
Bass angling can be frustrating if an angler doesn’t know where to find bass. Anglers need to study bass behavior and their typical environment in order to find the best spot for bass angling. By studying the biology, hunting habits, and behaviors of bass, anglers thereby increase their ability to choose the right spot to catch bass.
As in all cold blooded creatures, the environment plays a role in the behavior of bass. Many species of bass favor and are most active in waters that are between 65 and 75 degrees and are less active in temperatures above or below their comfort zone. The reason for the decreased activity is due to their metabolism; because bass are cold blooded, their body temperature is directly affected by their environment. Consequently, a bass angler looking for the right fishing spot should look for relatively, mild waters to fish.
Bass are easily stressed; they frighten easily and require the proper balance of dissolved oxygenated water to prevent environmental-induced stress. A surefire way to determine whether or not a body of water is of desirable, dissolved oxygen content for bass is to look around for dead perch. A number of dead perch indicates Anoxia; anoxia arises when there are low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water and is brought on by environmental stressors like extremely hot weather or environmental pollutants. Since perch can handle a significantly lower level of dissolved oxygenated water than bass, if an angler discovers dead fish, also known as a fishkill, they can be certain that the waters are not suitable for bass.
Large and Smallmouth Bass are found in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, streams, and in some tailwaters. In choosing the right fishing spot, anglers should seek out weedy areas along the shore or naturally fashioned reefs where bass prefer to hide. Additionally, an angler should look around for fallen trees, rocks, and deep areas of water. Finally, a bass angler must always remember that bass tend to avoid current, inasmuch as it is possible to do so; anything in the water that obstructs the natural current can prove to be a good location for finding bass.
Anywhere that there is a convergence of objects in a body of water an angler can be sure to locate bass. For example, anywhere an angler might locate weeds near an open area of water, an area of shallow water flowing into deeper waters or any downstream area from a flowing current is an ideal spot for angling bass.
Bass like to hide in and near subaqueous objects. They tend to linger near the bottom of any body of water when they are hunting. As predators, they like to lurk in weed beds and between rocks while waiting for live prey to happen by. Bass feed on crawfish, minnows, and sculpin; therefore, if an angler locates a body of water that houses their typical prey, they are apt to find a fishing spot for bass.
