Reno Alley finds that January spawners are often larger bass than he encounters later in the spring. Photo by Rod Hunter

The spring spawning season is one of the most eagerly anticipated bassin' events of the year. And it's a rare angler who is not fired up and ready to go as the first full moon in February draws near. The anticipation level is high, but truly savvy anglers already may have been into serious spawning action for a month or more.

"One of the unique things about Florida is that bass can be spawning there, somewhere, for as much as six months of the year," said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Marty Mann. "When you look at the widely differing latitudes within the state, that just makes sense. But that extended spawning period doesn't account for just the lakes in the extreme north and south within the state. You can have a five- or six-month spawning period on an individual lake, although the majority of the spawning bass may do it in a 30-day peak period. Still, you'll likely find some bass bedding over a lengthy period of time.

"That spawn has to start at some time, " continued Mann, who in addition to being a veteran bass biologist is also a tournament-caliber angler. "In the Central Florida area, that can often be in January, and even early in the month."

That first spawn may not occur on every lake or every year on those lakes where it generally occurs. But it's, a bit more common than many anglers might suppose, and the specific conditions required for it to occur are not difficult to recognize.

"The biggest driving factor in putting bass on their beds is water temperature," Mann noted. "Increasing daylight hours also play a role, but water temperature is the biggest key. Bass don't know what month it is. All they know is what the water temperature and light levels are telling them."

Some anglers have been taught that a certain "magic" water temperature sends the bass flocking to the shore. That is not totally correct. Bass will not spawn outside a certain temperature range, but that range is broader than many would suppose, especially for the first spawn.

"A water temperature of 61 degrees is adequate for bass to spawn, " Mann explained, "and bass will spawn at water temperatures in the mid-70 degree range. But more important than the actual temperature is the temperature trend. This is especially true during the first spawns of the year following the winter months. What the bass need to see here is a warming trend, preferably a steady one. If the waters are warming at a gradual and steady pace, and with the daylight hours lengthening, I would recommend that anglers start looking for spawning bass when the water temperatures reach the low 60s. That can easily occur even in early January, under the right conditions."

Some anglers have been taught that we need a sharp cold front, or even a freeze, in early December to trigger the development of bass eggs, and if subsequent weather is mild, it will encourage bass to spawn early. According to biologists, that freeze is not needed.

"Bass begin putting virtually all of their energy into the development of their eggs during the fall. They are not using their energy to put on fat or weight," Mann said. "It's not a process that happens overnight, and rapidly changing water temperature, to the best of my knowledge, makes little difference in that process. Those eggs will develop anyway. In fact, the best conditions we can have to trigger an early spawn is a mild winter where the water temperature never dips too far below 60 degrees. If we get that, and if January is a mild month without major cold fronts, the water will warm steadily, and a January spawn becomes very likely. All cold fronts and freezes do is get in the way of that. If a series of sharp cold fronts come through, they interrupt that steady warming trend and can delay the first spawning movement until later in the spring."