So if u live in Michigan(or at least the south eastern part) it has been an unusual winter. Not a whole lot a snow, and right now its like 30 degrees when it should be in the teens somewhere. To get to my question; If it has been consistently warmer leading up to the spawn, will the fish spawn earlier? Or are they on a timer?

Water temperature is the trigger for bass to spawn.

Moon

Water temps

Water clarity

Lake levels

Biological clocks

Length of daylight hours (The days are getting longer)

All affect the spawning cycle

If you wait for the majic temp of 62* you often will miss a lot of the larger fish.

Not uncommon for the really large fish in this area to come and go before a lot of fishermen even realize that it has happened.

I have seen many on the bed in water temps in the 55-58 degree range.

With our weather and water temps this year though, the early fish are going to run a little later. We have had water temps on Rayburn in the high 30s just a week ago. It has climbed back into the mid to high 40s in a lot of areas and with air temps in the 70s for this week the fish are going to start the move up shortly. The weather will cause them to come and go, but it will be a while before there is a major move to the shallows unless we have an extended run of warm weather.

Jack

Moon

If you wait for the majic temp of 62* you often will miss a lot of the larger fish.

Not uncommon for the really large fish in this area to come and go before a lot of fishermen even realize that it has happened.

I have seen many on the bed in water temps in the 55-58 degree range.

Jack

Yep.  And dont forget about what Bill Murphy calls "prelude spots"  These spots are locations where the bigger bass start their transition from their winter homes to shallower water to spawn but still remai deep.  Theyre the furthest structural areas the bass associate with their eventual spawning areas.    The bass hold to these spots for a while to climatize. 

This happens before most anglers even want to start fishing because they think it's still to cold and not worth it so they wind up missing out big time. Even when many anglers DO fish at this time, they're concentrating on the shallows.  Thats fine but when many bass are hitting the shallows to spawn, the big mamas are still hanging out in those pre spawn edges/prelude depths just waiting for your jig to twitch by.

I'm not sure how water temp is measure, let say are they measure on average per depth.  Cause I am thinking water temp in lets say 1-10 feet of water is much different then 10-20 feet of water. So at the surface if it measure at 35 degrees, I am sure it has got to be cooler deeper no?

Yes, and the biggest females will spawn before any other others and in water traditionally thought to be too cold from what you read. They will also take the best spots and usually the same spots or VERY close by year after year until they are caught or die especially in lakes. The water temperature is key, but the angle of the sun has a lot to do wth it as well. There is much more to it though. lol

Largemouth bass are known to spawn in water temperatures ranging between 55 and 75 deg F,

which is not exactly sticking a landing. Although the temperature needs to be supportive

of spawning, water temperature by itself does not provide a definitive time-line.

At best, water temperature is a coincident indicator of the bedding cycle, roughly on par

with forsythia in bloom or the appearance of nests built by red-winged blackbirds.

During peak bedding activity, water temperatures are typically in the 60 to 65 deg F. range,

when the likelihood of a fatal trend-reversal is very low.

The spawning cycle is also tied to "photoperiod" (day-length), the same as

our vegetable kingdom. This stands to reason, because the trend of day-length

is a more stable yardstick than the yo-yo trends of water temperature.

Roger

If the females eggs are ready, they can drop them whenever suites there need.

The water temps below 58 degrees at the depth the bass spawn will take about 3 weeks to hatch, that is a long time for the male bass to protect the eggs. In water temps above 67 degrees, the bluegill start to spawn and bass eggs laid in warmer water will hatch within 7 days, however fry survival is very low due to predation. The ideal window is 62 to 65 degrees at the depth of the bedding site.

Very few lakes have equal water temps throughout the lake and bass tend to spawn in waves surrounding the full moon cycles at various different locations within the same lake.

I have caught giant spawners in 25 feet of water and 3 feet of water in the same lake. The isn't any set rules when or where bass may spawn. The majority will spawn in 62 to 65 degree water, 3 to 5 feet deep, some colder and some warmer, some shallow and some deep.

WRB

I'm not sure how water temp is measure, let say are they measure on average per depth. Cause I am thinking water temp in lets say 1-10 feet of water is much different then 10-20 feet of water. So at the surface if it measure at 35 degrees, I am sure it has got to be cooler deeper no?

Remember that in the Winter the coldest water is at the surface of the water column.  This is why ice forms there.  On a lake with 33 or 34 degree surface water, deeper water can reach temperatures in the upper 30s in the Winter and this is where the bass tend to be.  During the Fall turnover the upper portion of the water column (epilimnion) mixes with the lower layer of water (hypolimnion) and becomes a similar temperature throughout the column.  The metalimnion (or the thermocline) which separates these two layers disappears after the Fall turnover.  Then as air temperatures decrease to their Winter lows, the water becomes colder, but because the surface is exposed directly to the cold weather it cools more than the water in the depths by a few degrees.

We don't fish for lmbass in the spawn, season doesn't open til 4th Saturday in June but have had Smallies on beds at the end of July, makes for some great fishing

Sbking