Bass Fishing Report

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Bass Fishing Report: April 9th - April 13th, 2026

This weekend's bass fishing outlook is good news for most bass heads, and you'll see it loud and clear on the heat maps below. But depending on your location, when you fish this weekend could make a massive difference in both your odds of success and your game plan on the water.

Here's why: a warming trend is building across much of the nation through Friday and into Saturday, with temperatures climbing into the mid-70s to low 80s across the South, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. That's the window. In our previous bass fishing outlook reports, we've been tracking this pattern -> bass have been steadily pushing shallow through the pre-spawn and spawn phases, and the feeding activity maps have been lighting up greener week over week. This weekend takes it up another notch.

But the weather isn't uniform, and neither is the bite. So let's break it down in the Bass Feeding Activity Ratings map below. Scroll down to see how this warming surge impacts your region with the Seasonal Pattern Heat Map.

Quick links to your specific regional fishing forecast below

Pacific Northwest | Southwest | Southeast | Rocky Mountains | Great Plains | Midwest | Northeast

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Your Regional Bass Fishing Report

Tips and Tricks for this Weekend:

Match your speed to the weather. On the warming days (Friday and Saturday for most of the country), bass will be more aggressive; move faster, cover water, and throw reaction baits. On any cool-down days, slow everything down. Longer pauses, smaller profiles, and repeated casts to the same piece of cover can turn a tough bite into a productive one.

Pay attention to wind. A light to moderate wind this time of year is your friend — it positions baitfish, breaks up the surface, and makes bass less wary. If you find a windblown bank with the right depth and cover, park on it. Some of the best stringers this weekend will come from anglers who let the wind tell them where to fish.

Check the Bass Forecast app for your specific 10-day outlook, bite time windows, and bait recommendations tailored to your location.

Quick links to your specific regional fishing forecast below

Pacific Northwest | Southwest | Southeast | Rocky Mountains | Great Plains | Midwest | Northeast

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Pacific Northwest

(Washington, Oregon, Idaho)

Bite: FAIR → GOOD
Pattern: WINTER → PRE-SPAWN → SPAWN

A warming trend heading into the weekend is creating a favorable water temperature trend which will create a pre-spawn wave. Cooling weather and rain later in the weekend may push them back again.  So, get out there as quickly as you can.   

PRO TIP: The big girls always move up in the Pre-Spawn 1^st.  And, they're in predictable locations making them the easiest to target all year.  To identify these Pre-Spawn locations, open your Bass Forecast app and click on the location you plan to fish. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the Adapted Patterns section and look at “Bass Forecast Lake,” which illustrates the kinds of Pre-Spawn spots to look for whether you are fishing a giant lake or small pond. 

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Southwest

(California, Arizona, Nevada, West Texas, New Mexico)

Bite: EPIC → FAIR
Pattern: SPAWN → POST-SPAWN → SUMMER

A warming trend heading into the weekend is creating a favorable water temperature trend which stimulate bass feeding metabolism. Cooling weather and rain later in the weekend may push them back again.  So, get out there as quickly as you can.   

PRO TIP: Depending on your exact fishing location, any one of the 3 seasonal patterns noted above may be the dominant “winning pattern” on the day.  Given the volatile weather, fish mood and position can change daily. To track how the weather will affect the pattern on the exact day(s) you plan to fish, open your Bass Forecast app and click on the location you plan to fish.   At the top of the Adapted Patterns section you will see “Bass Season” with 3 selection buttons for each of the 3 patterns.  The center pattern highlighted in blue is where you should start.  If that does not pan out, select the Bass Season to the left and the one to the right to see Top 5 baits, lake locations and presentations for both “fringe season” patterns. 

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Southeast

(Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, East Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky)

Bite: EPIC → TOUGH

Pattern: SPAWN→ POST-SPAWN → SUMMER

A warming trend is creating a favorable water temperature trend which stimulate bass feeding metabolism all weekend long. While conditions are very favorable, many fish will be in each of the 3 bass seasons in play right now across the region: #1 Spawn, #2 Post Spawn and #3 Summer.     

