Following Spring Bronzebacks
Published: Saturday, May 8, 2021
By: Dan Armitage
The fifth month is magical for Great Lakes smallmouth bass anglers who, depending on the latitude of the lake they are fishing, know their local bronzebacks will be in pre-, spawning, or post-spawn mode. Each offers opportunities to catch bass in good size, numbers, or both, depending on water temperature.
In Lake Erie alone, often considered the top smallmouth fishery in the nation, May is a transitional month. Western basin bass off Toledo can be assuming post-spawn patterns while their bronzeback brethren to the east off Conneaut are still preparing their nests for the annual reproductive ritual. Other Great Lakes offer similar seasonal situations.
According to John Hageman, a retired fisheries biologist with Ohio Sea Grant, smallmouth bass spawn when the water temperature reaches about 55 degrees and explained that, by June, there can be a ten-degree-or-greater difference in the water temperatures along a particular lake’s shoreline. Anglers have to be ready to adapt to local patterns when pursuing bronzebacks.
“When we have a cool spring, the bass will have a protracted spawning season,” Hageman said, explaining that typically waters warm up first—and the first fish spawn—in shallower, warmer Great Lakes waters. As the weather warms and heats up the water, the spawning “season” moves into the deeper, cooler waters of each lake. During a warm spring, all of the bass may be done with their spawning by the end of May. An abnormally cold spring can set everything back by as much as a month—or more.
“The fish also may have to nest several times,” said the biologist. “Strong northeast winds and the rough waters they create can destroy their first attempts, so you might find bass on nests into June for that reason, too.”
No matter when they actually get around to it, those nests “are normally made in pea gravel, the size of peas, but can be in any type of bottom from fine sand to cobble,” which Hageman described as limestone rocks of 2- to 3-inches in diameter.
“Depending on the time of the season and the average light penetration, in this era of zebra mussels, those nests are usually in waters from 8- to 12-feet deep,” said Hageman, adding that in Great Lakes with clearer water, they may be closer to 20 feet.
“The eggs can hatch very fast, in five or six days if the water’s very warm, and during that time, it is the male bass that protects the nest,” the biologist said. “Male smallmouth bass are very paternal and they will strike baits in defense of their fry as much as out of hunger when you find them on the nests.”
The female bass, meanwhile, retreat to the nearest deep water area and rest between visits to the shallow nesting waters, he said, where they deposit more eggs. That should give anglers seeking the larger females an idea about where they want to be fishing when they locate active smallmouth nests.
Once the spawn is over, the bass move to their preferred summer structure, which includes offshore reef complexes and shallow, rocky shoreline areas.
“Although most anglers practice catch and release on smallmouth bass, enough people are still keeping their fish that we have experienced an impact from it,” warned Hageman.
“We also may be seeing an impact from predation on bass eggs and fry from round gobies,” he added, referring to the invasive fish species that entered the Great Lakes system within the past decade. He also said that “cormorants aren’t about to turn away from eating a smallmouth bass when they find them, either.”
Joe Balog, a long-time Lake Erie bass fishing pro who now guides in Central Florida, knows to keep all his options open when fishing for Great Lakes smallmouth bass this time of year to allow him to adapt to the water temperature and the temperament of his quarry.
Balog spent most of his smallmouth fishing time on lakes Erie and St. Clair. “When fishing for June fish, you can actually follow the spawn from west to east,” Balog explained of the shallowest of the Great Lakes. “During a typical spring, the bass in the western basin spawn around the major moon phases in May. Huge waves of females follow the full and new moons to the nest in May, where they spend a very short amount of time, after which they become very hard to catch. The same pattern takes place along the lake from west to east as waters warm up and the fish spawn.”
“During a typical June, when you’re dealing with post-spawn fish, concentrate on areas adjacent to spawning flats. This is primarily fishing for numbers of 2- to 3-pound males. The fish are aggressive and fun to catch. Use fast, aggressive techniques,” said Balog, adding: “The fish are chasing predators from their nest and fry. Use jerkbaits and spinnerbaits. I always use a big, heavy jerkbait, like a Ripstick or Lucky Craft Pointer 100, simply due to the fact that they cast well, which is important with the wind. Try bright, flashy colors and rip the bait hard; use 12- to 15-pound-test line, and keep moving until you find fish.”
When the fish are moved off the flats following the spawn, they often head for deeper areas of rocks, he explained.
“These are also the areas that the big spawned-out females will start to use. Any little irregularity can hold big fish at this time. It is important to find the best ‘sweet spot’ on the structure to trigger a bite. Many times, numerous large fish can be caught off of the same rock. This is when the huge fish begin to school together more, and they’ll be looking for areas with the best forage, current, etc.
“The most productive technique on these bass involves casting to specific targets and fishing slow. A big tube jig is the bait of choice. The fish want one big meal, and do not want to expend much energy.”
That said, there are places on the Great Lakes where, on your average spring, you can still be fishing for the monster spawners through June. “Use light tube jigs in 1/4 ounce and fish them in 8- to 12-feet of water to find the last big spawners of the season,” explained Balog.
“Fish these presentations slowly and precisely on the primary fish-holding structures, and visit the spots frequently during the day, marking their locations with GPS or buoys so that you can find and return to them easily.”
About the Author:
Dan Armitage is a popular Great Lakes-based outdoor writer and host of the Buckeye Sportsman show (buckeyesportsman.com), syndicated weekly on 30 radio stations across Ohio. Dan is a certified Passport to Fishing instructor and leads kids fishing programs at Midwest boat and sport shows, and is a licensed Captain with a Master rating from the US Coast Guard.
A version of this article appeared in the Launch Issue (May/June) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Fishing
