What's the magic water temperature that you start fishing hard in the spring?  I seem to not do much fishing till I see between 50 and 55.  Reason I'm asking is that I went out for a couple hours today and the water temp was 46.  I had no bites in about 2 hours of fishing.  I feel like it's useless for me to try when it's under 50.  

some of my biggest bass have come in late december/early january.

you don't get many bites but, in the words of spencer tracy, "what's there is cherce."

What's the magic water temperature that you start fishing hard in the spring? I seem to not do much fishing till I see between 50 and 55. Reason I'm asking is that I went out for a couple hours today and the water temp was 46. I had no bites in about 2 hours of fishing. I feel like it's useless for me to try when it's under 50.

If the water is below 50 the bass are in the deeper water! Look for your 1st. and 2 nd break lines off of flats,points,humps,steep break lines and fish a jerk bait,drop shot, C-rig ,crankbait. I think you are pounding the banks and they are deeper, and fish SLOW.

I was fishing from the bank today so I couldn't reach the really deep water.  I have a hard time fishing so slow.  I swear I think I have ADD!  The pond I was fishing is about 8 acres in size.  I'm gonna try to put the boat on there in the next couple of weeks and get a good idea of what the bottom looks like and try slowing down some more.

I was fishing from the bank today so I couldn't reach the really deep water. I have a hard time fishing so slow. I swear I think I have ADD! The pond I was fishing is about 8 acres in size. I'm gonna try to put the boat on there in the next couple of weeks and get a good idea of what the bottom looks like and try slowing down some more.

Good plan! Let us know how you do!

What's the magic water temperature that you start fishing hard in the spring? I seem to not do much fishing till I see between 50 and 55. Reason I'm asking is that I went out for a couple hours today and the water temp was 46. I had no bites in about 2 hours of fishing. I feel like it's useless for me to try when it's under 50.

If the water is below 50 the bass are in the deeper water! Look for your 1st. and 2 nd break lines off of flats,points,humps,steep break lines and fish a jerk bait,drop shot, C-rig ,crankbait. I think you are pounding the banks and they are deeper, and fish SLOW.

I have seen bass in less than one foot of water when the water temperature was below 40 degrees farenheight.

The last time out the water was 36° and we caught all of our bass in less than 10 fow.

On Dec 26, I went fishing on a small lake (110 acres)  with a friend.  The average depth of the lake is about twenty feet, but there is a deep channel running through it that goes as deep as sixty feet.  The surface water temp was about thirty-eight degrees so I figured the bass would be holding fairly deep.  I found a nice break line at about thirty-eight feet that, according to my sonar, was holding fish.  I started out using a jig, drawing it up the channel ridge. On the other hand, if you can believe this, my partner was drop-shotting a white/chartreuse spinner bait.  He caught a six pounder and a three pounder.  Me? Skunked!

I put the boat away when the lake freezes, and get it out when it thaws. I catch bass year round, even through the ice.

wait for a day where it rains, and muddies up the water, then wait several more days, the muddy water should have warmed up  a couple degrees more and fish will move up sometimes, try a buzz-bait around logs or parallel to weed lines, or a jig usually works in winter worked really slow too.

When the ice clears off.

I'm attempting to get both of my boats into fishing condition ASAP as the season is now underway.  I'm pretty sure the ice is off the lakes now and as the warmer days keep coming the water will warm from the 30's into the 40's.  I want to be on the water when that's happening throwing mostly jerkbaits.  Not many bites but the ones you get are usually good, quality fish.

When the ice clears off.

X2

When the ice clears off.

X2

X3. Northern guys wait for the ice to come off and then it's game on!!!

Any lure I throw right now would be worked on the topwater, simply because of the 8" of ice still on the lakes!  Believe me, if I could find a spot that had open water, I would be perfectly happy just TRYING to catch fish!

My magic # is 45 deg.

before that its not a numbers game

For me it's not a number, but a condition. Ice Out is all I need. When my canal is clear of ice, I'm catching LMB.

Falcon

I think ice out is here Falcon, 50 degrees here!