Water temps are slowly rising across much of the south and many states are starting to see pre-spawn activity. In Alabama and Tennessee, bass are already cruising shallow areas gorging on bait to prepare for the spawn. And our spawn reporters are here to clue you in on targeting these pre-spawn bass before they move onto beds and change patterns.
If you've been following along, you know that we asked six bass fishing experts to share the best times to fish every stage of the spawn. Since each phase occurs at different times across the country, we divided it up into six regions (see map below). These bass pros and influencers first shared the best time to fish the early pre-spawn. Now they share the best time to be on the water for the immediate pre-spawn.
Anglers in regions two and three should hit the water right now to take advantage of pre-spawn bass. And while northern states are still weeks away from pre-spawn activity, we have the dates you should circle on your calendar. Here are the best days to fish the pre-spawn broken down into regions. Plus, tips and tactics on how to land a giant bass.
Pre-Spawn Overview
The pre-spawn is the window of time just before bass go on beds. Depending on where you fish, the pre-spawn length will differ. For instance, this stage can last a month or longer in South Florida. Or it can be as quick as a week on the Great Lakes, where a more abbreviated spring shortens the entire spawning process.
Regardless of how long this window lasts, the bass will do relatively similar things throughout the country. They’ll stage somewhere between a spawning area and deeper water, where they can feed on bait and move in and out of shallow water quickly based on temperature. During the pre-spawn, largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are typically as aggressive as they’ll be all year—and as big as they’ll be all year.
Many factors go into when the bass will make their final move to the bed, from water level to length of day to moon phase. But the weather sets the tone since it controls the most important factor—water temperature. When the water hits 52 degrees, look for the pre-spawn to be in full swing. And our spawn reporters are here to help you know when to be on the lookout for that ideal temp, how to find the fish in your region, and what to do when you find them.
Region 1: Scott Martin
When to Fish the Pre-Spawn: January 1 to February 1
Scott Martin resides on the south side of one of the country’s premiere bass fishing destinations—Lake Okeechobee. And it’s here that the reproductive season drags on the longest, with the spawn amping up in December and stretching through May. As for the pre-spawn, it’s best in South Florida during January. And even though we are well past primetime, many of the techniques Martin uses can be applied to other areas of the country. Here's how he approaches the pre-spawn.
When looking for bass in the pre-spawn, Martin moves inside the grass line and explores back bays where bass will inevitably spawn. He likes to keep a moving bait in his hand, like the Strike King Thunder Cricket, opting for one of two color patterns. “I bounce between white and natural green pumpkin,” says Martin. “Once they go on the beds, I switch to more of a green pumpkin or black and blue approach because this is when bluegill start showing up. But when fish are just moving in shallow areas, I gravitate to white.”
Martin will also key in on thick mats of vegetation during the pre-spawn, looking for bigger females that have hunkered down near spawning areas. This is where he’ll rig a Googan Squad Bandito Bug on a heavy weight to punch through the mats. On the deeper lakes with more wooded cover, Martin changes his approach to target bass in brush near shallow spawning bays. Eight to 14 feet of water is the depth he looks for. Martin will also use a vibrating jig around wood, but rotates in a swimbait.
Region 2: Scott Canterbury
When to Fish the Pre-Spawn: March 1 to March 15
The pre-spawn window tightens up a bit further north, but region two reporter Scott Canterbury stresses that the water temperature will still dictate when the window actually lands on the calendar. His best guess this year is the first two weeks of March.
“When the water starts warming up and gets into the mid-50s, bass will start heading to the bank," says Canterbury. "But they're going to get on transitions first.” By transitions, Canterbury means any contour change where shallow and deep water collide. Think bluff walls, 45-degree banks, humps and points. In these areas, bass will stage near where they’ll inevitably spawn, while feeding and waiting for the water to warm.
Canterbury targets both spotted and largemouth bass in Alabama, but finds them in different areas. "The spotted bass get on hard cover like rocky humps, points and gravel," says Canterbury. "You’ll catch them with mud on their bellies from rubbing on the bottom to loosen up their egg roes."
When targeting pre-spawn largemouth, Canterbury is looking for transition banks with wood or rock. “Largemouth will relate to wood, and like spotted bass, rub their bellies to loosen those egg roes and get ready to start spawn.” Usually positioned near shallow cover and hungry, largemouths are easy to target using squarebills, vibrating jigs, spinnerbaits, and flipping baits. Anglers should move out a little deeper to target spots. Baits like shaky heads and finesse jigs work well. You’ll also find that largemouth and spots staging on the transition banks and bluff walls will eat medium diving crankbaits, jerkbaits, and football jigs.
Region 3: Carl Jocumsen
When to Fish the Pre-Spawn: March 1 to March 15
Carl Jocumsen’s best guess for the region three pre-spawn is March 1 through March 15. But it’s not just the weather that can make nailing things down difficult on his home waters of Chickamauga. The fluctuating water levels play a big part too.
“With a lake like Chickamaga, they drop and raise the water,” says Jocumsen. “As a result, some bass push up and spawn early, but many fish will wait until the water comes all the way up.” Because of this early push, bass will start to spawn in March, meaning some will be pre-spawn in early March. This is when bass will be big and territorial, and it's the perfect time to throw a large glide bait around wood and other shallow cover.
