Bass Fishing Report
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Bass Fishing Report: December 11 - 15, 2025
If you live in the southern 1/3 of the US, a seasonably warm pattern this week heading into the weekend will find the bass more active and in certain locations evening moving back up from a WINTER Pattern to a shallower LATE FALL pattern. TIP: If you can find a shallower lake or pond to fish, especially early weekend, this week’s warm up will greatly improve your odds as the warm trend will affect shallow bass much more than deep bass.
If you live in the northern 2/3 of the US, you can still catch them if you are precise and stealthy. But, “Bundle up Butter Cup” You can’t feel a subtle winter bite if your core and hands are not warm and comfortable.
If you are planning to brave the elements this winter, we highly recommend you splurge on some of the newest cold weather Jackets, Bibs and Pants from Grundens designed for active freshwater anglers. For over 100 years they have been protecting hard core commercial saltwater fisherman including the cast of “The Deadliest Catch” fishing in Alaska.
Quick links to your specific regional fishing forecast below
Pacific Northwest | Southwest | Southeast | Rocky Mountains | Great Plains | Midwest | Northeast
Learn more about the Shimano Exsence B here
Weekend Warrior Pro Bass Fishing Tips!
Be season-ready. Any of FALL → LATE FALL → WINTER may show up locally. Check our app’s primary seasonal pattern, then use Bass Season to preview the season before and after so you can ADAPT fast. To see it and plan ahead for next week and weekend, open your Bass Forecast app and view the 10-day Bass Forecast feeding mood ratings and Bass Seasonal patterns upcoming for all of your favorite fishing locations.
Your Regional Bass Fishing Report
Best Baits, Tips, and Techniques
Quick links to your specific regional fishing forecast below
Pacific Northwest | Southwest | Southeast | Rocky Mountains | Great Plains | Midwest | Northeast
Pacific Northwest
(Washington, Oregon, Idaho)
Bite: GOOD → TOUGH
Pattern: WINTER
A slight warming trend may find the fish more active early in the weekend before the next cooling trend starting tomorrow starts affecting the water temperatures by end of weekend.
Fish drop-offs, main lake basins, creek channels and deeper points with suspending jerkbaits, deep diving crankbaits and umbrella rigs first, then comb same areas with Carolina rigs and Ned rigs. If fish are not coming up, try a Spybait, Drop Shot, Jig or Jigging Spoon.
PRO TIP: If you are boat fishing with electronics, searching for large schools of bass may pay off big as we have already heard reports of big bags being caught this way.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Ned Rigs
Southwest
(California, Arizona, Nevada, West Texas, New Mexico)
Bite: FAIR → GOOD
Pattern: FALL → LATE FALL
Seasonally warm temperatures this past week have caused the bass to move back up to a FALL pattern in many locations. This means you may find bass shallower this weekend.
If you see a FALL pattern in the Bass Forecast app, backs of creeks, steep bluffs & banks and docks should produce using jigs, squarebill crankbaits, plastics, topwater.
If that does not produce, transition to a LATE FALL pattern in the Bass Forecast app and you will see location tips that will help you find bass that may have already being moving toward their winter haunts…such as long points, flats and channels. Fish these with Carolina rigs, ned rigs, suspending jerkbaits and cranks.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Drop-shot
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Southeast
(Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, East Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky)
Bite: GOOD → TOUGH
Pattern: LATE FALL → WINTER
Seasonally warm temperatures this past week will cause the bass to be more active than last weekend and cause them to move back from a WINTER to a LATE FALL pattern in many locations. This means you may find bass shallower this weekend.
When you see a LATE FALL pattern in the BassForecast app, fish points, flats and backs of creeks/coves with fast moving baits covering the water column such as walkers, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and crank baits. If you see bass chasing shad, have an umbrella rig ready.
