Water Temperature: Cool but rising

The Prespawn Period can be divided into three phases: Early Prespawn, during which water temperatures range between 48°F and about 52°F; mid-¬Prespawn, 53°F to 57°F; and late Prespawn, 58°F to 63°F.

As the water warms, bass move shallower. Dark-bottomed bays, particularly those on northwestern shores, warm first, drawing panfish, minnows, and predator species. Insect activity also is greater here than in the main lake. Bass gather around limited available cover, including weed and lily pad stalks, stumps, and fallen trees.

Warming coves and shallow creek arms in reservoirs draw prey species. Clear water that’s warmer attracts bass, so dead-end creeks and sloughs provide better fishing than creeks with current. Because bass see better and therefore bite better in clear water, upper reservoir reaches muddied by late-winter rains often don’t produce well. Clearer shallow coves in the lower third of the reservoir often yield better catches when water temperatures are in the 50°F range.

Bass movement toward the shallows sometimes is tentative. They move into warming shallow bays, but retreat during wind or cold fronts to the first drop-off with substantial cover. Under adverse conditions, they are more likely to remain in coves with thick cover.

Most preyfish species move shallow during the Prespawn Period. Bass must feed heavily to complete the maturation of eggs and sperm and to store energy for the Spawn Period. Water levels in natural lakes, reservoirs, and rivers typically are higher than at any other season. Seek active bass in shoreline cover and in flooded brush, trees, and terrestrial plants.

Late in the prespawn Period, bass are aggressive and catchable. Cold blustery weather turns fish off early in the Prespawn Period, but as the spawn approaches, they’re almost always active, especially in northern waters. Warm, stable weather for several days can produce fantastic fishing. Often the best fishing is toward evening on sunny days.

To stretch out productive prespawn fishing as long as possible, switch lakes. By moving among several bodies of water, you can find prespawn fishing conditions for more than a month in northern waters, two months in the South. Water temperatures must steadily rise into the low 60°F range and remain there before spawning will begin. Bass in the South typically remain in the Prespawn Period at higher temperatures than bass in northern regions, who spawn at lower temperatures.