Largemouth Bass question.

[somersetian]

I was out trying to catch my first pike on the fly yesterday with no real idea to what I was doing. I was basically cruzing around looking for structure and casting and stripping and casting and stripping and so fourth. I had no Pike follows and no sign of pike but at just about every spot I cast too there was a bass that atleast came to inspect my fly, some would come in fast like they were going to take it thn turn away. Are Largemouth spawning right now and just protecting their territory? and I'm guessing Bass and Pike are not usually found in the same location?

 

[Dave_W]

Bass and pike are indeed found in many of the same locations this time of year and bass, both LMBs and SMBs, are often inclined to chase or hit the larger flies typically used for toothy critters.

As for protecting spawning areas, that may be true although I'd guess that we're still a bit early for bass to be protecting redds. Protecting redds is likely more common a month from now and bass usually don't chase streamers when they are on redds. I think what you're seeing is just pre-spawn aggressiveness fueled in part by warm weather.

 

[jifigz]

Pike and largemouths do frequent a lot of the same areas. Pike are one of the first fish to spawn which happens just after ice out. They have most likely already moved into the shallow weeds, spawned, and now retreated to water just out from there spawning grounds that offers a little more depth but should still have weedbeds. Largemouths should not be spawning yet but soon. Those bass you saw are just sucking up some warmth from the sun.

 

[somersetian]

Man hearing that makes me mad I didn't see any pike. The lake I was at has zero vegetation growth yet so I was casting around fallen trees and the shallows between them. I also tried everything I could think of to get the bass to bite. Let the fly sit still in front of them, strip it fast like its trying to escape, short fast strips, long slow ones,deep and poppers. Its almost better to not see fish when your not catching them.

 

[jifigz]

Believe me I know what you mean. The last two days I've been able to locate many smallmouths in the Juniata that are over 18 inches. Generally they'd be aggressive and easy to take, but these last two days nothing. The fish are right there and I can sight fish to them in shallow water, but they won't show any interest in anything. Two fish today looked to be exhibiting spawning like behavior though. The river has warmed a lot in only a week or so with this really warm weather.