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Bass Fishing Report
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Bass fishing report for this week brought to you by:
Bass Fishing Report Weekend Outlook - Regional Conditions, Bite Ratings & Hot Tips:
June 18th - June 22nd, 2026
This weekends water temperatures are trending toward the thermal optimum for a bass across the nation. This means the conditions are lining up this weekend and bass metabolism is ready to match them. The feeding frenzy may just happen at your favorite spot this weekend!
So let's break it down in the Bass Feeding Activity Ratings map below. Scroll down to see how this weekends bass reports 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
Click to get a quote in as little as 4 minutes!
Your Regional Weekend Bass Fishing Report
Water temperatures across much of the country are pushing into the thermal sweet spot for largemouth and smallmouth alike, which means feeding windows are going to be aggressive. When bass are comfortable, they eat. This weekend, they're comfortable.
Layer that onto the solunar picture and you've got something worth planning around. Sunday lands on a half-moon phase, which historically correlates with elevated big-fish activity. If you're chasing a personal best or targeting quality over quantity, Sunday's Major and Minor feeding windows through the Bass Forecast Spot-On Solunar tool deserve your attention.
One important note: print solunar tables and generic online charts average their times across entire time zones - which can put you off by as much as an hour. Bass Forecast adjusts those windows to your exact fishing location, so you're working with precision, not approximations.
For boat anglers running electronics, the summer setup is falling into place in many parts of the country. Points, humps, and deep weed edges are your first look. Bass that have made the transition to summer patterns are schooling and holding in predictable locations which means once you find them, you can pick the spot apart.
That said, not everyone's bass have made that transition yet. Depending on where you fish, post-spawn fish are still a real factor. The move can vary by weeks from one region to the next, and on some waters, the two patterns are running simultaneously. Rather than guess, pull up the Bass Forecast seasonal pattern detector before you rig up. It'll show you the baits, locations, and presentations for both post-spawn and summer patterns at your specific spot. It takes a few minutes and on a weekend where conditions are this good, showing up with the right game plan could be the difference between a great day and a great story.
Here are three tips to help you make the most of your time on the water this weekend:
1. Know before you go - check the rainfall history. Before you commit to a body of water, use the weather charts in your Bass Forecast app to scroll back through the past 10 days of rainfall by location. What looks like a great lake on paper might be off-color and muddy. Two minutes of research can save a wasted trip.
2. Set your alarm - the shad spawn won't wait. If the shad spawn is firing on your water, the 1–2 hours before sunrise could deliver some of the best topwater action of the year. Get there in the dark. It's worth it.
3. Find the panfish beds and come back at sunset. Shallow bedding panfish are bass magnets right now. If you spot them during the day, mark the spot and return at last light — sunset is prime time for bass to move in and raid those beds.
Check your local Bass Forecast ratings and intel report 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
Pacific Northwest
(Washington, Oregon, Idaho)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Pacific Northwest?
Bass Bite: Good → Epic
Pattern: POST-SPAWN → SUMMER
Warmer than average temperatures all week-long heading into the weekend are creating a very favorable water temperature trend. Combined with a stable barometer, this coming weekend offers solid bass fishing conditions.
Many bass will be coming out of their post-spawn funk and into a more active “Summer” feeding pattern. The topwater bite could be on. And, in low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
HOT TIP: Depending on your location, many fish may still be in a post-spawn pattern. So be sure to use your BassForecast App seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both a post-spawn and a summer pattern. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
HOT TIP: Fishing for spawning fish is the same regardless of the rating. But, for when fishing post-spawn fish & summer, the activity rating matters a lot. The fish will be MORE active than normal this weekend. To see the TOP 5 BAITS you should have on hand, just check Bass Forecast to view your exact fishing location (because it uses zip code or nearest town, it works on all bodies of water, from small pond to big lake).
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
Southwest
(California, Arizona, Nevada, West Texas, New Mexico)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Southwest?
Bite: Good → Epic
Pattern: SUMMER → DOG DAYS
In Cali, seasonal temperatures heading into the weekend are creating a very favorable water temperature trend, which will be more pronounced in shallower bodies of water. And, in the desert southwest, a slight cooling trend will stimulate bass feeding this weekend. Combined with a stable barometer, this coming weekend offers GOOD to EPIC bass feeding conditions.
The topwater bite could be on. And, in low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
Depending on your location, fish will be in one of 2 BassForecast seasonal patterns; “SUMMER or DOG DAYS” So be sure to use your BassForecast App seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both patterns. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
Inland areas such as Phoenix will be very hot with day time highs pushing 103 degrees. Plan accordingly to fish sunrise and set. And, nighttime bass fishing is in full swing.
HOT TIP: WIND speed will be very important in the Southwest the next 4 days. Since winds are expected to be light, you should view the wind speed charts in weather section of your BassForecast mobile app to target the day parts when wind speeds are higher than 6 mph.
