Author; Don Chalmers

These  are some general facts about bass locations  during all seasons of the year. Bass are cold blooded creatures. Meaning their body temperature is directly related to the water temperatures. Thus the temperature of the water will have a great deal of impact on where bass will be and how active they will be on a given day.

                                 Bass in general in most lakes and reservoirs are most active when the water temperatures are between  60 and 85 degrees. Bass will be less active in colder  water then 60 degrees and warmer water then 85. degrees. In cold water bass will seek out the  warmest water they can find  provided they don’t have to move to far to find it.

                                  The amount of cover found in different lakes can vary dramatically .Some lakes will be full of weeds while other lakes will have lots of standing timber. Some lakes will have little cover and appear barren.. The amount ,location and type of cover available to the bass will help determine its location at any given time of the year. Cover is not as important  to smallmouth bass  as it is to a largemouth bass or spotted bass at certain times of the year

                                  The most important  thing that drives bass to any  location during any season is  food…Bass will move to certain areas for spawning while other areas will  fill their forage needs.

                                  Bass do not migrate .Bass will not move very far during the course of the year…Bass will locate in a place where all its seasonal needs can be met without traveling far.

Winter –   In most bodies of water the largemouth bass will locate near the deepest part of the lake but not extremely deep. They will hold on bluffs and channel ledges, and channel banks.  Food is not a factor  driving the bass during this time of the year. Finding the warmest possible water can be the key to finding largemouth this time of year. Even water that is a few degrees warmer  with decent water quality can help you land several bass in the winter months.

Early Spring – Rising water temperatures  and longer days  are cues to the largemouth bass to start moving  shallower. Look for ditches channel banks and stump fields and any structure leading from deeper water to shallow water. in pre spawn period. These serve as a pathway for bass to make it to their spring locations Largemouth at this time will not spend an extended period of time in the shallows during this time of year.they will hold where deep water and shallow water meet. And will  make short runs into the shallows to feed. Break points  and structure will be critical spots this time of year. Largemouth Bass will have access to both deep water and  shallow water this time of year and will be within a few feet of  both this time of year. By locating on a break line this time of the year  like a big flat that lets say goes from 25 feet to 8 feet. You can boat many bass by fishing both the shallow end and deeper water. But determining the timing when the bass come into the shallows to feed can be critical  to fishing success. Check this area several times throughout the day.

Spring spawn- Largemouth  bass prefer to spawn in shallow water.  They often bed in coves that are protected from the harsh north winds this time of year. The nest  will usually be no deeper than the depth  at witch  sunlight can penetrate to incubate the eggs. This is usually no deeper then 4 feet. Largemouth bass like a hard bottom conditions  for spawning. As opposed to mud or silt. But they will adapt if  they need to .They have been known to spawn on submerged stumps .

Post Spawn- After spawning the Largemouth Bass will reverse its movement. Along the ditches and channel banks and move back out to deeper channel structure. Some times if there is sufficient cover in the shallows they might not move far.  Some might stay close to their spawning grounds for extended periods.

Summer- Any convex structure ,humps  or timber are key locations this time of year. Bas will locate on theses structures and will tend to move shallower or deeper on them depending on what their mood dictates .Many Bass will move into shallower water at night to feed.

                In reservoirs without much  current  movement stratification occurs in hot weather . Lowers layers of the lake can be low in dissolved oxygen. Any flow however insignificant can increase  the dissolved oxygen levels and stack  up largemouth bass.  Check for  schools to be holding around channel drop offs and ledges.

Fall-  Largemouth this time of year tend to follow their forage this time of year. More then any time of the year. which can make it hard to locate them ..Rather then relating to structural break  lines or objects they might be out in open water .chasing  big schools of shad. Largemouth  Bass will binge feed this time of year. Food is plentiful for  them this time of year. Most often small  schools of bass will suspend off shore or hold at the ends of long  main lake  points waiting for  the  opportunity to bust  on big schools of bait fish.  This occurs at least 2-3 times a day. At scattered intervals