Largemouth Bass have certain habitat requirements that are important to their survival.

TEMPERATURE Many studies of bass behavior have concluded that largemouths prefer water temperatures of 77° to 86°F. But fishermen know that bass often bite better in water at lower temperatures, even when water in their preferred temperature range is available. This is explained by the fact that bass will abandon an area with ideal temperature to escape bright sunlight or to find food or cover. Bass cannot survive at temperatures above 98°F.
Overhead cover in shallow water provides shade and cooler temperatures, allowing bass to remain all sumer. Weedy edges provide points of ambush where bass can dart out to capture smaller fish.OXYGEN

Bass require more oxygen than most other gamefish. All lakes have sufficient oxygen in the shallows. But in fertile lakes, those with a high level of nutrients, the depths may lack oxygen. Fertile lakes produce large amounts of plankton. These tiny plants and animals eventually die and sink to bottom where they decompose. The decomposition process consumes huge amounts of oxygen, making the depths unsuitable for fish. Heavy algae blooms are a symptom of high water fertility.

In the North, fertile lakes may winter-kill. Thick ice and snow cover block out sunlight, so plants can no longer produce oxygen. Decomposition continues, drawing all oxygen from even the shallowest water. Bass are one of the first to die in winterkill lakes. In deep, clear waters such as canyon reservoirs and strip pits, water fertility is usually low. The water contains ample oxygen from top to bottom, so bass can move wherever they want.

FEATURES

A feature is any difference in the underwater world, including cover, structure and less obvious differences like current or shadows. Features are more important to bass than to most other gamefish.

Largemouths require cover from the moment they hatch. Bass fry crowd into dense weedbeds to escape predatory fish. Later in their lives, bass use weeds, rocks, flooded timber and brush, sunken logs and other objects for shade, shelter and ambush points. Overhead cover in shallow water provides shade and cooler temperatures, allowing bass to remain all summer. Weedy edges provide points of ambush where bass can dart out to capture smaller fish.

Structure is the geologic makeup of the bottom. It may be a reef, point or any other place where the depth changes. It can also be a rock patch or any other place where the bottom material changes from one type to other. Largemouths use structure as a reference point to guide their daily movements. They also locate near structure simply because it is unique from the rest of the area. In a controlled location experiment, researchers discovered that bass will relate to anything different in their surroundings