The factor that is most responsible for controlling bass behavior is temperature.
Most anglers pay attention to rising or falling water temperature, nothing wrong with that.
Water temperature regulates how active bass are and how often they feed. That is only part of the puzzle, however. These two temperature ranges really control bass activity, or lack of it. The following examples will illustrate the importance of this ever changing marriage of numbers. Most anglers would agree that 55f water is a favorable water temperature for fish activity, certainly for smallmouth and spotted bass.