Where do bass spawn
- Thread starter YASTIR
- Start date
Herman Nel
Senior Member
Morning all!
Spawntime is almost here, so here is what you need to know again...
Bass Nests are usually found in water 60cm to 1m deep, depending on water clarity.
In the Southern hempisphere bass usually spawn on the Northern banks ( this is not always the case, but most of the time it is ) due to the angle of the sun for optimum sunlight to help the eggs hatch.
Nests are usually close to a deeper water "escape route" like a drop off.
Structure like trees or lillies in the surrounding areas will make bass feel safe and the fry will relate to this soon after hatching.
Bass prefer clean gravel or small stones on the bottom to lay the eggs on.
Here in the Lowveld the bass starts spawning after the last fullmoon in July.
The BIGGER FEMALES spawn first and they can continue spawning for up to 2 months, the eggs in the ovaries are not all "ripe" at the same time ( to make sure their eggs and genes reach more than one nest!) thus as they "ripen" they are released . They also "rub" and bump their bellies against structure and the males often nudge them in the "ribs" to dislodge ripe eggs and speed up the spawning process.
Bass will not make a nest where they can see another nest , they like their "privacy"...
How to find them:
WEAR CAMMO CLOTHING! Seriously, because if you can see them, they can see you...if you see a nest, usually with 2 fish on it ( the male is ALWAYS the smaller one of the two ) and they dont spook and swim away immediately your chances of catching them is very good!
Always avoid in catching the male, if you catch him first the female will leave the nest, if he attacks the intruder in the nest ( and he will attack first as this is HIS genetically programmed job description )...jerk the lure or bait out of his mouth or dont set the hook, he will spit out the intruder once he has "killed it"...you can even fish a soft plastic without any hooks! Try to get him to strike at least 3 times, keep on irritating them, The MRS Bass will get angry at this stage because the Hubby cant get rid of the intruder, watch her fins closely, you will she when see becomes "engaged" she will then strike with vengeance, so hold on and get her out as quickly as possibble to reduce stress and lactic acid build up!
WEAR POLARIZED GALSSES! Obvoiusly to see better...
GO TO GOOGLE EARTH, PRINT A MAP OR MAPS OF THE DAM WHERE YOU WANT TO FISH AND HIGHLIGHT THE NORTHERN BANKS, OR TAKE A COMPASS OR GPS WITH!
DONT USE A BOAT OR ANY FORM OF A WATERCRAFT! Go by foot, where tekkies or shoes with "soft" absorbing soles...bass will detect your footsteps, if they feel "uneasy" the can venture out to deeper water and come back when they feel safe, with a boat you will BLOCK THE ESCAPE ROUTE and geopardise the catch! Sitting still on the bank is easier than trying to keep a boat still on the water! You can watch a nest and fish it as long as you want, I once targeted one specific fish for over an hour and got her eventually, at over 4kgs it was well worth the wait!
GO ON THE HEAT OF THE DAY...your shadow will fall on your feet and not on the water and the fishes' shadow fish fall on the bottom / nest - A DEAD GIVEAWAY of the fish!
There is one rule however, PLEASE RELEASE THE FISH ASAP TO PROTECT THE NEST AGAINST "NEST ROBBERS" LIKE BLUEGILL,KURPER,CARP,BARBEL,CRABS ETC! Alway wet your hands before handling the catch!
Make sure your camera is ready , it has got film or a SD card in and the battery is fully charged! Please learn from my mistakes!!!!!!!!!
Hope this helps!
Regards
Herman
Attached Image (viewed 163 times):
Spawntime is almost here, so here is what you need to know again...
Bass Nests are usually found in water 60cm to 1m deep, depending on water clarity.
In the Southern hempisphere bass usually spawn on the Northern banks ( this is not always the case, but most of the time it is ) due to the angle of the sun for optimum sunlight to help the eggs hatch.
Nests are usually close to a deeper water "escape route" like a drop off.
Structure like trees or lillies in the surrounding areas will make bass feel safe and the fry will relate to this soon after hatching.
Bass prefer clean gravel or small stones on the bottom to lay the eggs on.
Here in the Lowveld the bass starts spawning after the last fullmoon in July.
The BIGGER FEMALES spawn first and they can continue spawning for up to 2 months, the eggs in the ovaries are not all "ripe" at the same time ( to make sure their eggs and genes reach more than one nest!) thus as they "ripen" they are released . They also "rub" and bump their bellies against structure and the males often nudge them in the "ribs" to dislodge ripe eggs and speed up the spawning process.
Bass will not make a nest where they can see another nest , they like their "privacy"...
How to find them:
WEAR CAMMO CLOTHING! Seriously, because if you can see them, they can see you...if you see a nest, usually with 2 fish on it ( the male is ALWAYS the smaller one of the two ) and they dont spook and swim away immediately your chances of catching them is very good!
Always avoid in catching the male, if you catch him first the female will leave the nest, if he attacks the intruder in the nest ( and he will attack first as this is HIS genetically programmed job description )...jerk the lure or bait out of his mouth or dont set the hook, he will spit out the intruder once he has "killed it"...you can even fish a soft plastic without any hooks! Try to get him to strike at least 3 times, keep on irritating them, The MRS Bass will get angry at this stage because the Hubby cant get rid of the intruder, watch her fins closely, you will she when see becomes "engaged" she will then strike with vengeance, so hold on and get her out as quickly as possibble to reduce stress and lactic acid build up!
WEAR POLARIZED GALSSES! Obvoiusly to see better...
GO TO GOOGLE EARTH, PRINT A MAP OR MAPS OF THE DAM WHERE YOU WANT TO FISH AND HIGHLIGHT THE NORTHERN BANKS, OR TAKE A COMPASS OR GPS WITH!
DONT USE A BOAT OR ANY FORM OF A WATERCRAFT! Go by foot, where tekkies or shoes with "soft" absorbing soles...bass will detect your footsteps, if they feel "uneasy" the can venture out to deeper water and come back when they feel safe, with a boat you will BLOCK THE ESCAPE ROUTE and geopardise the catch! Sitting still on the bank is easier than trying to keep a boat still on the water! You can watch a nest and fish it as long as you want, I once targeted one specific fish for over an hour and got her eventually, at over 4kgs it was well worth the wait!
GO ON THE HEAT OF THE DAY...your shadow will fall on your feet and not on the water and the fishes' shadow fish fall on the bottom / nest - A DEAD GIVEAWAY of the fish!
There is one rule however, PLEASE RELEASE THE FISH ASAP TO PROTECT THE NEST AGAINST "NEST ROBBERS" LIKE BLUEGILL,KURPER,CARP,BARBEL,CRABS ETC! Alway wet your hands before handling the catch!
Make sure your camera is ready , it has got film or a SD card in and the battery is fully charged! Please learn from my mistakes!!!!!!!!!
Hope this helps!
Regards
Herman
Attached Image (viewed 163 times):
100% African
Senior Member
Once again, a very informative post Herman. Thank you.