I fished Marshall last week just before all the rain and found 67 degree water, but no beds.  Fished the day before in 65 degree water, no beds.  Fish Rough Creek two weeks ago and found 65 degree water, no beds.

I always thought bedding activity was a function of water temps in spring.  But on three days when I found what I call "magic" water temps, no beds, no bloody tails.  I caught healthy fish, but they were deeper and not bedding at all.

Either the fish aren't reading the magazines or I missed a detail.  School me, friends!

My graph / temp is broken, but I was at Neill Ranch a week ago and beds were observed everywhere. Unfortunately we arrived to 39 degree air temps and the bass had pull off of the beds that day. Temps rose to the low 70's that day... We observed a few male bass near some beds although. With 80 degree air temps coming next week --- I'm thinking game on brother!

Bruce, when I read your post, I had to laugh - I thought it was going to be a complaint about lodging at one of the club properties. LOL

Remember that even in the same body of water, bass will spawn at different times and at different depths. I have seen bass spawning in late February and in early May the same year in the same small lake. They will spawn on nice, classic clay and gravel bottoms in shallow water, and they will spawn on the limbs of standing trees at 6 feet below the surface in 40 feet of water.  Some bass won't spawn at all. Still, I'm a little surprised that you found NO activity shallow at any of those three lakes - especially Hidden Springs, since the water is so clear.

Isn't this true!  Spawning is strange, you hear a great deal about trees budding water temps etc.  it's like the deer rut, it happens when it happens.  I fished Yates and only saw one fish "thinking" about a nest and water temps were well above what it needs to be.  I have never seen a fish on a nest before Pecan trees bud.  At my house they aren't yet, but about to.

Thanks for the responses!  I was really surprised when the water was so warm. 

Good luck friends!

i fished a week ago at Dogwood Lakes-West, and even though the water temps were 62 in the morning and 73 in the afternoon, i saw nothing that even looked like a nest, and no fish cruising.  During the Bass Pro Shops spring fishing seminar, i sat down with a couple of the pro's one evening, and quizzed them about several things, including when bass will spawn.  One of them had the opinion that while water temps are important, that the length of the day is more important; that fish know when its "time" because the length of the days tell them when to start.

Is that playing out this year?  We basically had no winter, and I saw water temps on Fork in the low 60's back in February.  Maybe the length of the day has more do to with the process than we have been led to believe???