Bass Fishing Report - December 04, 2025
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Bass fishing report for this week brought to you by:
Bass Fishing Report: December 04 - 08, 2025
If you live in the southern 1/3 of the US, moderate weekend weather will provide seasonally pleasant bass fishing conditions. You will see the report and recommendations for both the Southeast and the Southwest below.
If you live in the northern 2/3 of the US, you are painfully aware that Jack Frost and Old Man Winter have arrived and pushed bass into a solid WINTER pattern mode. So in this weekend’s report, we have:
1. Combined all northern regions due to the bass forecasts being very similar
2. For die hard bank, kayak and jon boat fishing bassheads we added Top 5 Tips for “How to fish ponds in Winter”
And, remember to bundle up. 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 Tranx 300 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.
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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
Northern US including Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Midwest, Great Plains and Northeast
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.
For you die hard bank, kayak and jon boat fishing bassheads here are our Top 5 Tips for “How to fish ponds in Winter” You will want to find the deepest water zones in the Pond and then try these baits and presentations:
1. A deep diving suspending jerkbait. After casting, retrieve it down a few cranks and then begin a “twitch-twitch-pause” cadence. Be sure to pause for 3 to 5 seconds each between cadences.
2. A heavy jig using a slow 3 to 5 inch drag followed by a 3 to 5 second pause cadence. Use black and blue or Craw pattern jig and trailer.
3. A Carolina rig using a slow. Same colors and cadence as the jig.
4. A heavy spinnerbait. Let it flutter all the way to the bottom then begin slow rolling it along the bottom. Regarding colors, it’s hard to beat black/blue or Craw this time of year.
5. A deep diving crankbait in a Craw pattern. You will want it to slowly bounce off the bottom to trigger reaction strikes. So, chose a crankbait that dives deeper than the bottom. Retrieve it down to the bottom and begin slowly bouncing it off the bottom on the retrieve. Guess which color pattern we recommend? Yup – Craw or dark bream.
Southwest (CA • AZ • NV • NM)
Bite: GOOD → TOUGH Pattern: FALL → WINTER (higher elevations)
Moderate weather will make for some GOOD and FAIR early weekend bass fishing opportunities. But the Pattern could be tricky.
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.
ANYTIME: If you see bass chasing shad, have an umbrella rig ready.
Southeast (TX • AR • LA • MS • AL • TN • GA • FL • SC • NC)
Bite: GOOD → TOUGH Pattern: LATE FALL → WINTER
A slight early weekend warmup will make fishing more comfortable, but it will not be enough of a warming trend to measurably affect water temps that have cooled considerably over the past week. EXCEPT, if you are fishing a shallow lake or pond, it may be enough to stimulate a good midafternoon bite in shallow areas adjacent to deep water and pockets.
When you see a LATE FALL pattern in the Bass Forecast 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 Bass Forecast 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, jigs and Ned rigs. If fish are not coming up, try a Spybait, Drop Shot or Jigging Spoon.
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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?
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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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