How To Manage A Long Spawn
John Murray, an accomplished Elite angler and Bassmaster Classic veteran, once told me that on Lake Powell, the “spawn” may last from March through June. To those who think that the bass spawn lasts only a few days or weeks, that might sound absurd.
“There are areas on Lake Powell,” says Murray, “that get a lot of sun, are fairly shallow, and are protected from most wind. Areas like that warm much quicker that other water and therefore attract spawning fish much sooner that the rest of the lake.”
I have proven Murray’s theory many times on Lake Powell and can assure you that I have fished bedded bass in March, April, May, and yes, even into June. But, Lake Powell isn’t an anomaly. Many waters including Lake Mead, Havasu, and the California Delta host similar “extended spawning periods.”
Let’s take a peek at the California Delta and look for similarities. The first thing an angler might notice about the Delta is that it is a very big place. From the Pacific Ocean to the City of Sacramento to the north, and the port of Stockton and the San Joaquin River to the south, almost every type of structure, water depth, current, and exposure to wind can be experienced. So, what are the elements and conditions that indicate when and for how long the spawn will last?
- Water temperature is the number one reason bass begin to spawn.
- Consistent nighttime temperatures above 58 degrees (water temperatures). And, protection from wind that would mix up the water column and cool the mean temperature of water.
- Bright skies, and long periods of sun in shallow water.
- Full and new moon cycles that signal to fish ready to spawn but the activity is interrupted by late winter storms and quickly cooling water.
On the Delta, I have personally experienced fishing for bedded largemouth bass near the end of February. Then again in March and April, and although not personally experienced, several of my contacts on the Delta tell me they have found bedded fish well into May.
So, how do you manage a long, extended spawn?
The answer is simple: DON’T TARGET BEDDED FISH! This might sound crazy when you consider that a bass bed on the Delta in the springtime just might net a double-digit monster bass. The fact is though, that if you only target beds you will eventually be sorely disappointed and in the process you will pass by the REAL targets this time of year – pre and post spawn fish.
If you approach the Delta with the idea that fish MIGHT just be on beds, but for certain they will be either pre or post spawn, it opens up a huge, wide garage doors through which you will be able to pass. If you ignore pre and post spawn fish and go looking exclusively for beds, it’s just like trying to carry a king sized mattress through a two-foot pocket door. It really limits your choices.
Take a spinnerbait, a jig, a lipless crankbait, a swim bait and a Senko, and go looking for bass, regardless of whether they’re spawning.
Water clarity is a problem (or opportunity) on the Delta so if you are throwing reaction baits, trying to attract pre spawn fish, it won’t matter
if you can’t see more than a couple of feet under the water. Lipless cranks have rattles and will attract fish. Spinnerbaits displace a lot of water and will attract fish. A well-placed jig will attract strikes from staging bass and even bedded fish. A Senko has the exact same effect.
On the second day of the Bassmaster Classic last month, I spent the day in Alton Jones’ boat. Alton was fishing pre spawn and spawning bass. What did he have tied on? A Yum Dinger (Senko copy), a flipping tube (essentially a jig), and a buzzbait were his lure choices. For much of the day, Jones couldn’t actually see the bass or their beds, but he knew he had the right baits to attract and catch pre spawn fish.
It really didn’t matter whether the bass were spawning the goal is to catch the fish, not to specifically catch the bass on their beds.
Remember that you can run into spawning fish almost anywhere on the Delta at anytime in the spring. If you keep that fact in the back of your head and stay laser-focused on catching “staging” fish, you will be rewarded greatly. But, if you decide to only fish for bass on beds, you might find the California Delta, Lake Havasu, Lake Mead, or even Lake Powell a very frustrating place to fish this time of year.
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