The opportunity to fish for some of the state’s biggest bass is now

Near the lower end of the reservoir, the bass may have finished spawning and are already back in the deeper portions of the reservoir.

And the cool thing? All of these behaviors and stages in the spawn can be witnessed on a single day. Where your fishing spot falls on the temperature scale will determine what part of the bass life cycle is happening there.

As seen in the Oxbow Reservoir example, there are many factors that drive water temperatures to fluctuate. It goes without saying that lakes at higher elevations take longer to warm up. For example, the higher elevation upper Snake River flowing into American Falls Reservoir is going to take a lot longer to reach those optimal 55-65 degree water temperatures than, say, C.J. Strike Reservoir in the southwest corner of the state, despite being on the same river system.

Anglers should be thinking about this when considering where to target big bass. Expect the bite to be earlier where the waters warm soonest. And that brings us to our final point.

Where to fish for bass around the state

There are dozens of fisheries all across the state that hold decent populations of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass (and in a few cases, both). Depending on the region, consistent weather patterns and a preference on which type of bass you're going for, here is a list of some of the best bass fishing spots around Idaho.

LARGEMOUTH BASS

Shallower, warmer waters. Look for 5-10 feet of water, with flooded habitat, tree stumps, cover, and vegetation.

• Lake Lowell
• Crane Falls Reservoir
• Cove Arm Reservoir
• Glendale Reservoir
• Ben Ross Reservoir
• Pend Oreille River
• Weston Reservoir
• Mann Lake
• Mud Lake
• Mann Creek Reservoir
• And community ponds

SMALLMOUTH BASS

Smallmouth habitat is harder to recognize and might be deep below the surface. In the spring, look for rocky shorelines with boulders, dams, dikes, cliffs, etc. Anything that breaks the river current is a good bet.

• Brownlee Reservoir
• Cascade Reservoir
• Anderson Ranch Reservoir
• Dworshak Reservoir
• Milner Reservoir
• Lake Pend Oreille
• American Falls Reservoir
• Lake Walcott
• Foster Reservoir
• Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir
• Lower Snake River

BOTH SMALLMOUTH & LARGEMOUTH

Diverse bodies of water that have both deep, cooler pools and warm shallows along the bank can give anglers a good chance for targeting both smallmouth and largemouth bass.

• C.J. Strike Reservoir
• Coeur D'Alene Lake / Chain Lakes

Fish low and slow

Every day of fishing is a little different and every fish is a little different, but there are common traits that will help you catch bass during spring. They're still a little sluggish, so they aren't typically going to chase a fast-retrieved lure or bait.

That also means you might not get the savage strike for which bass are famous. It might feel as subtle as dragging your lure across a blade of grass, or a gentle, steady pull. Since they're spawning - or getting ready to spawn - they're likely going to be close to the bottom, so that's where you want to fish.

Best of luck.