Local bays are full of bream and it may take some time to find the correct depth and area in which they are located. Because of the truly cold weather we have had this winter, the panfish should bed in late-March or even early April. The fish that miss the early spawn will catch it in the second wave in May or June. Whatever the date, they will spawn. That is the only way the species can survive.
Panfish prefer to bed in a sandy area adjacent to deeper water.
There may be as few as 10 beds or there could be several hundred. The bedding area will most likely be in clear water and around some tree cover on or near the bank. Areas where cutover woods come right to the riverbank always seem to hold plenty of bream beds, especially if the water there is relatively shallow and the bottom is sandy. Apparently, sunlight gets to these areas easier, the water warms faster and it stays warmer throughout the spawning period. One common mistake I see people making during the spring spawn is folks will get on a large spawning bed and wipe it out.