Finding Beds 2024
MikeWright reply :
Is there any tale tell signs to finding a bed if you can't actually see into the water and bank fishing? I want to fish beds...I just have no clue how to locate them because I can only see 3-4 feet down from the shores...or are beds everywhere and anywhere?
frosty reply :
Are you wearing polarized glasses? Those will definitely help, around here it seems like most of them that I see are pretty shallow when they are on the beds.
holeshot reply :
It has been my experience that bass make their beds almost anywhere...usually from 1 to 3 feet in depth.....often there is some type of overhead obstruction (limb, bush etc.) but not always...the most unusual bed I have found in 50 years of bass fishing was in the middle of a cove about 2-3 feet deep on top of a car hood...( have no idea where the rest of the car was...!!
Please remember that we need to release the fish yu catch off of a bed in that same area because this is nature's way of
re-stocking our lakes ...even if it is a fish worthy worth showing to friends, riding a fish around in your live well an then releasing it back at the ramp...is NOT a good idea..!!
Catt reply :
Anything firm; firm bottom, "car top", piece of plywood, chunk of concrete, any thing firm that will not wash away or silt over too easily.
I seen beds from bank shallow out to 8'.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Clarence Bowling says studies have shown that a female (when handled properly) will simply locate a bed and an available male in the area where she is released and complete spawning.
scaleface reply :
They will bed on stumps too .
Catt reply :
Ya gotta look for usual spots, sometimes lighter colored areas & look for bass as well.
Mike L reply :
At a tournament on Okeechobee last weekend we pulled into an area that both my boater and I knew it had a hard shell bottom.
Believe me when I tell you there must have been 500 beds in a 100 yard area.
They were right next to each other in a line. Move 5 ft and another line. Darnest thing we ever saw, all in 1.5 to 1.8 fow.
This area was 100 yards from a reed line with submerged hydrilla and emerging Kissimmee grass surrounding it.
Crazy thing was there was only 1 female still on a bed. My boater asked if I wanted to try and get her and I said no. If you want go ahead but I'd rather leave her alone.
This was in a B.A.S.S. Nations pro am qualifier for the State Championship so there was a lot on the line.
Point is, if you don't have an area that was suggested to look for, just look for the shallowest area with a hard bottom and chances are you'll find a bed or 2.
Mike
J Francho reply :
Generally, as visibility decreases, so does the depth that fish bed. Look for well protected flats adjacent to deep water.
geo g reply :
I have fished a number of spots in the everglades over the last month and have seen no signs of bedding in the usual spots. The exotic population is so thick out there that the bass population must be harassed by these aggressive imports. They are going to bed somewhere, but along the glades canals you can not throw a bait without getting hit by an Oscar, or some other import. They are relentless right now, and will hit a bait five or six times on every cast. It is unbelievable in some areas. With a small crankbait, or a small spinner with small trebles, you could catch hundreds of these imports. Bedding bass would be in constant defense mode from these aggressive fish.
Beds are usually in hard bottom areas with rock, sand, or shell bottom. The canals usually have hard rock shelf flats along the sides which are traditionally good bedding areas. Not this year!
hunterPRO1 reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 12:19 AM, J Francho said:Generally, as visibility decreases, so does the depth that fish bed. Look for well protected flats adjacent to deep water.
so a brush pile in 2 foot of water with a 15 foot drop right after the brush is probably a good bet,
NCbassraider reply :
On 2/22/2017 at 10:39 PM, Catt said:
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Clarence Bowling says studies have shown that a female (when handled properly) will simply locate a bed and an available male in the area where she is released and complete spawning.
The female is not the issue. The male protects the bed and pulling them off the beds is not a good idea. If you don't release them immediately and in the same area there is a chance they will not return to the bed.
I watch the beds in my lake and the male Bass is constantly chasing off blue gill and carp that try to eat the eggs. Sometimes when they are chasing one blue gill off another will jump in the bed and start eating so pulling them out of the water for even a minute can do a lot of harm.
Catt reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 1:52 AM, NCbassraider said:The female is not the issue. The male protects the bed and pulling them off the beds is not a good idea. If you don't release them immediately and in the same area there is a chance they will not return to the bed.
