I was just wondering what water temp the bass usually start moving onto beds.  Thanks

I was just wondering what water temp the bass usually start moving onto beds. Thanks

It's not only temperature-driven, but hinges on a combination of events.

All the same, water temperature can be used as a rough gauge of current season.

Unless you're interested in bed-fishing, the period immediately prior to the active spawn offers the best bass fishing of the year.

Following are water temperatures during the pre-spawn, which are purely coincidental and not causitive:

Early Pre-Spawn

Lower 50s (but varying)

Both cow and buck bass are emerging from their winter torpor, and would best be described as irritable and spooky, but catchable.

Mid Pre-Spawn

Upper 50s (but varying)

Both cow and buck bass are noticeably active and more aggressive. Bass are highly mobile during the middle pre-spawn,

and trade freely back-and-forth between shallow and deeper water.

Late Pre-Spawn

Temperatures that sandwich 60 degrees

Both buck and cow bass are less mobile and more aggressive...it's Party Time!

Weather permitting, bass during the late pre-spawn will now adhere to the spawning flats in 1 to 3 ft of water (deeper in clear water).

The late pre-spawn is a very brief period, but since all bass do not spawn at once there's usually a generous overlap of sub-seasons

providing the angler with a few weeks of late pre-spawn activity. The one bugbear during this time of year

are the frequent cold-fronts that quickly dampen the activity on the shallow bedding flats.

Roger