do they just wait for better weather...? Or do they sometimes fail to spawn again (absorb their eggs) ?

Bass can absorb their eggs, but its usually only during extremely unusual springs. I saw it happen one year on the Northcoast (think about the climate there, 65 degrees is warm and spring can never come). I actually killed a few fish in July one year and they had severely reduced, crystalized eggs in them. Very strange. I seriously doubt that this will happen this year in any of the foothill or valley floor reservoirs. Its just an extended spawn.

true.....I've caught bay area fish on beds in mid july before !

With the extreme climate that we have had this year the bass will hold off until water temp and clarity is stable. As the other guy's said it could be a late spawn.

anyone else caught california bed fish in July ?

To correct myself water temp and level(not clarity)

Ive caught bed fish in CA in July, but only in Humboldt Co which is of course in the fog belt. The weather is such on the northcoast that water temps never really get beyond what is considered optimal spawning temps. Thus, the spawn technically could last for a very long time (and in certain years it did, and I documented this occurring during multiple years in the past 15 years through scale analysis), and it appeared the spawn was dictated primarilly through other variables (such as rainfall).

It doesnt surprise me youve done it in the Bay area since thats in the fog belt as well, typically is very cool, and its likely water temps remain near optimal temps much longer than systems lying outside of the "coastal effect".

yeah i agree....I remember catching an 11lb bed fish on July 4 and then my buddy caught a 9lb bed fish on July 12.........pretty late spawn !!!!

we've been catching bed fish down here in so cal at my home lake and the water is 79! My buddy had a 9 on Sunday. I caught bed fish last year until about August, but most of them go from Feb-May it seems

August last year !! thats nuts. I think there is a good chance some fish will be spawning into July this year !

what does SwimBait think ?