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Fishing Around the Spawn
As the days lengthen
there will be more reliable shifts of the schools of pre-spawn
bass toward the spawning area. These bass become more aggressive
feeders, not only because of the effect of the increase of the
surrounding water temperature on their metabolic rate (their
rate of using food stores for energy,) but also because of the
related need to feed and store energy for the impending spawn.
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.
The next fishing period is called
the pre-spawn, and it commences when the water temperature reaches
60 degrees F. This is the time that bass fishermen wait for patiently.
Bass move into the shallow waters, actively feed, and are particularly
vulnerable to angling. Towards the end of the pre-spawn every
bass in a body of water will be in the shallows and foraging.
Catching bass is astonishingly easy at this time, and the odds
of hooking a lunker is best since most trophy bass are females
laden with eggs in the pre-spawn. Simply fish the structure along
the shoreline -- any object that offers protective cover for
bass.
Following this period, in the
actual spawning season, fishing success drops off quickly. Male
bass begin selecting and constructing nest sites when the water
temperature reaches 60 degrees F. Bass are solitary, reclusive
spawners, so don't expect to catch several at one locaton; individual
nests are usually at least 35 feet apart. The females approach
the nest only to engage in the act of spawning. Males are extraordinarily
busy during this period, guarding the nest from all intruders
and keeping the eggs free of silt. They guard the nest for a
10- to 14-day period while the eggs incubate and hatch. Males
continue to protect the larvae for an additional 3 to 4 weeks
as the fry feed on plankton in shallow waters. The male does
not forage during this entire spawn and post-spawn period; however,
they still are vulnerable to angling mainly because they protect
the territory from all intruders, including lures or natural
baits.
Female bass are quite inactive
for about two weeks after spawning, during which time they feed
very little. Following this recuperation period until summer
arrives females utilize the same shallow water habitats occupied
during the later portion of the pre-spawn period. The summer
period has usually arrived by the time males have completed their
parental protection activity.
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Cove Lake Back Yard
