Spawning Flats

I'm doing some armchair waypoint mapping in preparation for the spawn and need some help identifying potential spawning flats. This will be my first spawn fishing from a boat. I will mostly be fishing Lewisville and Ray Bob. Not looking for your spots - just things to target.

1. What are the key things to look for - water depth, access to deep water, creek channels etc.?
2. Water temp?
3. Do some spots always produce year over year, or do the weather conditions leading up to the spawn really dictate where they will go?

Watching this one. Would love to see what people say!

1. I think the best spawning flats are protected from the wind. For me, it's most important that I be able to see in the water, and that's a lot harder to do when there is a ripple. If you can find an area with deeper water in the back of a creek or pocket (like a creek channel) and it's protected and it has stumps or some kind of hard bottom, that's gold. I usually feel like I'm in a good area when there is a break-point that has water too deep to see all the way down and some water that I can see the bottom.

2. This is a tough one. I think the water temp matters for sure but some fish will lock on early, even with cooler water, depending on when the moon phase hits. April is usually a safe bet that there will be a fish somewhere on a bed. March has been hit or miss. There are usually a few stragglers in May.

3. Without a doubt, yes. There are some spawning flats where they show up good every year, but where they will show up in that area depends on water level.

I'm going to plug a little here, but I think it's really good advice. www.bassfishing.org has a sight fishing e-book that really helped me out when I started trying to learn how to sight fish. It will answer every question you could possibly have about sight fishing, and the author is the best sight fisherman that I personally know. http://bassfishing.org/AdvancedSightFishingForBass.htm

I also think that having a good pair of sunglasses will make a world of difference when you get in the right area. For me, if you really want to go all-in on sight fishing, go with the Costas with the green mirror lens. I used the Amber lens for a few years, but I like the Green Mirror better and I think the Amber has been phased out for 2016. I've had a lot of friends and family in my boat that could not see fish until I gave them my pair of sunglasses.

In a nutshell, yes there are places they go each year that are better than others, especially regarding really big fish. They are actually very predictable. I've seen fish spawn in 58 degree water that never reached 60 first but typically low 60's is the key. As far as what to look for, that really depends on the lake and even what part of a lake if it's a large lake. The one thing that is guaranteed is that fish have to spawn somewhere. The key is finding them and being able to predict where they are about to spawn.

Good advice!

Mr. Finch has nailed the basics for you which should help get you started. As you get a couple of years under your belt you will be able to fish year round and recognize these spots for future reference. Mark them on the GPS with a note so you know what they are for.

Big Bass will return to the best spots. I have 5 best spots on 3 different lakes that will produce every year. I am loosing a couple of these spots as more and more pressure from fisherman come along. It is not hard to tell if someone has been through a spot and beat up the fish. I am not a sight fisherman as such; but spotting beds in the shallows is a good indication that every piece of hard wood on that flat will hold a giant fish.

I work the key spots on these flats which is the largest hardwoods there. They always produce the biggest Bass for me. These 5 key flats that I mentioned are all the same. They are right on the main creek channel. There is a bend in the channel with some of the flats on the inside of the bend and some on the outside of the bend. Many fisherman only look at the inside bends during the Spring and I feel they are missing a great opportunity especially if the flat holds the right cover. The key on all these spot is next to the main ditches where the heaviest cover begins to show up in that section of the lakes.

Don't write off a good looking flat if it just has large bushes on it. I have one flat on Lake Ivie with just one old snarly broad stump tree. That tree produces a 10 lber. almost every year. The rest of the flat has bushes that produces 8's and 9's every year.

Spend lots of time reading your maps and learn to read the jungles. Find the bends in the creeks and river channels starting your search there. I always start on the North shore cuts and look for dog leg creeks that will trap the warm water in there whether the wind is blowing out of the North or South. North shore creeks that run East and West are the best with a dog leg in them. Each lake will only have a few of these when you nail down the map; but they will be your best producers. I like to fish the flats with the most water between the creek channel and the shore line. This gives them plenty of distance to move up shallow.

Ken, Richie and the Doc are both amazing sight fishermen. I have been blessed to be in the boat with both of them when the fish were on beds, and I feel like I've picked up a whole lot by being around them. In fact, the year that I won the Big Bass Splash by sight fishing, I actually caught my PB with the Doc the weekend before! I'm glad to know that you agree with some of the things they taught me!

Great info guys. Thank you both for sharing.

Thanks for the info - greatly appreciated!