Bed Fishing 101: How to Catch the Bass you See and the Ones you Don't See

With spring in full swing, the bass are going to start bedding down for the spawning season. Whether you can see them in their beds or you just know areas where this should be happening, there are some tried and true methods to employ to catch a big bass this time of year. 

Bass typically will begin spawning when water temperatures reach the 60-degree Fahrenheit range. While they may be feeding a bit, it’s more likely that you’re going to hook into a bass due to a reaction bite. When they’re on their beds, they are going to be defending that area to protect their eggs, so tossing your lure in there makes them react and strike.

Because of this, you may notice that they won’t always fully commit to a bite. Sometimes you’ll feel them bump at the lure or peck at it repeatedly. They’re trying to get the perceived threat of your lure to go away. If you’re persistent, then that can lead to hooking into some of the trickier bass on beds.

To start fishing bass on beds, you first have to figure out where these beds are going to be. They’re typically found in shallower water in protected coves, pockets, or flats shielded from heavy wind.

They can be found where the bottom is made up of sand, gravel, mud, and lighter grassy areas. Typically, you’ll find beds in the 1 to 6 foot range of depth. This is going to change depending on water clarity. In clear bodies of water, they’ll usually build their beds in deeper water. In stained or murky bodies of water, you’ll find their beds in shallower water. In both cases, it’s not uncommon to find the first set of spawning bass in slightly deeper water than normal, so in the early season, you should try finding beds deeper and work shallower if you can’t find any.

So we know why the bass are bedding down and where they should be making those beds, but how do you actually catch them? Sometimes you’ll be able to see the bass on their beds, while other times you’ll be relying on targeting areas that should have beds, but you can’t actually see the fish. 

When the bass are in shallower areas or clear water bedding, it’s common to actually be able to see them. In these cases, it’s important to see what the fish are actually doing.

Sometimes, you’ll see the beds and a bass in the area, but it isn’t holding tight to it. The bass will leave the area, may swim through every once in a while, but in general don’t have much interest in the area yet. These fish are tough to hook into.

Other times, you’ll see a bass holding super tight to their bed. If they leave, they’ll be back within a minute or two, and they are extremely reactive to anything coming near their bed. These are the fish you want to target.

It’s also important that you position yourself correctly when fishing bass on beds. You don’t want to put your boat directly on top of the beds because you’ll easily spook them and disturb the bed. Instead, you should position a good distance away and make long casts towards the beds.

When casting, it’s important that you land your bait right in the bed or extremely close to it. The bass aren’t going to leave their beds easily, and since they are protecting the beds, the only bite you’re going to get is a reactionary bite to protect the area. If the bass doesn’t perceive your lure as a threat, chances are they aren’t going to go near it.

The other situation for fishing bass on beds is when you can’t actually see where they are. In this case, you’re going to rely heavily on your knowledge of where the beds should be, as well as your electronics.

You’ll want to start by focusing on the areas that make the most sense for beds to be. Flats, pockets, and other areas with the right bottom composition are key places to start. From there, it’s about trial and error. If you have certain electronics like forward-facing sonar or even a standard fish finder, you’ll want to pay attention to them while scouting the best areas.

Once you find an area you think has bass on beds, it becomes a methodical fishing experience. You’ll still want to position yourself well outside of the area you think the beds are in. Then, you’ll want to make multiple long casts in a fan shape to make sure you’re hitting all the areas a bed could potentially be. It’s not a bad idea to overlap your casts and try the same areas multiple times to make sure you aren’t missing any bass on their beds. It’s also important that you pay attention to any indicator that bass are in the area. They will usually have very light bites, so make sure you aren’t missing those.

Whether you’re able to see the bass or not, there are some tried and true methods to catch the bass when they’re bedded down. Here are some of the most common ones you’ll want to keep on hand:

• Texas Rigged Soft Plastics (Creature baits & craws)
• Wacky Rigged Stickworms
• Tube Baits