Bass notes

By Wayne Gustaveson

We have been talking in great glittering generalities about spawning but now it’s time to get down to the sweet little details that really make a difference. Take nest placement, for instance. The bass spawning rule book says that the nest will be placed in shallow water. Water depth over the top of the nest will be at least 18 inches with a preferred depth of 24-36 inches. Will nests always be that shallow? Not likely. Maybe the really neat rocks are at 48 inches and clay, mud, and silt are the predominant habitat type in the preferred depth zone. Other variables come into play when determining actual nest site.

The nest can be deeper. Males may get hung up on a particular nest site on the first warm day in April. Due to changes in weather and wild temperature gyrations, bass may not actually spawn for the first time until the third week of April. Then after re-nesting a time or two, the original shallow nest site may be under 10-15 feet of water on May 15th in a rapidly rising spring runoff situation.

Spawning rule #1: Bass are extremely flexible. They will find a place to spawn.

Example: The large boat in the slip next to mine had a diving platform about 18 inches deep. For some reason a 12 inch largemouth, obviously deranged, decided that he would take the easy way and not move any dirt or rocks. He swished a little algae with his tail, made a clean spot on the diving platform and found an equally ditsy babe to deposit some eggs. When walking past the boat it was apparent that we had a mobile bass nest with a real red-eyed sentry on duty. He charged folks just walking on the dock. I never did see him leap out of the water and take anyone down but he was extremely aggressive. Of course, the next day the boat owner showed up ready to take the boat out for a cruise. My arguments to leave the boat tied up in the slip until the eggs hatched didn’t compete with the need for the man to earn his living. He cast off the lines and headed out. My last sight of the mixed up male bass was him trailing the boat and his nest at wake-less speed as the boat eased out of the harbor.

Smallmouth and largemouth overlap in spawning sites and depth. The same prime nesting habitat will be used by bass, crappie and sunfish. Subtle preferences apportion the real estate among the participants. Largemouth seek out a shallow, rocky area at the base of a tree, bush or some other brushy cover. The bush does not have to be all that plush - just a stump or log is often enough. Crappie and bluegill really need substantial overhead cover before placing a nest. Dense foliage is a high priority for both panfish. Smallmouth and green sunfish really do not care about brush and key in on just the right rocky structure. They will often use a ledge or boulder for overhead cover but not always. The rock dwelling fish do not seek out brush.

Spawning rule #2: Nest placement allows highest chance of survival for young fish

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I stand in awe that bass seem to know what the kids need. Innocent, naive largemouth fry hatch and swim up to feed on plankton. They swim together in a black cloud of 1,000 to 5,000 black fry. Of course, all fish in the area salivate at the very thought of having one of the kids for lunch. The guarding male bass can’t keep all intruders at bay all the time and inevitably some fry are lost. When the attack occurs largemouth fry instinctively seek shelter in the thickest brushy weeds and cover available. If the bush over the largemouth nest is sufficiently dense more fish from that particular school survive. If the bush lacks small spaces, few fry survive.

The smallmouth nest on a rocky ledge offers no brush shelter. The same black cloud of fry swims around feeding on the same plankton. When the inevitable attack comes, smallmouth fry dive for the bottom and seek shelter in the tiny spaces between rocks where the larger predators cannot follow.

The amount of nursery habitat really determines the number of fish that will survive any given year. Young largemouth, bluegill and crappie are not going to have good survival without an adequate supply of dense weeds or brush to protect them. A large open rocky shoreline provides the means for smallmouth to survive where a brushy cove with a mud bottom would not.

Spawning rule #3: The male of the species is most important in determining spawning success.

Large females are revered but the scrawny, bruised male with the bloody tail really does all the work and gets none of the credit. The male builds the nest, guards the young, chases away enemies, and ends up getting caught more often by anglers. To protect the fishery and ensure good survival for a new year class of bass, crappie or bluegill, it is the male that needs to be protected and conserved.

Bass spawning lasts for about 2 months. The first spawn is triggered by rapidly warming temperatures. Eggs and sometimes young fry from the first nest may be lost to bad weather. Cooling temperatures cause guarding male bass to leave the nest until it warms again. The second spawn happens about two weeks after the first and is usually the biggest and most productive. Additional nesting occurs at two to three week intervals thereafter, depending on weather conditions. Fry from the later spawns are more likely to be lost to predation by dragonfly larvae and other predacious insects which creep onto the nest and are not apparent or noticed by the guarding male. Those fry that do survive from the last spawn are shorter, smaller and less able to compete with siblings that were born a month or two earlier. They could actually be eaten by their two month old cousin bass that are just switching to a fish diet.