For anglers trying to improve their fishing skills, a better understanding of the biology and life history of black bass will go a long way toward enhancing angling success. Knowing more about the type of habitat used by bass, feeding habits, and seasonal movements will help in this understanding. The largemouth bass evolved in shallow bays of lakes, ponds, and slow moving backwaters of larger streams with an abundance of aquatic vegetation and other types of large cover such as fallen trees and stumps. In California, largemouth are found in most lakes and reservoirs associated with structure (any change in the bottom surface) and cover. They may also be found in open water areas when actively feeding or during migrations. The best fishing time is in the early spring just prior to spawning, but fishing can be good at most other times of the year. In the early spring, shoreline areas leading toward spawning coves and bays are the best locations to find largemouth. Most spawning occurs in the backs of coves or bays near cover. Later in the season, largemouth will move to main lake areas such as flooded islands and points. Areas with aquatic vegetation or flooded trees and brush are always good spots to find largemouth bass. All the black bass are opportunistic feeders, so artificial lures and live bait that imitates or duplicates natural prey items will usually be the most successful. Good fishing for spotted bass in California reservoirs begins as early as January and extends through the spring. Spotted bass often dominate late winter catches in reservoirs with good populations. Areas with inflowing water during and after storm events will concentrate “spots” making them easy to catch. Spotted bass favor areas with rocky substrate, and in streams are often found in close association with woody cover. In larger reservoirs, they select areas with rocky, steeply sloping shorelines. The steep upper canyon reaches of many reservoirs are popular areas to find spotted bass. Broken rock slides and vertical rock walls are common habitats and bass often suspend several feet off steep walls at depths to 45 feet. Smallmouth bass are found in stream habitats as well as lakes and reservoirs. In California, most of the tributaries of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers below an elevation of 3,500 feet contain populations of smallmouth bass. Most of these stream populations are lightly fished and provide excellent angling opportunities. However, “smallies” in these habitats do not grow as fast or get as big as lake and reservoir populations. In reservoirs, smallmouth bass have a preference for habitats with deep water nearby. Main lake points, vertical walls with broken rubble or rock slides, irregular or broken shorelines and, in many northern California reservoirs, submerged mine tailings are great areas to find smallmouth bass. Trophy-sized bass are often found in areas that provide a combination of these elements in conjunction with large boulders or an old tree stump with a bunch of gnarly roots exposed by erosion. Best fishing for smallmouth bass occurs as water temperatures start to rise in the late winter and early spring until the fish start spawning. Like spotted bass, smallmouth often move to deeper main lake areas after spawning, making them difficult to find and catch. |