I watch the beds in my lake and the male Bass is constantly chasing off blue gill and carp that try to eat the eggs. Sometimes when they are chasing one blue gill off another will jump in the bed and start eating so pulling them out of the water for even a minute can do a lot of harm.
From the late Ken Cook; tournament angler & Oklahoma Marine Biologist
Conventional knowledge indicates that the male bass builds the nest, fans it out and guards it (zealously). Generally, a good male that is aggressive and active will attract more than one female to his nest and spawn with each of them. Along with that, an active female will spawn a number of times and, in most cases, ina number of different males' nests. She moves down the shoreline making it with different males. The male sits in one spot and waits for more females to come by. I think that is sort of a hedge (on the part of the female) against an infertile male spoiling the hatch of a good fertile female. So she spread her eggs around and he spreads his fertility around. That ensures a higher success rate for that spawn.
That is important knowledge for fishermen, because most people think that once the female leaves the bed, only the male is left. It is true that the female only guards the nest for a short time before moving away, but other females will come to that nest. The other thing to keep in mind is that this isn't a long, drawn-out process. Once the water reaches the upper 60 degrees, which is ideal, it only takes about three or four days for the eggs to hatch. I think the male will spend about six weeks on the beds as the females rotate through, but the whole spawning season happens over three full moons, bringing a new wave of spawning with get full moon period.
Cook emphasizes that understanding the spawning habits of the female bass will significantly improve your chances of catching some of the biggest bass of the year. He believes that the female often moves on and off of the bed to deposit more eggs (hatchery studies support this claim). Few females drop all of their eggs at once. Instead, they expel a portion and then move off to a nearbybreakline, bush or grass edge.
It is this sporadic purging of eggs and the ability to spawn with different males on several nests that keeps the annual spring bedding season from being severely impacted by large tournaments.
J Francho reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 12:58 AM, hunterPRO1 said:so a brush pile in 2 foot of water with a 15 foot drop right after the brush is probably a good bet,
I don't know. Is it protected? Or does it get blasted by waves and wind? What about boat traffic? I tend to find quantities of beds in larger areas, though old cribs, docks, brush piles, submerged timber are good attractors.
hunterPRO1 reply :
It's mostly protected from wind and no boats what so ever.
And there is a bed there, I just found it.
WRB reply :
I just watched Mike Iconelli fishing the Patomac River on the Zona show, this is a 2 part program that is worth watching. Consider both Zona and Ike are pro's they both over looked the bass were spawning during the 1st day on the water. Bed fish are not easy to detect in off color water and they stumbled onto beds the second day fishing the exact same area as day 1. This was Ike's home waters where he grew up fishing and overlooked the obvious....water temps in the mid 60's during spring.
Soft plastics fished slow or even dead sticked are your best choice during the spawn.
Tom
J Francho reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 2:09 AM, hunterPRO1 said:It's mostly protected from wind and no boats what so ever.
And there is a bed there, I just found it.
Perfect. That's the type of place you want to look for more of.
frosty reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 2:01 AM, Catt said:
From the late Ken Cook; tournament angler & Oklahoma Marine Biologist
Conventional knowledge indicates that the male bass builds the nest, fans it out and guards it (zealously). Generally, a good male that is aggressive and active will attract more than one female to his nest and spawn with each of them. Along with that, an active female will spawn a number of times and, in most cases, ina number of different males' nests. She moves down the shoreline making it with different males. The male sits in one spot and waits for more females to come by. I think that is sort of a hedge (on the part of the female) against an infertile male spoiling the hatch of a good fertile female. So she spread her eggs around and he spreads his fertility around. That ensures a higher success rate for that spawn.
That is important knowledge for fishermen, because most people think that once the female leaves the bed, only the male is left. It is true that the female only guards the nest for a short time before moving away, but other females will come to that nest. The other thing to keep in mind is that this isn't a long, drawn-out process. Once the water reaches the upper 60 degrees, which is ideal, it only takes about three or four days for the eggs to hatch. I think the male will spend about six weeks on the beds as the females rotate through, but the whole spawning season happens over three full moons, bringing a new wave of spawning with get full moon period.
Cook emphasizes that understanding the spawning habits of the female bass will significantly improve your chances of catching some of the biggest bass of the year. He believes that the female often moves on and off of the bed to deposit more eggs (hatchery studies support this claim). Few females drop all of their eggs at once. Instead, they expel a portion and then move off to a nearbybreakline, bush or grass edge.
