Finding Largemouth Bass

Novice large mouth bass fishermen have to spend a lot of time learning how to find the fish. Actually all large mouth bass fishermen are continually spending time learning the habits of the bass to figure out how to find and catch them. The novice knows it is easier to find large mouth bass when they are feeding which is in the early morning and late evening. Bass are often top feeders during these periods and they can be seen moving near the surface of the water and even rise out of the water. Fishing during these periods can be productive using a lure that stays on top of the water and has a lot of movement which will attract their attention.

Where to find largemouth bass also changes from season to season. The winter is not a good time because the bass go to deeper water. Their metabolism slows way down in the cold water and they become sluggish. Ice fishermen still catch them in winter if they find fish structure in deep water. Early spring can be an easy time to catch bass. When the temperature of the water starts rising above 45 degrees they will start moving in from deep water and it’s best to fish the warmest areas of the lake, pond or river to find them.

Largemouth Bass spawn in the spring when the water temperature gets up between 55 and 65 degrees. They look for a safe, protected area with lots of fish cover in shallow water. It can be challenging to catch bass during spawning season. After spawning they are hard to catch also. They don’t feed for two weeks after spawning as they need this time to recover. When they start feeding again they aren’t moving around a lot.

In the summer when the water temperature gets up to 80 or 90 degrees the bass become less active. There is less oxygen in the water which is what gives them energy so they move around less to conserve energy. They hang around mostly in deep water except for early in the morning and late in the evening when they go into shallow water to feed which is probably the best time to catch them in the summer.

The fall is another good time to catch bass once the water temperature gets down to 70 degrees they really start feeding in both shallow and deep water. They are very active and not just during dawn or dusk. A lot of largemouth bass are caught right from boat docks this time of year. Good fish attractors in the fall are fish structure in shallow water where bait fish are plentiful.