Once the water has warmed towards the middle-end of October and November, the bass start spawning on shallow (up to 2m deep) gravelly banks. The smaller male fish will guard the nests and the bigger females will gather along the outer edges of the banks, along drop-offs. This can provide some great sight fishing opportunities to fish cruising the shallows, but please handle these fish with care and get them back into the water quickly, especially the larger females. The fish are also very aggressive and attack anything that comes too close to them or their nest.
After the fish have spawned (end October to mid-November) the bass return to more “traditional” around structure for the rest of the summer. Focus on fishing the deeper edges of weed beds, the points where cliffs meet rocky bays. Look for changes in the typical structure of the dam, areas that look different and stand out from the surroundings. Small river inlets have also been productive in the summer and often account for the largest fish of the summer. The months of December to March have been our most productive. The bass activity tends peak at this time and smaller fish school up and occupy most holding areas. If you find a school it is not un common to catch 15 to 20 fish from the school before they go off the bite or you have caught all the fish in the school. If you get tired of the smaller fish, fish deeper structure with bigger flies. You will catch much less fish but the size should increase.
The fishing will taper off as winter sets in, but the autumn fishing in April and May can still produce some good results in the late afternoons. If you are willing to brave the cold and feel the need to get some bass action, you could still catch some fish in the winter months. However, you will have to fish deep, very slowly and cover areas really well to make sure the bass have seen your fly several times. The fish become very lethargic in cold water and hang out in thermoclines where the oxygen content and temperature is stable. The fish do not generally actively hunt down flies and you will have to practically crawl the fly past them. The fishing will be tough, but if you have a boat and a fish/depth finder and can locate a school, you will more than likely catch some fish.