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Fishing for Largemouth Bass

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Largemouth bass are fun to catch. They put up a fight and can be found across the country. Largemouth can be found in both lakes and rivers, and are opportunistic feeders. They often lie in wait and streak out to grab prey as it goes by the perfect hiding spot.

There are many different places to find largemouth in a body of water. In the spring, they move to the shallows to spawn. As the water warms in the summer, they will either move deeper or find some sort of cover under which they can stay cool. In the fall they move shallow again before heading to their deeper wintering grounds. The exact time of year can vary, but these are basic patterns that happen every year. Because fish are cold-blooded, they will look for water that is at a temperature where they feel comfortable.

Spring

In the spring, largemouth move shallow and start to think about spawning. They will spawn when the water temperature is between 55 and 65 degrees. Males can be seen up cruising the shallows before the spawn, looking for the perfect place to make a bed. Females will join them when conditions are right, and will them move back off to the first deep drop. The males will stay and guard the nest until the fry are big enough to be off on their own. This guarding behavior can make the males very easy to catch at this time, but, for preservation of the fry, it is best to practice immediate catch and release. Females, once they recover from the spawn, will start to feed heavily once again. This makes them a perfect target for a reaction bait or any realistic looking bait thrown in their strike zone.

Summer

Once summer comes along, many bass will go deeper to enjoy the cooler water found there. Large soft plastics such as 10-inch worms are a good choice, as are deeper-diving crank baits. Some bass will always be shallow, though. These bass will take advantage of any type of cover they can find. They may be hiding in downed trees or bushes, undercuts of banks or in vegetation. Pitching a soft plastic into the heavy cover can often bring strikes. Slow-rolling a spinner bait around downed trees and brush can also bring strikes. When targeting grass mats, start on the outside edges, where bass may be hiding in wait. Then move to the inside edges, but do not forget to pitch a bit into the middle of the mat itself. This can give you a good pattern to replicate in other areas of the lake.

Fall

In the fall, bass move shallow again to take advantage of the warming water, where they can corner their prey against the banks. This is also a time they are looking to fatten up for winter, so fishing in the fall can be a lot of fun. Look for areas with early morning sun, where the water warms the fastest. Bass will be looking for those warm areas and can be easy to catch, as they are looking for any food they can swim by and grab for a quick meal. Each season has its own particular patterns, and they can change from day to day, but by starting where the majority of the bass should be at any given time, it can be easier to narrow down the search.

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View more articles in our World Fishing Guide.