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
Southeast
(Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, East Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Southeast?
Bite: Fair → Epic
Pattern: SUMMER
Water temperatures are at or above thermal optimum for bass. So, the slight cooling trend heading into the weekend will create a favorable water temperature trend that will stimulate bass feeding metabolism this weekend; this will be more pronounced on shallower bodies of water.
Depending on your location, fish will be in one of 2 BassForecast seasonal patterns; “SUMMER or DOG DAYS” So be sure to use your BassForecast App seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both patterns. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
In low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
Rocky Mountains
(Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Rocky Mountains?
Bite: Tough → Epic
Pattern: POST-SPAWN → SUMMER
Warmer than average temperatures heading into the weekend are creating a very favorable water temperature trend on Friday. But a cold front arriving late Friday/early Saturday will slow the bite. If you can sneak out Friday after the US vs Australia world cup match, you may be rewarded with a world cup of bass win!
And, if you can’t get out until after the front hits, don’t worry. BassForecast has you covered. The Top 5 baits, lake locations and presentations automatically adapt to changing weather to give you the best intel to adapt like a pro to catch bass under any conditions.
Many bass will be coming out of their post-spawn funk and into a more active “Summer” feeding pattern. The topwater bite could be on. And, in low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
HOT TIP: Depending on your location, many fish may still be in a post-spawn pattern. So be sure to use your BassForecast App seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both a post-spawn and a summer pattern. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
Great Plains
(Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, South Dakota, North Dakota)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Great Plains?
Bite: Good → Epic
Pattern: POST SPAWN → SUMMER
Warmer than average temperatures heading into the weekend are creating a favorable water temperature trend this weekend.
Many bass will be coming out of their post-spawn funk and into a more active “Summer” feeding pattern. The topwater bite could be on. And, in low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
HOT TIP: Depending on your location, many fish may still be in a post-spawn pattern. So be sure to use your BassForecast App seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both a post-spawn and a summer pattern. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
Midwest
(Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Midwest?
Bite: Good → Epic
Pattern: SPAWN → POST-SPAWN → SUMMER
Warmer than average temperatures heading into the weekend are creating a favorable water temperature trend on Friday. But a cold front arriving later in the weekend may slow the bite, especially on shallower waters.
And, if you can’t get out until after the front hits, don’t worry. BassForecast has you covered. The Top 5 baits, lake locations and presentations automatically adapt to changing weather to give you the best intel to adapt like a pro to catch bass under any conditions.
Many bass will be coming out of their post-spawn funk and into a more active “Summer” feeding pattern. The topwater bite could be on. And, in low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
HOT TIP: Depending on your location, many fish may still be in a post-spawn pattern. So be sure to use your BassForecast App seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both a post-spawn and a summer pattern. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
Northeast
(New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New England)
How will bass fishing be this weekend in the Northeast?
Bite: Epic → Good
Pattern: SPAWN → POST-SPAWN → SUMMER
Warm temperatures heading into the weekend are creating a favorable water temperature trend that will stimulate the bite.
Many bass will be coming out of their post-spawn funk and into a more active “Summer” feeding pattern. The topwater bite could be on. And, in low light conditions look for bass raiding bream beds shallow and shad in open water…and even shallow in areas where the shad spawn is still occurring.
HOT TIP: Depending on your location, many fish may still be in a post-spawn pattern. So be sure to use your Bass Forecast seasonal pattern detector to view the baits, location features and presentations for both a post-spawn and a summer pattern. It only takes a few minutes and could save or make your day on the water.
Check Bass Forecast to get the exact bass fishing intel for this weekend.
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Bass Fishing Report FAQs
When is the best time to fish bass during spawn?
The best time to fish bass during the spawn depends on your region and the current spawn phase. As of mid-June, only the highest-elevation Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest lakes still have active spawn fishing remaining. Most of the country has moved into post-spawn recovery or full summer patterns. For lakes still in spawn, midday fishing during stable weather produces best when sun angle allows sight fishing on beds. Check the Bass Forecast regional report above for the current spawn stage in your area.
How does a new moon affect bass feeding activity?
A new moon produces strong solunar major feeding periods that can concentrate bass activity into predictable daily windows, typically lasting 60 to 90 minutes. During stable weather, new moon major periods are worth planning around, particularly in the post-spawn and summer phases when bass are actively feeding during specific windows. The effect is most reliable when weather conditions have been stable for 48 hours or more. A pre-front feeding window or post-front grind will override solunar timing regardless of moon phase.
What is a Bass Forecast Rating and how is it calculated?
The Bass Forecast Rating, or BFR, is a daily fishing quality score that combines barometric pressure trends, moon phase, wind speed and direction, air and water temperature, sky conditions, and GPS-specific solunar data into a single predictive score for your exact location. The BFR is validated through a six-month study with a professional fishing guide that documented catch rates up to four times above average on days rated GOOD and EPIC. It is not a weather forecast. It is a bass behavior forecast built specifically to tell you when and how to fish, not just what the sky is doing.
