One tactic is to find the northeast corner of the lake, this is where the warmest water is, because of its exposure to sunlight longer throughout the day, and where the fish will be most aggressive. 

There are two main factors when it comes to the spawn, Water Temperature and Daylight Hours –or- photoperiod. When the water temperature warms in the spring and approaches 55 degrees, bass begin to migrate to shallow coves to spawn. Water temperature is the key factor, when water temperature climbs into the low 60s, spawning activity generally begins, and will continues until the water reaches upwards of 80 degrees. The males will move first and begin to make their nest. This time of year bass are bedding and either in spawn or pre-spawn. Bass will be generally located on sandy rocky bottoms. The “Prime Lunker” spawning activity is between 65 and 70 degrees. 

During the spawn, bass will tend to congregate in the shallow flats and bays. If you find any green vegetation, you may want to try using a hard floating stick bait or suspending jerkbait. If you catch one, pay close attention to where the fish was hooked. Many bass in the spawning stage are busy defending their bed and will slash or flash at baits. Don’t be surprised if you foul hook a couple of them or manage to get a hook caught in their gills.

Since they are protecting their bed, they will not travel far for their food and therefore the tactic would be to position the lure right in front of them to get a strike. The male bass will compete for a bed, often lending it to the larger male to claim the territory. The optimal location for a bed is in the 2 – 4 foot of water range. In clearer bodies of water the beds are generally going to be deeper.

Bed Fishing, as this is often called, is somewhat controversial in the bass fishing industry. Is it right or wrong to pull a bass off its bed and put it in your livewell? You’ll have to decide on that one. 

The one other factor that may influence spawning is the moon phase. Though this does not seem to have been proven, the Full Moon and the New Moons seem to play some role in spawning activity.

If you want to catch that Lunker Largy, then look for the following combination of cover & vegetation:
- Sandy or Small Gravel Bottom
- Vegetation Close By
- Cover Close By (Rock, Log or Stump)
(Note: The bass eggs are sticky and therefore best suited for sandy, graveled bottoms close to some cover preventing them from being swept away by water motion)

By:

JD
Lunker USA
http://www.lunkerusa.com

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