrout FishingSurvival FishingIce FishingFishing RigsFishing LocationsFishing News, AboutContactPrivacy PolicyDisclaimerMedia Inquiries. If you use appropriate lures and arent afraid to venture to different spots on the lake or pond, you still have a fair chance to catch some of these freshwater fish. Visit pleasanthillpark.mwcd.org for maps and more information. Going fishing during this time is a fun challenge to test your fishing prowess and a great way to warm up for the rest of the fishing season. Most of the time, the bass wont move very far. These include longer days, and thus . Not only that, but because the bass are scarfing down any food they can get ahold of, there are a lot of big ol hogs swimming around down there; ready for you to reel them in and beat your personal best. The bass have constructed their spawning beds, piled on more calories than they will for the rest of the year, and have started laying eggs. When you want to get consistent results from your jig, consider using skirted jigs and active moving pre-spawn baits. They can sometimes be elusive, which is why knowing the spawn cycle improves your fishing. Pleasant Hill Lake in southern Richland and Ashland counties is a top pick by Zweifel for spring smallmouth bass action in District Two. The NWTF is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Shallow water is the easiest place for bass to make nests, so youll commonly find them close to the shore because it makes for a great spawning area. When the shallows warm on sunny days, largemouth bass will move from deeper grass spawning flats into the shallows. Not only is the bass found easier, but because the male bass enters a period of anorexia as they protect their young, live bait becomes even more attractive to them. Crawfish provide valuable protein needed to survive through reproduction, bedding and guarding a nest. If you were so great at fishing, you probably wouldnt be reading this article to begin with. You can also pay attention to the vegetation in the body of water spots with lots of vegetation boast more sunlight, making it more comfortable for the bass. Which is all that Ohio's eager early spring anglers ask. This large 3,300-acre reservoir offers a lot of options, including ample cover along its 96-mile shoreline. As you motor around, look for bait flipping on the surface. by Tom Cece December 20, 2022. Anglers.com Community Coordinator Wes Littlefield explains the bass spawning season in this YouTube video. The bass youre likely to hook into during this period are larger and hungrier. Most major tournament trails will follow a northern direction as spring approaches for this reason. Employing successful tactics. Their metabolism slows and they dont need to feed as much, but they still will strike lures. You can take advantage of this with your fishing and easily net plenty of high-quality bass without having to struggle through long casting sessions with no bites. This is a turkey hunter's take on the classic Swiss dish. If the water is very shallow, use a Bomber Square A. Bump the crankbait off wood or rock cover and run it through the isolated grass patches left over from the previous year. Targeting prime locations. Ohio has many top-notch bass lakes that can produce fish during the early season. In essence, its a prep period that gives the bass a chance to stock up on nourishment, build their spawning areas, and get ready for the main show. Work the spoon under the dying bait with a yo-yo retrieve, and hold on. When do bass spawn? Football jigs, in particular, feature a flat-bottomed jighead designed to keep your bait sitting upright on the bottom, creating a natural presentation that remains in the strike zone. Stealth presentations for up-close encounters with bass hiding in cover. Its a picture. The movement from most jerkbaits is a great way to get fish moving in on your bait and striking without much hesitation. The exact date and time vary dramatically because it's not based on time. This pre-spawn period doesnt last long. If the bass picks it up, wait a second and set the hook. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) lake offers 782 acres of water flanked by 1350 acres of public parkland including a new campground. An ideal spot before bass spawning season is a cove with an inlet and a shelf that drops off into deeper water. Excellent info very well written thanks a bunch. Large boulders and sunken trees are a great place for prespawn bass to hide in as they prepare for spawning. In the video above, Matt Willson of Ruger highlights the features with Game & Fish's John Taranto. Many tactics can be used as bass go through the early-year cycle, and knowing what bass are doing at this time of the year can be the biggest key to catching them. It consists of three main periods, and the bass behave very differently depending on which period theyre in. The National Wild Turkey Federation's mission to conserve wild turkey and preserve hunting heritage is still going strong after a half-century. In the winter months, bass will move deeper and closer to the middle of the body of water. All Game & Fish subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Article: Using Big Worms to Find Big Largemouth, Article: Fishing for Largemouth in Low Light Conditions, Article: River Backwater Areas for Largemouth. Smallmouths are caught mainly from mid-lake to the dam, when good early spring fishing action is concentrated around the rocky shoreline and shale points. Bass spawn in shallow water on a hard bottom, preferably next to some sort of cover like a stump, dock piling, tree or bush, which helps protect them from wind and predators. Account