Big bass that get fished for on beds year after year start to spawn extremely deep. Last year I fished at Clear Lake during the spawn. It just happened that the conditions were flat calm and the water clarity was up to 12 feet in places. There were beds 100 yards off shore in 8 to 10 feet of water. Not just a few beds, but hundreds of beds.

If the condition was anything but flat calm and the water was anything but 12 foot vis, you would never see those beds. The bass that spawn out there were simply not going to be messed with on anything but the calmest, clearest day. At Clear Lake that's probably 5 days during the spawning season.

The beds at Dixon lake are also impressively deep - and I agree it has everything to do with fishing pressure. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say there are many bass at Dixon that spawn over 15' deep. I've only been there a few times but that lake is darn clear and those bass spawn darn deep.

I think bass fishing 30 years from now will be interesting, and different than it is today. Different in a tougher way for sure. The only thing that will change that inevitability is less fishing pressure. Whether that happens or not, only time will tell.