Tips for locating bass
It's been quite a while since I last posted, as I've been really busy with a lot of different projects. In fact my last post was on winter fishing. Today I want to give you as an angler a tip that I consider to be the most important thing you can do to learn to find bass consistently and catch them what ever time of year you may be fishing. Just so you know in advance I'm also going to shamelessly promote the best resource I know for learning this. The reason its the best is because I created it of coarse.
If you've had any experience at all at bass fishing, I'm sure you've had one of those days when catching fish was as easy as casting a lure out and reeling in a fish. And you've went back to the same spot with the same bait a day later or even a couple hours later and the fish seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth.
Well the fish didn't disappear. They simply did what bass do. They adjusted what they were doing to meet their needs in the environment that they live in. They may have moved or they may just be in a different mood due to some small subtle change in weather, water temp or any of 1000 other different things that can cause fish to do what they do. And as a bass fisherman, it's pretty much impossible to know what the fish are going to do and be able to find bass and catch them in any given condition, unless you know something about their habits, what their needs are and how they meet their needs in the under water environment they live in. And knowing this is the difference between anglers such as pros who are able to consistently find bass and catch them and those who depend completely on luck or an article they read to catch fish.
Today I'm going to give just a quick overview of what the fish need in different seasons which may or may not help you find bass. But if you're serious about learning this stuff, The resource I mentioned is an ebook that I've written. It will help you learn what you need to know to be able to consistently find and catch bass at any time of year and under any conditions that mother nature may present on any given day see it here.
Since we are in the beginning of Fall I'll start there.
Finding bass in the Fall
Bass being cold blooded, will slow their metabolism as the water temps cool to below the mid 50's. they are most active in water temps ranging from the mid 50's to the mid 70's. when the water temps reach these levels in fall, bass will start to feed up for the cold winter ahead when they will be much less active. The shallower the water cools first before deep areas and that's a good place to look for them to be feeding. Feeding is their number one priority this time of year. Look for bass in the very backs of creeks, on shallow flats and in the backs of coves.
Finding bass in Winter
When water temps fall below the mid 50's bass will normally be very inactive. They will feed but usually will not move very far or spend a lot of energy chasing a bait. the best places to look for bass at this time of year are normally around deep water structure such as the ends of points, creek or river channel ledges, in the deeper areas where abundant bait fish or some other prey are located.
Finding bass in spring
Once again, when the water temps reach that mid 50's range, bass will have spawning on their mind and will start heading for the shallows to spawn. they will stage on structure near shallow area's first and move on up into the shallows as the water temps start to reach the 60 degree mark. Once again the shallow area's will warm first before deeper area's.
Finding bass in Summer
Summer is the most stressful time of year for bass. When water temps climb above the mid 70's bass will look for cooler water. They may find it on the same deep water structure as they winter on, or at the mouth of a cooler water tributary such as a creek or spring, or the may just find shade in or under vegitation like pads grass or trees. whether they move deep or stay shallow will normally depend on the availability of food or prey and cover.