What bass pattern should I be fishing right now?
It depends on your region. The Southeast and Southwest are in full summer with offshore structure and topwater windows producing best. The Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, and Ozarks are in the early summer transition with main lake points, channel swings, and offshore brush holding fish. The Great Lakes and Upper Midwest are in late post-spawn with the feeding window opening on many waters. The Northeast is moving from post-spawn into early transition. Only the highest-elevation Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest lakes are still in spawn or late post-spawn. See the regional breakdown above for your current BFR range and recommended patterns.
Region-Specific: Spawn Seasonal Pattern
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Southeast right now?
Southeast bass are in full summer patterns as of mid-June. Thermal stratification has developed on most reservoirs and fish are on offshore brush, ledges, and deep structure in 15 to 25 feet of water. A football jig like the Dirty Jigs Casting Jig and a deep crankbait like the Strike King 10XD are the primary deep-water producers. Topwater windows are open at dawn and dusk on shallow flats and grass edges. Frogs over hydrilla mats and lily pads are producing some of the best surface fishing of the year. Night fishing is becoming productive as midday heat compresses the productive windows.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Southwest right now?
Southwest bass are entering full summer in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Offshore ledge fishing is the primary pattern on larger impoundments like Lake Fork and Texoma. Deep brush piles in 12 to 20 feet are holding fish. A Texas-rigged worm or a football jig on offshore structure produces during midday. Walking baits and buzzbaits at first and last light over offshore brush and main lake points are productive when bass push shallow to feed on schooling shad.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Mid-South right now?
Mid-South bass are in the early summer transition across Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina. Fish are off the post-spawn cover and on main lake points, channel swings, and offshore brush in 10 to 15 feet of water. Mid-depth crankbaits like the Rapala DT-10 and Carolina rigs with a Zoom Brush Hog on transition zones produce consistently. Topwater is at full stride right now, with walking baits, buzzbaits, frogs, and poppers all producing on the right water during low light windows.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Mid-Atlantic right now?
Mid-Atlantic bass are transitioning from post-spawn recovery to summer patterns across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Fish are on main lake points and channel swings adjacent to spawning coves. Mid-depth cranking with a Rapala DT-10 and Carolina rigs on transition zones produce. Topwater windows at low light are growing each week. Highland reservoirs like Lake of the Ozarks and Bull Shoals are at the heart of the phase 2 transition window right now.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Midwest right now?
Midwest bass are in late post-spawn with the feeding window opening on many lakes. Fish on weed edges, secondary points, and outside grass lines in 8 to 14 feet of water. This is one of the best fishing windows of the year for this region. Walking baits and buzzbaits along grass at dawn produce for largemouth. Topwater walking baits over rocky structure produce explosive smallmouth fish. A Strike King KVD Finesse Swim Jig along grass edges is the consistent subsurface producer.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Great Lakes right now?
Great Lakes bass are in late post-spawn moving into early summer transition across Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and New York. Natural lake shallow weed flat edges, sand points, and protected bays are holding the most active fish in 8 to 14 feet of water. Topwater is hitting its stride this week. Walking baits over rocky smallmouth structure and frogs along largemouth grass are both producing. The post-spawn feeding window is open on most waters, making this one of the best fishing periods of the entire year for this region.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Northeast right now?
Northeast bass are moving from post-spawn recovery into early summer transition across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England. Fish on first depth break off spawning flats are starting to push to secondary cover and main lake points. Finesse presentations like a Roboworm drop shot are still producing on staging structure, but moving baits including spinnerbaits, swim jigs, and crankbaits are starting to work consistently. Topwater windows at dawn and dusk are opening fast and will be at full production within two weeks.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Pacific Northwest right now?
Pacific Northwest bass are elevation-dependent in mid-June. Low-elevation lakes in western Washington and Oregon are in early summer transition with offshore patterns developing. Higher elevation lakes are in late post-spawn or finishing spawn. Water temperature is the reliable indicator. At lower elevations, a spinnerbait or swim jig along flat edges and a walking bait at dawn produce well. Clear water in Pacific Northwest lakes means fish run deeper than equivalent Southern reservoirs. Search 8 to 15 feet on offshore structure rather than the shallower ranges that produce in stained water.
What bass pattern should I be fishing in the Rocky Mountains right now?
Rocky Mountain bass are in late spawn at lower elevations in Colorado, Utah, and Idaho with high-elevation reservoirs still in pre-spawn or early spawn. Lower elevation lakes are seeing post-spawn fish on first depth breaks adjacent to spawning flats. High elevation lakes still have active bed fishing in the warmest protected areas. Water temperature is the only reliable timing indicator. When temps in your specific body of water reach the mid-60s consistently, transition tactics including walking baits at dawn and Carolina rigs on points become productive.
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