“I usually fish a bigger bait to target the biggest fish," says Jocumsen. "The big females are gonna be shallow looking to protect an area or eat something in their way. I’ve caught more big ones on the Storm Arashi Glide than any other glide bait. I led a Bassmaster Elite [tournament] in the late pre-spawn using that bait and I caught my biggest bass (10 lbs, 10 oz) on that exact bait doing the same thing.”
Jocumsen recommends pushing super shallow when you have a few consecutively warm days with nightly lows in the 50s. This is all it takes to get shallow fish activated and interested in spawning. He also added that a bit of rain and muddy water expedite the process.
Region 4: Bryan Schmitt
When to Fish the Pre-Spawn: April 1 to April 15
Bryan Schmitt has perhaps the most diverse stretch of the country to break down when it comes to picking spawning windows and talking about relevant patterns. In the early pre-spawn installment of this series, Schmitt offered up details on the tidal fisheries that are near his home—the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. For the immediate pre-spawn, we asked him to look further inland to reservoirs like Lake of the Ozarks.
On fisheries littered with docks, rocks, laydowns, and other shallow cover, Schmitt says the pre-spawn bite can be phenomenal. However, there is a brief time when the early pre-spawn and the pre-spawn overlap and bass move up into shallow cover, but will tuck tail and run if a cold snap hits. Eventually, the fish will lock into shallow cover.
Once this happens, Schmitt recommends looking for the last shallow cover near spawning areas, like isolated logs on flats, a shallow bush, or the shallowest dock. Shallow rock veins are of particular interest to Schmitt, as this irregularity in bottom contour can be harder to find with the naked eye and they often load up with bass.
“A spinnerbait is a deadly this time of year," says Schmitt. "I also like shallow crankbaits in crawdad colors or darker browns." A vibrating jig is another go-to pre-spawn bait for Schmitt. But he emphasizes that "if you find them on that magical rock vein," to drag a shaky head with a Missile Baits Magic Worm through the area. Many times this slower presentation will trigger bites from fish that won't eat a reaction bait.
Region 5: Ben Nowak
When to Fish the Pre-Spawn: May 15 to May 30
As we move into the northernmost regions of the country, you’ll notice the pre-spawn dates are nearly the beginning of summer. This again highlights the importance of water temperature when predicting the timing of the spawn. For region five, which is loaded with giant smallmouth, Ben Nowak says anglers should hit the water the last two weeks of May for the pre-spawn bite.
According to Nowak, fish will be on ledges and relate to isolated pieces of the cover and dark spots on the bottom. He says that anglers fishing around perch grass should look for clean patches of sand. When Nowak hones in on an area where the water drops from 5 to 7 feet, he’ll use a variety of baits to target bass. Small swimbaits in the 3- to 3.3-inch range, shallow to mid-depth jerkbaits, underspins, and even hair jigs work well.
“This is when a hair jig will become effective for smallmouth," Nowak explains. "A lot of the fishing is super visual with smallmouth in the clean water. Just cast and wind past dark spots on the bottom.” Any clump of vegetation or an area where two types of vegetation are mixed makes a great spot for smallmouth to post up. Nowak sets his trolling motor on 60-70 percent speed and covers water this time of year in search of these spots.
“Most of what we do is grass fishing or cover fishing for largemouth," he explains. "They’re going to relate to shallow pieces of isolated cover, so docks on secondary points leading up into a bay. You may find them on an inside grass line, too.”
Region 6: Jeff Gustafson
When to Fish the Pre-Spawn: May 20 to June 3
At the Canada/U.S. border, 2023 Bassmaster Classic champ Jeff Gustafson gives his take on the pre-spawn bite for region six. Similar to region five, this area is known for giant smallmouth with some quality northern largemouth mixed in. “This time of year the focus is on the bank,” says Gustafson, who pointed out the need to stay offshore during the early pre-spawn. “They’re moving shallow, so you should fish in 12 feet or less. You're hoping to run into some little groups, but now it's time to beat the bank.”
The giant schools of early pre-spawn bass are broken up at this point, and scattered out along the bank. But keep in mind that if you did find an area in the early pre-spawn that had a good population of fish, the bass won’t have gone far. According to Gustafson, those bigger schools will simply spread out along a stretch of nearby bank.
“They like to suspend off of a lay down or hang around pieces of cover, but the idea is to get near the bank and cover water," says Gustafson. "I'll have baits to fish around the cover: a swim jig, a topwater, and something to flip. For smallmouths, maybe a Ned rig or tube I can cast at boulders.” The bass are aggressive, but they are also fewer and further between. Put the trolling motor on high, lock a search bait in your hand, and scoot down the bank to find fish.
Key Techniques and Tactics to Fishing the Pre-Spawn
Like most stages of the spawn, the main driving factor of the pre-spawn is water temperature. Anywhere in mid-50s is the sweet spot for a full-blown pre-spawn bite. And while the type of cover might change from Florida to Michigan, it is key to finding pre-spawn bass. Reaction baits like spinnerbaits, squarebills, and vibrating jigs were the top picks from our experts. Take these common approaches and tactics from the spawn reporters and apply them to your local body of water. It should help you figure out the when, where, and how to catch pre-spawn bass in your backyard.