It is this sporadic purging of eggs and the ability to spawn with different males on several nests that keeps the annual spring bedding season from being severely impacted by large tournaments.
So basically female bass are complete tramps and will lay their eggs in any studly males nest without thinking twice?
A-Jay reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 6:13 AM, frosty said:So basically female bass are complete tramps and will lay their eggs in any studly males nest without thinking twice?
Which in my eyes is one of their most endearing qualities .. .. ..
A-Jay
MikeWright reply :
Thanks everyone for all of the information, it really helped me understand d where to look more, hopefully I can catch a big mama and as directed from here I will promptly release her, does this mean I can't take a weight? Or is that too much time from the water?
HookRz reply :
The most important reason to identify bedding areas is to know where not to fish to insure successful spawns. Tournaments should be banned during the spawn.
Catt reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 10:07 AM, HookRz said:The most important reason to identify bedding areas is to know where not to fish to insure successful spawns. Tournaments should be banned during the spawn.
Think I'll go with what Biologist say 
TheGreatOne reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 12:45 AM, geo g said:I have fished a number of spots in the everglades over the last month and have seen no signs of bedding in the usual spots. The exotic population is so thick out there that the bass population must be harassed by these aggressive imports. They are going to bed somewhere, but along the glades canals you can not throw a bait without getting hit by an Oscar, or some other import. They are relentless right now, and will hit a bait five or six times on every cast. It is unbelievable in some areas. With a small crankbait, or a small spinner with small trebles, you could catch hundreds of these imports. Bedding bass would be in constant defense mode from these aggressive fish.
Beds are usually in hard bottom areas with rock, sand, or shell bottom. The canals usually have hard rock shelf flats along the sides which are traditionally good bedding areas. Not this year!
Catch the oscars as many as you can and take them out. Help a largie out!?
HookRz reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 10:47 AM, Catt said:
Think I'll go with what Biologist say
If you filter for what you read in fishing magazines and from states benefiting from bed fishing tourism, that is, those with a financial interest, I agree 100%.
Catt reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 3:34 PM, HookRz said:If you filter for what you read in fishing magazines and from states benefiting from bed fishing tourism, that is, those with a financial interest, I agree 100%.
Or you can go & spend hours going through file cabinet after file cabinet of research data at your local Wildlife & Fisheries office (they'll let ya). And you can spend hours working with Biologist on your home lake building spawning beds. And you can spend countless hours attending meeting of the Sabine River Authority learning your body of water.
Oh by the way where ya get your info?
Sam reply :
Lots of information for you to digest above but it is all correct.
Now, to add to the issue:
1. Bass want "hard bottoms" to prepare their beds.
2. Look for a "white area" that has been cleaned out of debris and bottom slop.
3. Look for a smaller male guarding the area.
4. The female may be in the area but she usually leaves after she lays the eggs.
5. You need polarized sun glasses to see into the water.
6. The bass like shallow water, if possible. They spawn where they can in the waters they live.
So get in your boat; pull up the motor out of the water; put the trolling motor down; add sunglasses and a cap to block the sun and surface glare; and go real slow along the bank looking for white patches or other discolorations on the bottom.
Have fun and let us know if you find any beds.
On 2/23/2017 at 6:25 AM, A-Jay said:
Which in my eyes is one of their most endearing qualities .. .. ..
A-Jay
HookRz reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 6:38 PM, Catt said:
Or you can go & spend hours going through file cabinet after file cabinet of research data at your local Wildlife & Fisheries office (they'll let ya). And you can spend hours working with Biologist on your home lake building spawning beds. And you can spend countless hours attending meeting of the Sabine River Authority learning your body of water.
Oh by the way where ya get your info?
No need to rifle filing cabinets these days. Peer review published papers are largely available on-line. The worst flaw you will see in "promotional review" science is the claim that because only X% of fry survive in a given year everything will be ok if X% of the beds survive. That ain't how it works. You'll find a few peer review studies from the literature below.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=0&q=micropterus+spawning+success+mortality+tournaments+peer+review&hl=en&as_sdt=0,33&as_vis=1
Catt reply :
On 2/23/2017 at 9:33 PM, HookRz said:No need to rifle filing cabinets these days. Peer review published papers are largely available on-line. The worst flaw you will see in "promotional review" science is the claim that because only X% of fry survive in a given year everything will be ok if X% of the beds survive. That ain't how it works. You'll find a few peer review studies from the literature below.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=0&q=micropterus+spawning+success+mortality+tournaments+peer+review&hl=en&as_sdt=0,33&as_vis=1
Ya late done read all of em!