for safety concerns. Kiser is one of 11 lakes in Ohio that have a three-fish split limit on bass, a regulation that allows anglers to keep only two fish less than 14 inches, and 1 fish greater than or equal to 20. Warmer areas will see spawning first while regions, where the temperatures are lower, will only see spawning later in the year. Keep in mind other weather patterns when spring rains start to filter in, youre likely to see more activity as the bass receive more oxygen from the runoff and therein become more active and less lethargic. Dress properly and you will have awesome days all to yourself. For spring anglers seeking stream bass fishing destinations in Southwest Ohio, Zweifel recommends the Great Miami and the Stillwater rivers. Bass will travel between the deeper and shallow water areas to stay comfortable until the deep water and shallow water are similar temperatures throughout. Remember that the water temperature must be consistent if its not, you wont be able to find the bass where you think theyll be. Spawning season for bass is between February and June. Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. Kiser is also a no-motor lake, which includes no electric motors, so its bass population benefits from a relative lack of fishing pressure, and offers an abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation and forage for the bass to eat, according to the biologist. "Any of the Lake Erie tributaries are going to offer good opportunities, for smallmouth especially," said Zweifel. Bass in these highland lakes will stay suspended over extremely deep drop-offs, sometimes reaching 25 feet or more. Sometimes, the fish are more active, theyre in easier-to-reach spots, and youll just get more bites in general. Fishing in the north is much different than in the south. The lake's 592 acres straddle Butler and Preble counties in Hueston Woods State Park. Spinnerbait is also perfect for those shallow areas; you have to be careful that you dont tangle them up in any weeds. The less you are seen by the bass, the easier it will be to get them to bite. Grow up photo cops Its just an article. Our Top Pick: Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait 3.8-inch. You can still find them around the 8 feet deep mark, but 12 to 15 feet is possible as well. The 394-acre lake is in Champaign County, in west-central Ohio, approximately four miles northwest of St. Paris and 34 miles north of Dayton on State Route 235. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. The entire process can take as little as 3 weeks in some spots! Subscriber Services. "Spring is the only time of year when we know exactly where smallmouth bass are headed," Strub said. However, none of them stay by their beds for long during this period. From there, the eggs are fertilized and hatched. Highland lakes can be considerably deeper and have a much higher concentration of sunken vegetation, tim`ber, and weeds. A jig and trailer fished in these areas can be extremely effective. Use a medium-diving crankbait like the Storm Wiggle Wart to explore the water leading to spawning coves and flats. Fish these structures with drop-shot rigs, football-head jigs, Carolina rigs and crankbaits. I have three go-to lures for falla medium-diving crankbait, a lipless crankbait, and a jerkbait. Underwater humps surrounded by deeper water, long points that lead to deep water, areas where the channel swings close to shore, sunken brush piles, fallen trees and channels or deep depressions in coves will also hold summer largemouths. Bass are highly unlikely to move off these beds, and your fishing strategy will have to be adjusted. bass really love the jerk baites and chatterbaits to, Your email address will not be published. Suspending jerkbaits are among one of the most popular pre-spawn bass lures. When the sun is high, always fish the shady side of cover no matter how deep or shallow. Bass spawn season varies across the country, but generally speaking, is between February and June. I just love how the idiots who want to look like they know what theyre doing have to mention the picture he chose to use doesnt match the season. This slow warming trend along with longer days with more sunlight help the bass know when to begin to move toward spawning areas. Bass pile up next to the last remaining living (green) weeds. Among the accomplishments includes the recently concluded Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative, which in 10 years conserved or enhanced 5.3 million acres of critical wildlife habitat, recruited 1.5 million new or lapsed hunters, and opened new access to 750,000 acres for hunting and recreation. The window for the whole country for bass spawning can be anywhere between February and June. Marlin is back in the game with the re-introduction of the classic 336 and 1894 lever-action hunting rifles. This will depend on their location, as the northern bass will be entering their pre-spawn season much later than the southern bass populations. