The male builds the nest prior to spawning in water depths of around one to eight feet with water temperature a factor in the actual depth.

Shoal bass spawning starts in April and ends in June. If the year starts off warm, the spawning cycle will begin early and start late if the cold weather stays longer than it should. The best way to follow when spawning starts and stops is to follow dialy temperature trends for your area. NOAA Satellite and Information Service portal is a good place to start.

As with other North American fresh water bass, Shoal Bass spawn in coarse gravel beds at the head of creek pools where the water temperature is between 64°F to 73°F/18°C to 23°C.

The male builds the nest prior to spawning in water depths of around one to eight feet with water temperature a factor in the actual depth. Understanding the seasonal water temperatures is important. Some years the Shoal bass may nest in shallower water than in other years depending on how warm or cold a particular year may be.

The eggs vary from 4,000 to 18,000 in each nest. Once the female lays the eggs, she is usually chased off by the male who then guards over the nest and protects the fry once they have hatched. During this time, the male will strike more out of a need to defend it’s territory than to eat.