If you were catching bass a foot off the bank and a cold front moves in, try fishing 5-10 feet further out, and closer to the bottom. Since weather, tide, and other conditions affect species behavior, knowing the best times to fish is essential. If the easiest fishing is what you’re after, spring is the best time of year to fish for bass. Once again, temperatures at this time are ideal, and the other factors are favorable too, the same as in spring. On the other hand, brown weeds are dying and suck up all the oxygen around their area, so bass don’t stay long around these patches. The most important factor, and most relevant of all the bass fishing tips, is putting your lure where the fish are. Knowing the right time of the day to go bass fishing will help you choose the right lures that will be most productive. Daytime temperatures stay below 45 degrees, and even professionals struggle to find fish in this season. Each angler has their own techniques and preferences, from those to whom fishing is an occasional hobby, to competing professionals. As water temperatures in the spawning coves reach further than 60 degrees, the bass will begin to spawn. First and foremost: bass … Recall that in winter, snow melts first on south facing slopes in the terrain. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. During the height of summer, bass may move as deep as 15 or 20 feet, especially in clear water. In deeper lakes, some largemouth bass will move to cooler water around offshore structures. Jigs Spring is a magical season when it comes to bass fishing, and for good reason — there’s no better time to catch the bass of a lifetime than in the next couple of months on most reservoirs and river systems. Enjoy summer walleye fishing with minnows, jibs, crankbaits and spoons in Arkansas. The best time of day for fishing in this season is late afternoon to dusk. It should be noted that earlier in the fall, bass behavior will more mimic summer feeding where bass fishing is better around dusk and dawn. Fall is an interesting time for most bass anglers, and I feel it’s the most underrated season of the year. Targeting bass on their spawning beds can be easy. Overall,  fall is a good time to catch bass especially in the afternoon when the sun has warmed the shallows a bit. The following is a summary of these data with lakes ranked by CPUE of Largemouth Bass greater than 15 inches and 20 inches and Smallmouth Bass greater than 14 inches and 17 inches. This type of bait is crucial when fishing from shore. At these times of the day, the bass is usually out to feed on any available … LATE PRESPAWN. After the spawn, female bass moves away to the outskirts of the spawning area, while the male stays to protect the eggs and fry. That helps bring the oxygen depleted air from the depths to the surface. Your chances of catching a lunker increase during the days leading up to the spawn as the big females are often full of eggs. For intense, top water fun with white bass, try summer bass fishing anywhere clear water is coming into a river, tailwaters of a lock and dam channel, and large man-made reservoirs such as Beaver Lake. Ken Penrod, a well-known D.C. area fishing guide a noted and author of “Ken Penrod’s Tidal Potomac River Fishing Bible”, notes that largemouth bass in our region tend to spawn when the early morning water temperatures stay in the 65 to 75 degree range. After spawning, the fish are sluggish, starving and looking for food. In the early fall, bass move back into the same shallow areas where they fed before the spawn. After the span, bluegills move in and will keep the bass attracted and busy, while you can pick up bite after bite. The best areas to fish in these conditions are depths of around 6 to 12 feet. Fall means colder temperatures and less competition from other anglers, but there are still plenty of bass to catch. The best time of day to fish for fall striped bass depends a lot on the part of fall you are fishing. Using wakebaits in a bluegill pattern is best, just work them past the ambush points at bluegill spawning beds. Best Bass Lures For Fall. Early morning and late afternoon is key. LATE PRESPAWN. But never leave fish to find new fish. Winter is the most challenging time of all for bass fishing. You can also fish around the beds for the larger female bass, who are usually waiting nearby. In southern states where the lakes don’t freeze over, bass are generally quite active in the winter. Largemouth bass are the most sought after gamefish in America, partly because the way you fish for them is so personal. Water temperatures – and sometimes the weather – begin to warm up and fish get on the move. Points once again are great spots for fishing, as well as any cover adjacent to deeper water. The best time of day for fishing in this season is late afternoon to dusk. Today, anglers can access an array of resources to help pinpoint the best fishing days, best times for freshwater fishing, and best saltwater fishing times locally. Top water fishing is best during the post-spawn, late spring season and into the fall months. Before this rise in water temperature, shoreline points near deep water, sharp breaks leading to large flats, channels or depressions in spawning coves, and any type of deepwater near a shallow spawning area is where the bass are most likely to be found. Fish tend to school up in shallow waters and feed heavily. To… Former Fishing League Worldwide professional Jim Taylor, who now guides on Lake Okeechobee, says he it is hard to find and catch fish in cold rain, snow, or when water temperatures drop sharply. In the early spring, the weather is unpredictable, and the water temperature fluctuates from day-to-day. While you can catch bass with craw lures all year long, late winter through early spring and early fall will be the best times to fish aggressively with craw lures. No matter the reasons, all can agree that bass fishing is one of the most challenging and also one of the most rewarding activities. In the summer, bass are most active around dawn and dusk. We recommend using crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or jigs at these times; try slow-rolling a spinnerbait along the bottom as close to the weeds as possible for the best results. The early morning can also be a productive time to fish in the spring, however less so than the evening as the temperatures would be lower. Trout bite most during feeding time, when mosquitoes and bugs are most active, so the best fishing times are in the warmer seasons. In much of Ontario, bass season opens in late June, making bass the unofficial fish of summer, the one catch you can pretty much rely on during camping trips, long weekends and cottage visits, no matter how crowded the water. In the early morning, bass will be positioned towards the outside of the weed patches, so pull straight up and fish parallel to these areas. Green weeds are still living, and the bass congregate around them. During the pre-spawn period, when water temperatures generally range from 50 to 65 degrees, the weather can have a huge impact on the fishing. Fall is also the season when the water turns over as cold rains or cold days cool the surface waters fast enough that they end up being cooler than the waters found lower in the lake. We will explain the best time of day to fish, as well as how to find the best spots and the lures which hold the most chance of success. In reservoirs, cooling water causes vast numbers of shad to … (Season dates vary across the state so check the DNR website for specific dates.) In the previous paragraphs, we have discussed the best time of the season for bass fishing. The sun will warm south-facing slopes of coves first, creating areas with higher temperatures. This can be the best time of year to catch big bruisers that normally inhabit the deepest waters. Bass will wait at ambush points while the bluegill spawn and lures worked past these points can often lead to a successful catch. . Water temperature rises quickest where the bottoms are dark and the sun’s impact is strongest. Best Early Spring Bass Lures: Football Jig Always in Season. The reduced sunlight puts the bass at a big advantage over almost all of its prey, and also the temperatures are more favorable. Protected shallow coves will also retain warmer water, but avoid shady or windy areas as the water temperature here will be colder. The fish generally move into their spawning beds with a full or new moon. October 15, 2014. j_lee_october.jpeg. The trouble with summer is that the fish are spread out. Jordan Lee. The addition of crawfish or creature style bait works great. When he's not writing, he's probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains. During the spring months you'll find the bass spawning and this is one of the best times to catch a big bass! The winter months also mean spawn season, January and February can hold some of the hottest and best action, along with what can be the best possible chance at that trophy bass everyone is looking for. Summer brings weed growth to the lakes, and the edges of these clearly visible weed walls hold the best bass fishing. However, the turnover does not occur everywhere in the lake at the same time. In the last bit of time before the spawn, bass will seek out the warmest available water. Post-span, the best fishing spots are shoreline points either side of a spawning cove, shoreline pockets, and any cover or structure near bluegill beds. In the fall, bass eat well on shad, minnows, frogs, and bluegills in preparation for the winter. Anglers are now required to fish for bass on a catch and release basis during January, February and December of 2020.