PRO TIP: If Spawners are not cooperating, there will be other fish you cannot see that will be in Post-Spawn and even an early Summer pattern because some fish spawned early this year (February and March).  To see the Top 5 baits, lake locations and presentations for all 3 seasons, open you Bass Forecast app and select the location(s) you plan to fish at. At the top of the Adapted Patterns section you will see “Bass Season” with 3 selection buttons for each of the 3 patterns.  The center pattern highlighted in blue is where you should start.  If that does not pan out, select the Bass Season to the left and the one to the right to see Top 5 baits, lake locations and presentations for both “fringe season” patterns.

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Rocky Mountains

(Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah)

Bite: GOOD → FAIR

Pattern: PRE-SPAWN→ SPAWN

A warming trend is creating a favorable water temperature trend which stimulate bass feeding metabolism all weekend long. While conditions are very favorable, most fish will be in either a Pre-Spawn or Spawn mode.       

Pro Tip: PRO TIP: If Spawners are not cooperating, or you cannot find any, open you Bass Forecast app and select the location(s) you plan to fish at. At the top of the Adapted Patterns section you will see “Bass Season” with 3 selection buttons for each of the 3 patterns.  The center pattern highlighted in blue is where you should start.  If that does not pan out, select the Bass Season to the left and the one to the right to see Top 5 baits, lake locations and presentations for both “fringe season” patterns.

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Great Plains

(Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, South Dakota, North Dakota)

Bite: EPIC → FAIR

Pattern: WINTER → PRE-SPAWN → SPAWN

A warming trend heading into the weekend is creating a favorable water temperature trend which will create a pre-spawn wave. Cooling weather and rain later in the weekend may push them back again.  So, get out there as quickly as you can.   

PRO TIP: The big girls always move up in the Pre-Spawn 1^st.  And they are in predictable locations making them the easiest to target all year.  To identify these Pre-Spawn locations, open your Bass Forecast app and click on the location you plan to fish.   Then, scroll down to the bottom of the Adapted Patterns section and look at “Bass Forecast Lake,” which illustrates the kinds of Pre-Spawn spots to look for whether you are fishing a giant lake or small pond.

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Midwest

(Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota)

Bite: EPIC → FAIR

Pattern: WINTER → PRE-SPAWN → SPAWN

A warming trend heading into the weekend is creating a favorable water temperature trend which will create a pre-spawn wave. Cooling weather and rain coming in Thursday night, particularly in the northern areas of the Midwest, may push them back again.  So, get out there as quickly as you can.   

PRO TIP: The big girls always move up in the Pre-Spawn 1^st.  And they are in predictable locations making them the easiest to target all year.  To identify these Pre-Spawn locations, open your Bass Forecast app and click on the location you plan to fish.   Then, scroll down to the bottom of the Adapted Patterns section and look at “Bass Forecast Lake,” which illustrates the kinds of Pre-Spawn spots to look for whether you are fishing a giant lake or small pond.

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Northeast

(New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New England)

Bite: TOUGH → GOOD

Pattern: WINTER→ PRE-SPAWN

which will eventually create a pre-spawn wave. VIP NOTE: The bite will get better day by day until the next front that hits mid next week.  So, if you can get out next Tuesday or Weds at the tail end of the warm spell just before the front comes in, and with less fishing pressure than on a weekend, you just may have an amazing memory creating day. 

PRO TIP: The big girls always move up in the Pre-Spawn 1^st.  And they are in predictable locations making them the easiest to target all year.  To identify these Pre-Spawn locations, open your Bass Forecast app and click on the location you plan to fish.   Then, scroll down to the bottom of the Adapted Patterns section and look at “Bass Forecast Lake,” which illustrates the kinds of Pre-Spawn spots to look for whether you are fishing a giant lake or small pond.

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