Let's start with the basic patterns first, and then try to explain how to find them.  In the spring, bass will start to move up shallow to spawn as the water temp rises.  They will move in from deeper water by creeks and ditches that lead into spawning coves or spawning flats.  These areas are where the creeks and ditches run from the channel or deep water on the lake into shallow coves or large areas of shallow water (flats).  Starting at the mouth of creeks, move your way back stopping to fish any points, stump fields or structure along these banks.  The bass will stop and stay on these areas for a period of time as they continue farther back towards shallow water. 

   Basic patterns for early season bass are fishing the first and secondary points at the mouth of spawning flats and coves.  On many lakes, there is not a definite "point"; often it is just a part of land that juts out farther than the rest towards the creek or into the cove/flat.  You will want to find hard bottom like clay, sand, and gravel.  This is where they will spawn.  On lakes with grass, look for the first beds that start to form by using your graph.  It will normally look like tiny little lines coming off of the bottom.  Sometimes, it is just a series of little dots on the graph right on the bottom.     

    As water starts to get into the 50's, they will move farther and farther back into shallow areas.  When it reaches mid to high 50's, most bass will start or will be spawning.  In most lakes, 60 degree water temp seems to be the magic number.  The bass will become more aggressive and hit faster moving lures as they will be eating like crazy before going on bed and the same goes for post spawn bass after they have rested up and are starving from the time they didn't leave the beds to eat.  This will be when you catch those 2 and 3 lb bass with 5lb heads.  Long, skinny bass with big heads eating everything in site.

    Pre stage bass will load up on the first and secondary points right before going on bed.  Also fish the 3rd and 4th points and so on as you go farther back into the creeks.  After the bass spawn out, they will move back to these same areas to rest up before going on an eating spree.  Usually in late April, almost all of the bass will have spawned.  The moon phases will be possibly most important during this time of year as the last full moon in April will normally mark the largest movement of spawning activity.  Those that have yet to spawn will do so during this phase.

    After Spring, the bass follow the exact same creeks and ditches back out towards their Summer homes which will be main lake points, mouths of creeks, humps and any deep, main lake structure.  This is when you will want to focus on grass if the lake has any.  If not, look for ANY structure around the channel or main lake areas.  Especially those near creeks.  They will be very active by now so faster; bigger lures can be used now.  If grass is present, they will live under and around the thickest mats you can find.

    And when Fall comes back around, follow the exact same highways (creeks/ditches) that you did earlier in the spring when they were first moving up to spawn.  They will be chasing huge schools of shad back into the creeks to feed before heading back out to deep water for the Winter.  What is actually taking place is the bass continue to corner the shad off until they are so far back into the creeks that they have nowhere else to go except into a big, hungry bass's mouth.  They will move in as shallow as they did during the spawn.  I have seen shad being chased by bass so shallow that the shad are actually jumping out of the water onto the bank trying to escape.  This time of year can be fast or famine.  With so many fronts moving in and out, one day you might catch 100 bass and the next day none.  Look for schooling bass busting the top of the surface feeding on schools of shad.  The bass will be moving all over this time of year which also makes finding them from one day to the next harder.

    After feeding on the shad, the bass will start to move back out on these same highways as the water temp starts to drop.

    Winter is the toughest time of year, as the bass will suspend over deep-water structure and over creek channels where they become very inactive.  During winter, you might catch one or two fish a day.  Chances are good that they will be bigger fat bass.  Then wait for spring to come around again and start all over.

    Lures 

     Spring - Carolina rigged mini lizards, jigs, Colorado bladed spinner baits, shallow crank baits with tight wiggle, top water lures in mid to late spring (high 50's and up water temp).  Drag the Carolina rigs with mini lizards, centipedes or craw imitating plastics all over the areas mentioned in the spring part of the article above.  Throw shallow running cranks (baby 1-, Bandit footloose and Rebel shallow R's) in crawfish patterns or chartreuse combos.  Spinner baits with one or two Colorado blades for slow presentations and a lot of vibration, use gold blades in stained water and silver blades in clear. Top water baits such as Pop Rs in any color the fish want, small white 1/8 or 1/4oz buzz baits, tiny torpedoes or other prop baits in late spring.  Jigs should be brown, brown/orange, green pumpkin or black as the crawfish have not been exposed to bright sunlight and are still natural colors.

    Summer - Carolina rigged worms, big lizards or any larger bulky plastic, wide wobbling Deep Divers, buzz baits in larger sizes, Texas rigged plastics, big jigs and tubes, spinner baits with tandem willow/Colorado or double willow leaf bladed, top water baits of all kinds.  Especially Zara spooks for big bass.

    Winter - jigging spoons, Deep Divers, spinner baits with single Colorado or willow leaf blade, jigs, small finesse worms, natural looking flat sided crank baits without rattles.  Use suspending crank baits and/or jerk baits so that the lure stays in the strike zone longer as the bass are inactive.

    General rules of thumb for lure presentation - Warm water, use wide wobbling crank baits for more aggressive bass.  Cold water, use tight wobbling cranks.  Usually you can tell by looking at a crank what kind of action it will have.  Fat, rounded cranks with bills that are at a deep angle will have wide wobble.  Flat-sided cranks with a bill that runs almost flat into the lure will be tighter.

    Pop' r and Zara spooks work best on calm, flat surfaced water.  Windy days throw buzz baits and prop baits that cause a lot of commotion on the choppy water.  The more chop on the surface, the bigger blades you want on your buzz bait.

    Spinner bait blade colors- gold in dirty, stained water, silver in clear water.  Colorado blades for slow presentations with a lot of vibration in cold water or stained to muddy water.  Tandem willow/Colorado work best after late spawn on into summer.  They provide flash (*willow leafs are for flash) and moderate vibration.  Double willow leaf blades through grass and anytime bass are feeding on schools of shad.  They provide maximum flash with the least vibration.  Single willow leaf bladed spinner baits can be worked fastest of all for summer bass or keeping the lure down deep while being able to burn it and keep the lure down.

    Jigs- smaller 1/4 and 3/8 oz during cold water (spring) and bigger 1/2 oz and up with big chunks for warmer water.  Small jigs with big chunks give a large presentation while allowing the bait to fall slow.  Heavier jigs work best for flipping and pitching in warm water for a reaction bite.  Black/blue, and purple combos work well in summer, as the crawfish are dark from sunlight.

   On cloudy rainy days, throw black/blue plastics.  There's something about it that bass love.

    Clear water- downsize lures and work faster.  The bass can see the lures better, so faster will not allow them to look at it long enough to decide it isn’t real.   And normally, if you don't know what color to throw, try and match the lure color to water color.  And in stained to muddy water, use chart., blaze orange or very dark colors (i.e. black, brown deep blue's).