When do bass spawn? Seabass spawning season and how to catch them

Sea basses are easier to catch during their spawning season for this is the time most of them swim up to shallow waters, making them more accessible. If you want to be a better bass fisher, fishing during spawn time is a great idea.

In this article, we will tell you when do sea basses spawn so that you know when is the most convenient time to catch them.

Introduction

What is Bass Fishing?

Bass fishing is a popular sport in America − particularly in the Northern part. From professional anglers to ordinary fishermen, everyone enjoys the sport. Black bass is the most sought-after game fish.

Bass Fishing Lures and Baits

If you are a starter, here are a few baits and lure techniques that you can try in order to catch your first sea bass:

1. Crankbaits

Crankbaits are the cast-and-retrieve type of fishing tool. However, most starter fishers use it wrongly. Usually, they would cast and reel it straightforward. This is wrong!

The right way to do it is to reel it, twitch it, and let it cross and bump to rocks and stumps. This can injure the fish and make it dizzy so it can't escape easily.

2. Soft Plastics

Soft plastic baits make the most effective baits ever. These soft plastic baits replicate worms, tubes, and other seawater creatures, mimicking their natural forage.

3. Top Water Sea Creatures

These are the most expensive kinds of baits. These are frogs, poppers, and the like.

But, when you use these kinds of baits, it is most likely for you to catch the alpha sea bass − the largest, wildest, and nastiest sea bass in the water. Seems like an exciting experience right?

SPRING: THE SPAWNING SEASON

Fishes can spawn a year after their birth, when they get to more than 10 inches in length. Fast right? Well, if you’re a seabass, there's no time to waste.

As widely observed in most animals, mating season happens just after winter. Then, spawning season approaches, which is most of the time, during spring.

Spawning season varies depending on the location. However, in general, it follows a simple pattern: the warmer the water, the higher the possibility of spawning. In short, temperature is key.

In some places, sea bass spawning happens during April, May, and sometimes, in the early days of June.

The Spawning Process

In order for you to get a better understanding about the spawning process of sea bass, I will explain to you the complete cycle of its process. There are 3 stages of a bass's spawning cycle: pre-spawn, spawn, and the post-spawn.

Pre-spawn

During this stage, the male bass prepares for the spawn by eating as much food as he can. For he knows that during the spawn, which normally takes to 10-14 days, he will not eat at all. Then, he will be too focused on safeguarding the spawn nest.

Male sea bass swims up to shallow waters within 1-4 ft. In clear waters, sea bass can spawn down to 20 feet. The deeper the nest, the safer it is from predators and other destructors. Then, he looks for a clear and hard surface where he can build the nest.

Most sea bass prefer a rocky surface, that consisting of rocks and gravels. If he's okay with the spot, he will clean it with his tail.

After that, he will carve a circle in the surface that's 2x bigger than his body. After making the nest, he will then now look for a mate.

When the water temperature rises above 50°F, the appetite of the bass changes. It now prefers a high-protein diet, in which crawfishes are highly-qualified. This is beneficial for female bass to reproduce eggs.

So during this time, baits that look like crawfishes are more effective.

Spawn

In the spawning process, male sea bass become defensive. Various sea creatures will try their best to attack the sea bass nest.

Among those are small turtles, crawfishes, salamanders, bluegills, and marlins. But the sea bass will let no one prevail. He will try his best to drive away the predators, but if someone comes, he makes sure they can no longer return.

So if you want to catch bass during the spawning season, better have baits that mimic that of its nests' predators.

Post-spawn

We are on the last stage of the spawning process. In this stage, female sea bass leaves the nest to their spouses. The male sea bass guards and protects their newborn eggs. Female sea bass swims down deep waters to take a rest from the spawning.

Just like humans, seabass have maternal leaves. The ideal water temperature for spawning is between 65°F to 75°F. If the temperature decreases, the eggs are in big trouble. This is the time when their fathers will leave them.

Sea bass can't tolerate this temperature so they will try to find cooler waters, sacrificing their eggs behind to the predators.

If you want to fish during post-spawn, your tactic will depend on what gender of sea bass are you trying to catch. Male sea bass are found on shallow waters guarding their nests. So, you just have to look for nests, and wait until a male sea bass appears.

If you want to fish for female sea basses, you can go to deeper waters where they rest. Even though they are resting, they are hungry. You can use any bait that slowly moves.

Conclusion

There you have it. Now you know bass spawning happens during spring. Knowing how and when the process happens, you still have to keep in mind that temperature is key.

Also, be mindful of what type of baits will you use, for this plays a vital role in the fishing process.