TAKEOFF
SCENARIOS
FROM WINTERING AREAS TO PRESPAWN SPOTS
T
WATCH FOR THESE CLUES TO PREDICT WHEN BASS WILL BEGIN THEIR SPRINGTIME TRANSITIONS
he annual transition of bass from
wintering areas to prespawn
locations varies based on sea-
sonal weather conditions and geo-
graphic location. Yet there are several
clues and triggers that observant bass
anglers can use to capitalize on bass in
transition anywhere in early spring.
FLW Tour pros Cody Meyer, Mark Rose
and Michael Neal offer some advice.
Mark Rose
marks the time of year when, in the
southern and central states, bass will be
on the move. The days are longer then,
and that triggers the change, though it
can happen sooner than that.
In addition to longer days, Rose
looks for a trend of warmer nights as a
sign that bass will start their transition.
moon phase
When it comes to moon phase,
opinions vary, and there isn’t conclu-
sive scientific evidence to suggest that
moon phase has a direct impact on
bass behavior. Still, anglers swear by
solunar activity as a component of pre-
dicting bass activity. Rose, Meyer and
Neal are among the believers, and they
locations
water Temperature
When the water temperature enters
the 50-degree range, says Neal, bass
begin to push from deep-water winter-
ing areas toward staging areas in the
lakes around his home in east
Tennessee. That range applies to most
other places too, though there aren’t
any hard-and-fast rules.
“Water temperature is big and much
more important than the actual time of
year. A warm spell will move things
along much quicker,” Meyer adds. “It
also depends on the water tempera-
ture in the region and what is normal
there.”
length of Day
28
Meyer says that the occurrence of
daylight saving time in mid-March usually
By Tyler Brinks
have thousands of hours of observa-
tion to back up their claims with regard
to the early-season transition.
“Full moons are the strongest, with
new moons being the second most
important,” says Rose. “Both of them
will have an impact on movement of
bass, especially when they’re transi-
tioning from winter locations.”
“It’s like clockwork, and the first full
moon in February gets the large-
mouths in the southern states moving,”
adds Neal.
Even if the water temperature
hasn’t reached that 50-degree mark
that Neal suggested earlier, he believes
the full moon can still prompt the
move.
Meyer likes to view his lake charts and see three different features in close
proximity when tracking bass in transition in early spring: wintering areas,
prespawn locations and spawning areas.
“I like to find steep bluffs where fish spend the winter next to long points
where they stage before they spawn,” he says. “If you can find flats and pockets
where they spawn nearby those areas, you have everything you need during
this time of year.”
Neal looks for the first structure in between shallow and deep water – rel-
ative to the lake – as a prime location for transitioning bass.
“It could be a point, hump in a pocket or anything with an irregularity,” Neal
says.
He feels that once they are in a transition area, water temperature will dic-
tate their next move, so he keeps eyes on his water temperature gauge and
heads shallower as the season progresses. ■
wintering areas
transition areas
spawning areas
flwfiShing.com i february-march 2017