Spotted Bass spawn when the water temperature reaches between 63°F and 68°F/15°C to 18°C, which ranges from May in Texas and Alabama to June in Missouri and Illinois.

 

The male sets about making a nest over gravel or rocky floor beds that’s close to cover and away from bright sunlight. After construction is complete the male stands guard over the nest protecting it from predators and other roaming male bass.

 

Once the nest is complete, the female bass lay up to 40,000 eggs at one time.

 

The spotted bass is different from other freshwater fish in a few ways. Here’s how:

  • The male prepares the nest
  • he stands guard over the nest
  • the male looks after the fry once they’ve hatched

Food Preference During Mating

From the point when the male bass is creating the nest to the point where he leaves the fry to stand on their own, he doesn’t eat much at all.

 

Most strikes by a male bass occur from lures and baits that come close to their nest, provoking a strike when they charge the lure to defend their territory. Sometimes this will cause the hook to be set on the side of their head or body. Food preferences in the spring do focus on juvenile and fry of various fish species including baitfish and other bass species. They also enjoy insects as they’re very common in the spring.

Closed Season

Because spring is their spawning season, many states or counties enforce a closed season on the Spotted Bass at this time. We at Bassfishing-Gurus.com recommend releasing any bass caught during the spring season in order to keep the population numbers strong.

 

Spotted Bass are most vulnerable during the spring spawning season.

Baitcasting

Other than butt design, there are few differences between a baitcasting reel and a spincasting reel.

 

Spinning reels are easier to cast but the drag system is not all that good and when catching large Spotted Bass, a good drag system is used.

 

For the beginners the spinning reel is a good reel to start with. Baitcasting reels have backlash issues when not cast properly.

 

However at some point the baitcasting reel is the way to go and offers a better experience. If you plan to fish for many years instead of just for a few weekends a year, go with a baitcasting reel.

To find out more about baitcasters and spinning reels click on this link for a full rundown.

Line Strength

A good 8 pound test line is recommended for the Spotted Bass. While this line may seem strong enough, it can easily be snapped by a 4pound fish if you don’t know how to set the drag and tire out the fish.