How do you tell if bass are in the spawning mode? I have seen some bass lately swimming in shallow water over weed beds(i guess there beds). Are there bass spawning and how do you catch them.

If you see fish cruising around the banks but are generally staying close to one area then they are probably trying to find that special place to fan a bed. Water temps will tell you alot about what stage the fish may be in. If your water temps are stable around 63-65 the fish should be spawning or darn close to it.

If you see any light spots on the bottom,watch it for a minute or two from as far away as you can see it. If it is an active bed,the fish will be on it,near it or if you spooked them off....they shouldnt be gone long.

If you locate an active bed,make repeated casts to it and leave your bait in the bed for as long as you can stand it and give it a shake every now and then. Its good to use something that you can see easily but thats not necessary all the time, especially if you're real shallow. You should try to get a good read on the mood of the fish or you will be wasting alot of time on a fish that just wont eat no matter what.

As far as baits for bedding bass goes, throw everything you have until you find something they like. I like lizards,craws and brush hogs.

One more thing. If you happen to find a bedded bass and are working it....if your bait gets sucked in, set the hook immediately. Fish on a bed like to suck stuff in and spit it off the bed and that whole process takes about 1 second. Watch your bait (if you can see it), watch your line (if you cant see your bait), keep it tight and get a solid hookset.

There are several threads already going about spawning bass. Just go through a few pages in this section and you'll find more info than you'll ever need. Good luck!