Bass patterns?

[BassThumb]

I'm still learning all about bass, but this year has me all confused with the way the weather has been and how cold the water is.

I'm just curious to what bass do once they spawn? Do they crawl back into the deep, if so what depth on average? I have been fishing shallow water, 3-4ft and have not found any larger fish. Maybe I missed it, but have the bass even started spawning?

I'm just flustered and kinda want to know the general path bass take each year/summer. Kinda curious when to fish what depths and what lure to be tossing at what times... I hear people tossing frogs when I thought later summer was the time for that...

I'd appreciate any insight you might have for a newer bass addict

[bassNspear]

This is a very hard subject. IMO, i think the bass move out and hide themselves in the thinkest stuff they can find. Maybe im wrong, but i think there hiding for a few weeks and then come back into the shallow waters again.

[Tim_Anderson]

After the spawn, I find bass relating mostly to weeds. Up here in central Minnesota, our weedlines are usually in the 8-12 foot range, and the bass relate closely to that. In some clear lakes, the weedlines grow deeper. You will find them throughout the lake on the weedlines. For instance, you might have a sunken island or hump way out in the middle of the lake surrounded by really deep water, and if it has a good weedline, there will be bass there.

My favorite place to fish them though is in the slop. I find them throughout the entire summer up shallow in the thickest cabbage, junkweed, lillypad, scummy stuff you can find. To me, there's nothing like catching big bass on topwater stuff in really heavy cover.

This has certainly been a really different spring so far. Right now, I've been catching bass all over the place. Have been getting them out on the weedline now for at least a couple weeks, but got lots of bass the past few days up in the slop in a foot or two of water.

[matthothand]

After the spawn I also like to fish the deeper weed edges. Last weekend I did great on a few points leading to shallow bays. This weekend I targeted the weedlines in 10-15 fow and also had great success throwing cranks and spinnerbaits on the windy side of the lake in 6-10 fow over the tops of the weeds. I generally prefer to fish deeper through the post spawn and summer. I have done better with bigger fish by going deeper than the typical bass anglers fish. I've also caught many nice fish shallow throughout the summer but feel that overall the biggest fish relate to deeper cover/structure. Also I feel that deeper fish are more dependable and the bite is more consistent. Keep in mind that depth is relative. Oxygen levels, temperature, forage, etc. are some main factors that determine where fish are. On one lake those things might be prime in 5 fow while on the same lake but opposite side that all might be happening in 10 fow.

[Fever]

It has been a rather strange early summer so far for me. I get out about 4-5 times a week and try to fish different lakes as often as possible. Since school got out on the 4th of june I've fished 9 different lakes. I've seen water temps slowly rise from 64ish up to 70 then drop back down to 67ish. I have seen Bass shallow on the beds and I have caught a few in less than 2 fow. I've tried the deeper weed edge and to be honest I've been dissapointed so far. I will continue to plug away at the deeper weeds because I think that at this point the bass are transitioning from shallow to deeper. When that water warms a few more degrees I'm thinking those fish will become a bit more concentrated and a tad more aggressive. This maybe wishfull thinking but... I got nothin else. If someone in the know could explain this topic a bit better I'd love to read up on it. Where are the pigs? I've only boated three fish over 18 inches in the past two weeks and havent reached the 20 inche mark yet...

[FishinChad]

I have been having the same problem pretty much, only small fish being caught shallow. I would believe they are in the weeds somewhere, deep edges, think stuff, but the big females are not as willing to bite after the spawn. You will mostly be catching small males in the shallows, another week or 2 and the big females will get out of their post spawn funk and be in their typical summer places and become more active. I believe I have throw some baits in front of big bass the last few times out, but only the small fish have been biting.

[joeyquicksand*]

I got this 20 inch 5lb bass on an oversized (thick not nessasarly long) worm, last night, in the metro area, in about 4-5 ft water with in the pads, with water temp at 70 degrees...

[Deitz Dittrich]

Like others have said... Once they spawn they can be tough to catch for a week or so, they kind of hole up in the stuff, or even head out to deep water and suspend.. Today I found fish on the edge of a weed flat in 14 foot of water. Many of the females I caught I fell still had eggs in them.. and to be honest, at this point I dont think they will spawn this year.

[BassThumb]

Thanks for all the input guys. At least I know im not entirely alone. I did fair well tonight, boated about 15-20, but again the biggest being about 15in. Heck, even caught a 15 in walleye in 3 fow on a black spinner, crazy.

That'd be crazy if they didnt spawn this year...

[Musky_Madness]

I had the same experience as Deitz...I had luck fishing outer weededges using plastics very slowly. Nothing on cranks, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, or boogee baits. Happy fishing