Anyone know of any lakes to catch bass right now? How long will it be until bass start becoming active?

Thanks

Floatandjig-
It is possible to catch bass year round in western Washington.

Late winter fishing typicalls focus around either largemouth bass in the small shallow bays and lakes. The fish tend to be relatively inactive and I have had best luck in the afternoons on nice days focusing on areas that may be slightly warmer - back of bays, etc. Go to lure would be a jig and pig though have had good success on slow rolled spinner baits, small plastics, and even twitched jerk baits on the surface.

The other option would be smallmouth though during the winter that is typcially a deep water game (depths as much as 60 feet) which can result in the "bends" for the fish caught. For that reason I don't target the fish that are deeper than say 30 feet. Be patient those smallies will soon be available in shallower water - often at the tip of underwater points and the inside contout bends.

One think about cool water bass fishing is that very few "dinks" are caught. While the catch rates are low the quality can be quite good. I try to opt for days were the water temperature has been stable or even increasing (even a degree or two). Dropping temperatures can be tough. You should be able to find a number of potential waters within an hour of your home.

Tight lines
S malma

Thanks smalma

While I haven't done a lot of bass fishing in the winter on this side of the state (did most of my bass fishing out of Spokane), I can add a couple of things.

First, bass, especially smallies, can be pretty aggressive even in cold temperatures. I've caught smallmouth in water as cold as 37 degrees--- on crankbaits. The trick is to find the right area and moving fish (pre-pre-spawn).

While what Smalma says is accurate on the inability of bass to equalize the pressure when coming from the deep, I've found that it isn't such an issue when the water is cold. In Lake Roosevelt, we routinely caught smallies in 60 feet with no problems. The only caveat was that we didn't try to race them to the surface... just took it easy. Even in the summer when the bass move deep, it didn't seem to be a big deal there.

I've also caught largemouth through the ice, and I had a guide buddy at the Potholes who would routinely try to be the first person to catch a bass each year-- he usually managed it in January. He also would catch bass on Spooks by throwing up on the ice and then working the lure in the melt water close to shore.

The thing that's important in cold water is to find the warmest water in the lake because that's where the fish will be the most active. Then, unless you're fishing smallies, try to keep the speed down.

Keith