You'll arguments on both sides which is why each states regulations differ.
The research never say there no impact on the spawn it shows it's not "severely" impacted by large tournaments.
Right now on all waters down here there's more non-tournament anglers per acre than tournament anglers. Few states research includes this anglers keying rather on tournament anglers. Texas Parks & Wildlife includes every anglers.
mllrtm79 reply :
Delaware will close certain areas during the spawning period, especially off of the Nanticoke River. They also limit Stripers to catch and release from 1April to 31May in spawning grounds.
scaleface reply :
Bass lay thousands of eggs for a reason .To insure the survival of the species . Changing water levels can have a big impact . I'm not concerned about fishing pressure too much .
J Francho reply :
On 2/22/2017 at 1:36 PM, MikeWright said:Is there any tale tell signs to finding a bed if you can't actually see into the water and bank fishing? I want to fish beds...I just have no clue how to locate them because I can only see 3-4 feet down from the shores...or are beds everywhere and anywhere?
The original post is asking how to locate beds. (See question quoted above)
Let's stay on topic, please.
Every year, during the spawn, these threads come up, and the replies become littered with debate on whether or not it's right to fish bedding bass. It's like asking which Daiwa reel to buy, and being told to try Shimano.
If you'd like to explore the topic of ethics and morality of bed fishing, or share research, start your own topic.
The previous comments can stay, but any new comments that do not relate to the OP will be removed.
Thanks!
WRB reply :
I agree with Catt on his post, they are based on facts that concur with my own experiences.
No replies to the Iconelli / Zona series? The reason I posted that is it shows that bass don't always bed where you would think, although considering the depth, water temps, and cover it a classic spawning area.....just miles off shore on a big flat in the middle of Chesapeake bay on the Patomic River. Bass usually bed near shore with some type of wind break and something to protect their back side.
When I am looking for beds the first thing to look for are bass, then any lighter spot like a pebbles and then try to make out a dished out area. When you see a bass swim away from a spot and return in a few minutes that clearly indicates a bed is nearby during the spawn season.
Our lakes are clear water and easy to spot spawners in shallower water, sometime these bass make beds in deeper water at the edge of depth of light, not so easy to see at 10 to 15 feet or deeper.
Bass will spawn if at all possible and will find a way to do it, sometimes not in your normal locations.
Tom
Catt reply :
Depending on bottom composition the bed is easily spotted, other times all you'll see it the bass, & other times you'll not see the nest or bass but you'll hear them back in heavy cover.
In this picture there's a firm bottom with no vegetation, you can easily see the female, the male on so much...how see the bed?
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
LOL, that's a tank too. ^
soflabasser reply :
Bass like to spawn in areas where the floor is firm,not muddy, and they are protected from the elements.Usually you will find a male on the nest and the big female might or might not be nearby.These spawning bass are much easier to catch than a free range bass and almost any lure worked well over the nest is enough to catch a spawning bass. I saw several bass beds earlier this month in the Everglades.The bass population is extremely healthy there and anyone can catch +20 bass in a day in the Everglades,even from the shore.
ww2farmer reply :
In my home lake, finding smallmouth beds is easy..............they are everywhere in 2'-12' feet of water. They make nice huge beds, that stand out like sore thumbs in clear water, and almost with out exception are next to something on the bottom, like a boulder, car tire, stump, rail road tie, etc......And as our smallmouth population has boomed over the last decade, they are now starting to spawn in areas that in years past you just didn't see them too often.
Largemouth beds are a little more difficult to spot for me here, as they are not as good of "housekeepers" as smallmouth, and their beds often don't look like anything special on the bottom. They are also not as picky of where they bed. They do tend to stay shallower than smallmouth, but don't have a preference for being next to a hard piece of cover. I have found them in just random spots on soft bottom flats. Smallmouth, while not "colony" bedders like bluegills, tend to not be so concerned with other smallies bedding close by, largemouth however seem to want plenty of space between them and the next largemouth bed.
