What kind of average temps (ambient, not water) you guys look for before getting really serious about pre spawn bass?

Water temperature is what counts. Not sure why you discount that and focus on air temperature instead?

I don’t know that I’ve ever put a thermometer in a bass pond. But I do know that I can generally count on catching bass in the ponds I fish when the nighttime lows are in the high 40s to low 50s and daytime highs start hitting the 70s. That’s usually late March or early April here. We generally start out with small jigs and work our way up to normal sized TX rigs as it continues to warm up.

A couple years ago my boy caught one that was knocking on 9 pounds on a brown football jig in the middle of March. Last year it was a later spring and we didn’t really start doing any good until April.

Because my ponds are 45 minutes away. Which isn't a bunch, but a little far to go do weekly temp readings.

Where I live in WA, lakes almost never freeze. Air temps with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid 30’s is mid-winter regular temps. That usually results in water temps around 42 to 44 degrees. By late February to early March, highs are in the low-mid 50’s with lows in the mid-upper 30’s. With the increase in light, water temps creep up to 47 on the main lake and up to 49 degrees on the north shore. That transition between 47 and 49 degrees will get me my first active fish of the year. A few sunny days with highs in the mid-50’s will get it there. I’ll generally fish the warmest water I can find at that point. By late March/early April, air temps are consistent in the upper 50’s and I’m catching fish fairly consistently.

Thanks guys for the insight.