Spawning Bass in Iowa

Spawning Bass in Iowa

By Todd Reed

“I threw everything at them and nothing!”. “All I seemed to catch were small bass!”, “The bass would follow the bait all the way to the boat!”, “I kept missing bites!”. Do these sound like familiar phrases in May when trying to catch bass? I know I’ve said these things a few times and it becomes really frustrating. May is supposed to be one the best months of the year to fish for bass, and generally it is. However, the reasons that cause May to be a great time to catch bass are the same reasons why anglers mutter the previous phrases…the Iowa bass spawn.

Largemouth bass will start the annual ritual of spawning when the water temperature gets around the 55 degree mark. There is no alarm that goes off and every lake and every creature is on their own time. This is what makes the spawn a mystery each and every year. Mother Nature, at no other time in the year is more vital to anglers than in May. As the temperatures rise above 45 degrees and into the fifties most anglers are enjoying their best fishing days of the year. Dozens and dozens of bass will be brought to shore or into the boat. Things are almost “easy”, however as the water creeps towards 55 and above anglers often start scratching their heads. We cannot stop the spawn, and we wouldn’t want to, but there are few things we can do as anglers to help catch those fish during the spawn which may last a couple of weeks.

Again, all bass do not spawn at the same time. Some bass will be completely finished with the ritual before other bass even start. Let’s take a moment to understand a little more about this ritual of a largemouth bass. Male bass, the smaller of the species will start to prepare the spawning beds when the temperature is right. A full moon might send the male bass a little earlier too. The male bass prepares the floor of the lake or river for a female to come and lay her eggs by cleaning an area with its tail fin causing a circular shape on the floor of the lake or river. Generally speaking bass will makes these “nests” in shallow water and on a solid surface like sand or gravel. Bass are survivors though, and I have seen them spawn on laydown logs and stumps. After the female lays her eggs she will stay around for awhile. All this time the male will defend the nests from creatures trying to eat the eggs or the newly hatched fry. The female will leave the nest and could go to another one to repeat the process until she has dropped all of her eggs. After the male has fertilized the newly laid eggs he will be the guard to protect them. After a few days the eggs will hatch and the male will go on with his life. This whole process takes approximately 4-10 days.

It is those 4-10 days that often frustrates anglers. Obviously this could take up two full weekends of fishing. As anglers we have to focus on certain things and certain baits when searching out bass during the spawning season.

When we see our water temperature gauge in the mid-fifties we can assume some spawning is going on in Iowa. When this happens anglers need to find out what bass are doing on that body of water for that particular day. The first variable to look at is water depth. If you are fishing shallow then you are focusing on actively spawning bass. Both the male and female have one thing on their minds, and it is not eating. If you find yourself not getting bites, then you must move out deeper to find those fish that have not made the move up shallow to spawn or the fish that have not started to spawn. One other adjustment you can make is to use baits that you can move very slowly, Texas-rigged plastics, shakey-heads or jigs are examples. If you are targeting bass that are protecting eggs or young fry you have to be meticulously slow. Tying up to a tree, using an anchor or better yet utilize a shallow anchoring system like the Minn Kota Talons. All these methods will hold you in one place and allow you to make repeated casts and work the bait slowly without your boat drifting away from the fish. If you choose to move deeper then try crankbaits and varying speeds, or slow-rolled spinnerbaits for those fish trying to fatten up before the spawn.

The next problem that anglers face during the spawn is that they may only catch really small bass, under fourteen inches or so. These bass are most likely the male bass preparing or guarding the nests or beds they have created. Bass even smaller will just ignore the spawning process and keep their regular feeding routines, this is why sometimes you simply can’t get a bigger bass to bite, you are targeting the wrong age of fish. To combat this issue you may be in the wrong area of the lake or river. Re-examine where you are on the lake. If the water temperature is around the 55-degree mark fish should be near spawning flats that are protected. This means out of the wind and a lack of runoff water or coves that have larger creeks feeding them. Find areas that are shallow, under 8 feet of water, contain a hard surface bottom and are protected from muddy water and wind and you will find some bigger bass.

The last problem anglers face during the spawn are those fish that are interested but not willing to bite your lures. These fish may follow your bait all the way back to your rod tip, or fish that seem to bite your lure but you keep missing them on the hookset. If you have encountered these fish, most likely you have found the males guarding the nests. What makes these fish bite and hold on? You must surprise these fish and “make them bite” with their instincts. To do this anglers must vary the retrieve of their baits. If you are fishing a spinnerbait, or crankbait make sure and stop the bait once in a while. When the bait drops or starts to raise the bass’ instincts will make it bite. It is similar to placing a bowl of candy on the kitchen table, no one really needs that candy but it will be gone soon. People can’t refuse and neither will these male bass. Fishing a weightless Hot Rod Baits Texas-rigged stickbait or tube will also fool these fish into biting by working them slowly and erratically.

The bass spawn has always been a mystery to anglers. Sometimes it can yield huge catches and at other times will have you leaving the lake scratching your head. By understanding the spawning process more, changing locations and working your baits in non-typical ways can lead to more satisfying days on the lake in the month of May. Remember as good stewards of our natural resources please practice catch and release during the spawning seasons to ensure a good future in our waters.
For more information on bass fishing from Todd Reed please check out: www.fishingwithtoddreed.com