With me bass fishing for a little over a year I have yet to see my first bass bed. The temperatures here in North Carolina have climbed to the upper 60s and low 70s this last week. I went to some local ponds and lakes that I fish and I found these images. Are these beds? Did I do a good job sight fishing? Lol

In one of these areas I dropped a swim bait minnow out in front of the fish and after three attempts it took it. My pole with a lizard was not close by and swim bait was all that I had.

Most definitely beds.

 

That fish on the right in the last pic would be your female.

I scared her away when I came by. :-(

I was on the bank. If I had my boat I could've snuck up behind her trolling and cast into it.

How long will these beds be there for? A couple weeks? Months? I dunno. :-(

Definitely beds. You have to be a ninja to sneak up on them. Best bet is to stay a distance and cast at an angle from further back if you're attempting to bed fish. 

She won't be there as long as the male will.

 

Might be already gone from the bed, but she won't be far away. Check out the first dropoff away from the bed.

I saw those and I thought someone dropped a trash can lid in the water. I walked closer and saw the fish. I almost had a heart attack.......

So to be blunt, when they are in the beds like this, have they already "had the mate process" or is this before or after?

Hard to tell honestly.

 

Could be before or after. That female isnt locked on the bed, so you could be on either side of the process.

Cool. At least they are in view. :-)

The male makes a bed for the female to deposit eggs on then the male will fertilize the eggs and guard them until they are fry. Females will go from bed to bed leaving eggs at each one. This is natures way of making sure the genetics are mixed.

Those are not the only spawner's in the pond, there should a lot more!

Stand back and cast into the center of the bed with a drop shot worm and don't more. The bass will return and wait until one checks out the worm, then shake it slightly, not a lot and the bass should strike it....takes patients!

Tom

The beds themselves will be there forever barring any change in the bottom. The bluegills may or may not use the beds once the bass are done and the bass may or may not return next year. They tend to  spawn in the same areas because of the correct bottom composition. A trick for you so you won't spook the fish. If you're able to reach, take a stick  and stick it in the water to mark the bed. Walk away. Give the bass 5 minutes to get back to the bed. Stand far enough away so the bass doesn't see you but close enough to see the bed and cast to it.

Here's am article I wrote that might help you catch those suckers.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

If there is a tree nearby, get behind it, and peer out from the side.  Stay still and you may see two or more fish getting onto the beds and then moving off them.  It doesn't take much to spook them. 

Here's am article I wrote that might help you catch those suckers.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

That was a great article. Never thought about using a drop shot this way.  

It's something I've been using for a few years now, and it works.  I think some bass begin to respond negatively to the plop of a lure near their nest.  This gives them time to forget about the plop.  Glad you liked it!

To avoid spooking bass, I have found this tool to be very helpful. 

 

gentlemen, the word is patience

 

patience - the act of waiting under difficult circumstances

 

patients - a person who goes to see a doctor

It's something I've been using for a few years now, and it works.  I think some bass begin to respond negatively to the plop of a lure near their nest.  This gives them time to forget about the plop.  Glad you liked it!

Very good article, John. I might just try it this year.

patients - a person who goes to see a doctor

Actually,

Patients - People who go to see a dr.

Sight fishing requires a good pair of polarized sunglasses to see the bass better.

Use soft plastics with high visible colors like white/ chartreuse or chartreuse tail so you can see it easily. The bass isn't interested in eating your lure, they want it out of the bed, so they strike to kill, not eat, hook sets takes practice to time right.

Tom

gentlemen, the word is patience

 

patience - the act of waiting under difficult circumstances

 

patients - a person who goes to see a doctor

I have no patience. I won't fish a bed unless it's the end of the tourney and I need something good. There are prespawn and postspawn fish around the same areas at the same time that are easier to catch. 

Bass, LMB, SMB and Spotted bass, in most lakes spawn in cycles and in different locations around the lakes protected areas suitable for successfully spawning. Some bass prefer to make nest sites in very shallow water, others in water deeper than 8 feet, depending on the depth the sunlight effectively warms the water.

Male bass select bed sites and do all the work cleaning the bed area from silt that can smother eggs, female may do some house cleaning.

Not all the males are successful at bed making. Not all females are successful at egg laying. Few eggs survive compared to the billions laid. Egg eaters like sunfish, bluegill, a wide variety of minnows, salamders, crawdads, carp, catfish and other egg predators feast on bass eggs.....it's survival of the fittest.

Add man to the predator list and survival rates drop with every bed bass caught.

Bream, sunfish, bluegill and crappie are all egg eaters, only the crappie spawn before bass, bluegill, red ears and green sunfishes spawn later as the water warms above 67 degrees. The smaller super dish size beds close together are bream beds, not bass beds. Bass beds are spaced far enough apart so they can't see each other. Beds silt over or fill in each year and are made fresh each year. The bream have the same problem with egg eaters as bass, except the bass eat the bream, not the eggs.

Female bass do not stay around the bed sites for more than a few days, however they may return to lay eggs in more than one bed. There can be up to 3 waves of spawner's in larger lakes, small lakes and ponds usually have one cycle.

Hope that helps a little.

Tom

If there is a tree nearby, get behind it, and peer out from the side.  Stay still and you may see two or more fish getting onto the beds and then moving off them.  It doesn't take much to spook them. 

 

ahhh, the old sasquatch tree peeking method lol