When can I start bass fishing on the west side?

Josh · Jan 28, 2022

For those who have fished bass longer than I have, when do my chances start to rise to "decent" from "more drinkin than fishin" for west side bass?

I feel like, despite what "winter bass tactics!" youtube videos say, things have to be pretty quiet in our PNW waters until we at least start to get into Spring proper, right?

Evan B · Jan 29, 2022

Need to get you dialed-in on the float-n-fly method. That's the winter time strategy of the pros.

kerrys · Jan 29, 2022

I have had good luck early when the water temp gets above 55 or 60 degrees. From what I have been told this is when the spawn begins. At first I was concerned about fishing over spawning fish but got over it. Bass aren’t steelhead and in the lakes I fish they are invasive and their numbers are hardly threatened.

Evan B · Jan 29, 2022

Billy · Jan 29, 2022

50ish degree water temps. I caught this smallie at 57 degrees last year which was coldest I ever have for topwater. It did not seem lethargic

Smallies start spawn around that temp and largemouth closer to 60-65. Lots of variables.

Prespawn bass are slabs but usually not a numbers gig for us on the fly rod. Periods of feeding and lots of searching.

Josh · Jan 29, 2022

kerrys said:
I have had good luck early when the water temp gets above 55 or 60 degrees. From what I have been told this is when the spawn begins. At first I was concerned about fishing over spawning fish but got over it. Bass aren’t steelhead and in the lakes I fish they are invasive and their numbers are hardly threatened.

Kerry, any lake suggestions down your way? I've just been doing the standard ones up here. Whatcom, Terrell, etc.

kerrys · Jan 29, 2022

Josh said:
Kerry, any lake suggestions down your way? I've just been doing the standard ones up here. Whatcom, Terrell, etc.

I’ve missed a few years going after bass. Most of the put n take lakes have bass. I used to hit Lake Sixteen a lot. Fun catching two to three pound wild bass while everyone else is catching concrete pond raised trout. Beaver lake by Clear Lake is another good one, open year round. It is also full of crappy and early in the year is fun to fly fish for them.

Josh · Jan 29, 2022

kerrys said:
It is also full of crappy and early in the year is fun to fly fish for them.

I've never actually caught one! That could be cool.

kerrys · Jan 29, 2022

Josh said:
I've never actually caught one! That could be cool.

They are called giggle fish by some. When the bite is on you can’t keep them off and you have a tendency to start laughing out loud. I’ll fish for them using my LL 386.

Josh · Jan 29, 2022

kerrys said:
They are called giggle fish by some. When the bite is on you can’t keep them off and you have a tendency to start laughing out loud. I’ll fish for them using my LL 386.

What do you use for flies for them? Just panfish type stuff?

troutpocket · Jan 29, 2022

When I’ve caught crappie they haven’t been too picky. In some lakes they are incidental and take the usual trout stuff like leeches and nymphs. When I know they’re around a small baitfish or white bunny leech has been good. Good fun for sure!

kerrys · Jan 29, 2022

Josh said:
What do you use for flies for them? Just panfish type stuff?

Yep. My favorite fly to use is one of the first flies I ever tied.
It is a chenille body with a sparse tail of white marabou

Northern · Jan 29, 2022

Evan Burck said:

"Float n Fly"? Is this somehow a new concept on the west coast? Slip bobbering has been used for walleye in the midwest for as long as I can remember!

Evan B · Jan 29, 2022

Northern said:
"Float n Fly"? Is this somehow a new concept on the west coast? Slip bobbering has been used for walleye in the midwest for as long as I can remember!

Not new. I would say it's new-ish in the fly rod crowd though. I know some northern California guys doing guide trips for float n fly bass and they crush it.

clarkman · Jan 30, 2022

I've really only been getting after them hard over the last couple of years. Once the water temp hits 50 is when I really start getting them. But, to be fair, I've still haven't tried much in the middle of winter. I really wouldn't know where to start. I like that video @Evan Burck , it gives me some ideas for this early Spring. Virtually all of my most productive smallie fly patterns have some craft fur built into them.

Rob Allen · Jan 30, 2022

Mid March is usually a good bet.

Chris Johnson · Feb 1, 2022

I've caught bass out of Terrell in March, not fly fishing but it could be done.

Chris Johnson · Feb 1, 2022

Here's a little Terrell action for ya!

Rob Allen · Feb 1, 2022

clarkman said:
I've really only been getting after them hard over the last couple of years. Once the water temp hits 50 is when I really start getting them. But, to be fair, I've still haven't tried much in the middle of winter. I really wouldn't know where to start. I like that video @Evan Burck , it gives me some ideas for this early Spring. Virtually all of my most productive smallie fly patterns have some craft fur built into them.

If I was to try mid winter bassing I'd fish a shallow lake. Something like silver lake in Cowlitz County. At least there you can pretty much eliminate depth as a factor.

Also think about things that will warm the water faster than other areas. Sunny rip rap banks will heat the water near them. AVOID decaying vegetation as it robs the water of oxygen. Use slow presentations but cover water.

Jerry Daschofsky · Feb 1, 2022

We used to fish bass quite a bit with PHWFF on the west side. There's a great bass lake on Fort Lewis. The bass bite didn't seem to come on until the weather warmed up. When it hit the upper 50s/lower 60s you'd start catching bass. So we wouldn't hit that lake until March/April.