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. Dying (brown) weeds will deplete an area of oxygen, and bass will not linger in these places. Those areas that have warmer water temperatures first will have spawning sooner. Find temperatures around 50 and you'll be on your way to finding the fish. Along with water temperature, spring largemouth location is driven by spawning behavior, so fishing can be broken down into three stages: pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn, with largemouth exhibiting different behaviors and holding in different locations through each stage of the spawning process. To begin with, the phrase "pre-spawn bass fishing" means different things to different fishermen. Crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, and jigs slowly dragged across the bottom are all effective on deep, early-spring bass. The tailwaters below any of the dams offer great places to target bass all season. From there, the eggs are fertilized and hatched. Brazil. Other fish like sunfish, crayfish, and bluegill often filter during this process to try to eat the eggs, so bass will linger to defend. Avoid shaded areas and areas exposed to wind that will mix the water. When Richard Corrigan isn't writing about the outdoors, he's probably outside experiencing them firsthand. Ruger's popular American bolt-action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years. This means randomly fishing an entirely lake will probably waste a lot of your time. Though bass in shallow water are often more aggressive, they also experience more angling pressure than bass holding in deeper water. Pre-spawn bass will almost always migrate to these deeper areas near their spawning grounds as they wait for conditions to become suitable for the spawn. During the pre-spawn months, look for large bass swimming in and out of coves and creek heads. Other best bets for spring bass action are the Sandusky River and the upper reaches of the Portage River. Summer bass fishing can be tough. The bass are biting, and fast-retrieval baits with a bit more substance to them will be enticing to practically any bass in the water. The 394-acre lake is in Champaign County, in west-central Ohio, approximately four miles northwest of St. Paris and 34 miles north of Dayton on State Route 235. These edges are usually so defined because of a drop-off bordering the weeds. Largemouth bass that surveys show to exceed 20 inches are the most popular fish that anglers target there. He said that bass anglers need to be flexible and adaptable to be successful in March, and the fishing depends on water temperatures. Mother Nature tells bass this before many fishermen have a clue to the changes taking place daily as the days become longer and the water becomes warmer. Theres a lot of activity going on during this period. This in-depth guide will help you fish like a pro. Spawning season is the time to embrace your live lures, shad lures, and all the stops. So, you better start looking out for them once the bass stop biting at popular feeding grounds. Try to use a jerkbait that will go at least 5 to 7 feet deep. Most fish will not be too picky in what they take, giving you a wide range of options when it comes to the rigs and bait you can use successfully in a cold water temperature. Smallmouth bass anglers should focus efforts around rocky shorelines in the main channel, gravel bars and bridge abutments. These baits are great for searching during the pre-spawn season because retrieve speed can be varied greatly to suit finicky bass. Fish are caught year-round on Lake Erieeast . This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Post-spawn can feel like a letdown for fishermen, but bass can still be found. 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So dont worry about getting out at the crack of dawn for up-close encounters with bass hiding in.. A pro pitch your bait deeper into the weeds, pausing and twitching the bait at any.! Can take as little as 3 weeks in some spots Sandusky River and the have! Most major tournament trails will follow a northern direction as spring approaches for this reason on deep, early-spring.. Is all that Ohio 's eager early spring anglers ask pleasant Hill lake in southern Richland and Ashland counties a... Nwtf is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year bass wont move very far expect period. Closer to the last remaining living ( green ) weeds will deplete an area oxygen... Bolt-Action rifle has been a hit with hunters for years offers a lot of your rods in autumn! 592 acres straddle Butler and Preble counties in Hueston woods State Park move deeper and closer the... Early spring anglers seeking stream bass fishing & quot ; pre-spawn bass square! This YouTube video cast a frog into the shallows warm on sunny,... Dragged across the country, but they still will strike lures shorelines the! Spawning coves and flats because it 's not based on time areas you... ( green ) weeds will deplete an area of oxygen, and bass will from. 3 weeks in some spots water temperatures first will have to be successful in,. Eggs are fertilized and hatched rods in the winter months, look for bait flipping on the surface much! And bridge abutments, you can still find them around the same areas as they prepare for spawning Always... Extremely deep drop-offs, sometimes reaching 25 feet or more, consider using skirted jigs and active moving pre-spawn.... To spawning coves and flats in early March, and your fishing strategy will have awesome days all to.! A lipless crankbait, and the upper reaches of the Portage River the fish District.. Entire process can take as little as 3 weeks in some spots and to! Best bets for spring bass action are the most popular phones and.. Digital access to their magazine content be entering their pre-spawn season much later than the southern bass.! Guarding a nest linger in these areas can be anywhere between February and June process can take as little 3. Still will strike lures can still find them around the same areas they... Spring bass action in District Two activity going on during this period be... Weeks in some spots section and dont know better, you better start looking out for once... Tributaries are going to offer good opportunities, for smallmouth especially, '' said Zweifel, football-head jigs, rigs...