We have a nice little progression of bedding here (not counting random late spawners which happen with both LMB, and SMB every year) usually about two big waves of smallmouth and crappies, with random largemouth, and hoards of rock bass showing up at the tail end of the second smallmouth wave. Then a big wave of largemouth, intermixed with random smallmouth. Then about the time smallmouth completely pull off, little lazy pumpkinseed sunfish make use of all the old smallmouth and largemouth beds that are not being used by random late spawning bass. Then the bluegill colonies show up, and bass still on beds are few and far between.
Paul Roberts reply :
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N Florida Mike reply :
I generally fish the same lakes and therefore know where fish usually bed.I'll start seeing aggressive little males in the shallows, and about the same time beds will start being scooped out.The male will be on them more than the female.I have a bed this year right off my property that is in the same spot as one last year where I caught the 6.3 pound female.I looked for her nearly every day once the nest went in and never saw her until I caught her.Im starting to think that the the females have become nocturnal in my home lake because I can't tell you the last time I saw one during the day.A nother thing many people don't realize is that very small females can spawn.I caught 2 small females ,both were no bigger than 1.5 pounds.Both were full of eggs.( kept them not believing they were egg laden, trying to cull some of the small fish out )So there are many,many more fish that people never see that are reproducing.
I respect bedding fish and don't keep them BUT I don't have a problem if someone keeps them in a live well or whatever for awhile.
I used to KEEP bedding fish in the 70s and 80s like most others then and we always had plenty.Ive changed since then and don't advocate keeping them now but as long as you're obeying the laws in your area it is ultimately your decision what you do with the fish.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 2/22/2017 at 1:36 PM, MikeWright said:Is there any tale tell signs to finding a bed if you can't actually see into the water and bank fishing? I want to fish beds...I just have no clue how to locate them because I can only see 3-4 feet down from the shores...or are beds everywhere and anywhere?
I've done a lot of looking for spawning beds. I actually spent several years observing and recording timing data on spawning activity. I am close to finishing up a video documentary on largemouth spawn season behavior.
The beds can be tough to spot, even for professionals in scuba gear. LM's, bc they are often willing to spawn on soft bottoms (which they clear to something firm) can be lost in local cover/debris. A paper came out describing the challenges for researchers and managers in trying to identify beds. Being on shore, and low to the water, is doubly difficult.
Your best bet is to hoof a lot, and look during peak spawn times for your area. Bass spawn in the same places year after year (even reusing the same beds) -something called "site fidelity", and they do so bc... it just plain worked. There are always adventurer individuals though. You'll likely need high banks, (I've climbed trees), and some good water clarity. Keep looking.
On 2/24/2017 at 12:17 AM, Catt said:Depending on bottom composition the bed is easily spotted, other times all you'll see it the bass, & other times you'll not see the nest or bass but you'll hear them back in heavy cover.
In this picture there's a firm bottom with no vegetation, you can easily see the female, the male on so much...how see the bed?
I am going to take a stab...
The bed is the pale patch just ahead of the female. Looks like possibly the male is down there tending it. Or, the bed is a short distance away and shallower. Either way, she's facing it. She appears to be in what I call "classic pose" -she holding just outside the bed, awaiting a spawning interlude. She is girthy enough that she is still carrying a lot of eggs.
Here's a pair in "Classic Pose". Male on right, bed out of picture on right up on shallow shelf. Female on left, holding and awaiting a spawning bout:
J Francho reply :
On 2/25/2017 at 2:05 AM, Paul Roberts said:I've done a lot of looking for spawning beds. I actually spent several years observing and recording timing data on spawning activity.
I'm not capturing data, but I love going to some local ponds and just watching the bass on beds. It's also an eye opener to see just how large some of the biggest fish are. One particular pond comes to mind. It's funny, it gets a ton of pressure, totally visible, lots of non angling foot traffic, and it's loaded with slobs. It's just interesting to watch them - they definitely display lots of body language. Not as dramatic as dome of South American Cichlids in my aquaria, but interesting anyway.
Paul Roberts reply :
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MikeWright reply :
@J Francho Thanks! I got overloaded..
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