Bass fishing Green Algae

Hi Guys,

I have a question on fishing around green algae. Buddy and I were out on a local lake this past weekend, and up in the shallows, we noticed everything covered in a green algae. The stuff that just clings to your baits and just doesn’t want to come off. We were forced to keep our baits towards the top of the water column. Water temps were 62-63 degrees. We were expecting bass up shallow to spawn. But, I just don’t see how they could with this green algae covering everything. Outside of the algae, the water was gin clear. The algae was significantly less as you went out deeper, past about 7 ft of water.

Is it possible, due to the vast amount of algae up shallow, that the bass move a bit deeper to spawn? Between that 7-10 ft of water? I can’t imagine they like getting that stuff in their gills.

How do you go about fishing in or around green algae, without gummin’ up your baits every cast?

Personally I cannot answer your bass questions but as for algae growth to that degree at 63 degree water temp is something I might call in to your local dnr office. There’s something going into that water that is making it terribly fertile and forcing that bloom, in my opinion.

They won’t spawn in deeper water, at least from what I’ve seen. They will find the areas that don’t have this algae and spawn there. I’ve also noticed the bass typically congregate around the weed lines that are clean from this type of algae. Not sure that helps you any but that’s what I’ve experienced.

The clearer the water the deeper bass will spawn. Some lakes in California you can see them sitting on beds in 20 even 30 feet.