When you see a WINTER pattern in the BassForecast app, fish drop-offs, main lake basins, creek channels and deeper points with suspending jerkbaits, deep diving crankbaits and umbrella rigs first, then comb same areas with Carolina rigs and Ned rigs. If fish are not coming up, try a Spybait, Drop Shot or Jigging Spoon.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Ned Rigs
Rocky Mountains
(Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah)
Bite: FAIR to TOUGH
Pattern: WINTER
High-elevation reservoirs fish best midday when surface temps bump a degree or two—work north-bank rock and sun-soaked bluff pockets. Follow creek-channel swings out of the major arms and probe standing timber edges with jigging spoons or a tight-wobble medium crank that ticks 12–15 ft. Where fish suspend over 40–80 ft, vertical spoons/ice jigs or a countdown soft jerkbait over trees shine; if they won’t rise, crawl a Carolina-rig or Ned along the first break off flats.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Drop-shot
Great Plains
(Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, South Dakota, North Dakota)
Bite: TOUGH
Pattern: LATE FALL → WINTER
Wind and stain rule here. On late fall days with a little color, push into the backs of creeks and windblown riprap with a squarebill or slow-rolled Colorado-blade spinnerbait; if shad are present, keep an umbrella rig honest along the first break out of 6–12 ft. When it flips to winter, pull to creek-mouth ledges and main-lake points, then mix long-pause jerkbaits, umbrella rigs, and 3/4-oz spoons over bait. In timbered impoundments, pitch a compact jig to timber edges and let it soak—most bites will be very light.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Drop-shot
Midwest
(Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota)
Bite: FAIR to TOUGH
Pattern: WINTER
On natural lakes, look for suspended basin roamers tracking bait over 25–45 ft and pick them off with blade baits, spoons, or a Damiki/hover-strolling minnow on light line. If your lake still has green edge-weeds, yo-yo a lipless crank or slow-roll a compact swimbait along the outside weedline before sliding deeper to 12–20 ft breaks with a football jig. In river systems, pick apart current seams, eddies, and bridge pilings with hair jigs, Ned rigs, and tubes; the first sunny hour can nudge fish onto rock transitions for a short jerkbait window.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Drop-shot
Northeast
(New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New England)
Bite: FAIR → TOUGH
Pattern: WINTER
Clear, cold water and rock structure favor a smallmouth-first game plan: target rocky points, humps, and saddles in 20–35 ft with tubes, blade baits, and a long-pause suspending jerkbait (count to 5–10 between twitches). When wind stacks on a point, burn a 3/8–1/2 oz underspin just off bottom to mimic smelt/alewife. If your lake has pelagic bait, watch electronics for roaming schools and drop a vertical spoon or Damiki rig right on marked arches; on bluebird afternoons, creep a finesse jig through rock-to-sand transitions.
Top Bass Bait to use: Throw Ned Rigs
Quick Bass Fishing Tactics & Bass Forecast App Tips
Season toggle: If your lake runs hot/bluebird, roll Bass Season → FALL to EARLY FALL to refresh Top-5 baits & locations.
Timing: Pre-storm pressure dips and the first clear morning after remain your best shots at VERY GOOD to EPIC bursts, especially Midwest/Plains
Because the weather and water conditions are rapidly changing this time of year, be sure to check your Bass Forecast mobile app Adapted Patterns® feature.
Stay ahead of the bite by leveraging your Bass Forecast app's features, including the Adapted Pattern® Top 5 Baits and Lake Locations, to maximize your success this weekend. To see exactly when bass will be turned on in your area, open your Bass Forecast mobile app and get PRO.
Curious about the Bass Forecast Ratings and Adapted Pattern® recommendations for the weekend?
Now’s the perfect time to unlock PRO.
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See full details below.
Bass Forecast Tip:
Over 1.5 million+ Bass Forecast anglers have used these tips to boost catch rates during the cooler season.
1. Don't rely on “what worked yesterday.” It's not a solid strategy. The trickiest part of figuring out the bite in bass fishing is that patterns can change daily based on the weather, thus changing the feeding behavior of bass. Use the Bass Forecast app feature Adapted Patterns® to help adapt your strategy in real time. Bass Forecast Adapted Patterns® has predicted the winning pattern in 86% of top flight bass fishing tournaments 7 to 10 days before the tournament began.
2. Select best odds days up to 10 days in advance by getting Bass Forecast PRO inside the app. While there's no ‘guarantee’ of success on any single outing, double blind research has shown that season long average catch rates during GOOD/EPIC rated days are 68% to 305% higher than the average. Fisheries biologist research has also proven that bigger bass are caught during GOOD/EPIC days due to proactive vs reactive feeding behavior.
3. Whenever you go, the Bass Forecast Rating combined with the Seasonal Pattern guides the 3 key elements of a successful bass catching pattern.
Tight lines and happy fishing!
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