Steve Raygor & Bass
|
Anyone who has ever fished for Bass knows that spring time can be one of the best times of the year for hunting that trophy Largemouth. Mother Nature may not always be on our side with the weather but she is when is comes to waking up Bass from their winter slumber. Due to the photo-light pattern and the rise in water temperature, Bass will instinctively move from the deep water where they have spent most of the winter, to shallower parts of the lakes. They do this for two main reasons. First, they are feeling the need to feed and second, nature has kicked in their instinct to spawn. Lets take a more specific look at where and how to catch spring time Bass.
John McLaughlin & Bass
|
To find spring time Bass, the angler must remember a couple key themes. Cover large areas of water until you locate the fish and base your lure presentation on the current weather pattern. Pre-spawn Bass will often be found in shallow water near deep water breaks. A common place to begin fishing would be anywhere you find a shallow shelf with structure, (brush piles, stake beds, flooded timber), and a deep cut bank nearby. Remember, as the water is warming, the fish will begin to feed aggressively in preparation for the spawn. Bass will move from the deep cut banks into the shallows several times during the course of the day to score a snack. Fishing this pattern after several days of stable weather can be dynamite! My lures of choice would be spinner baits or suspending-jerk baits worked along the deep water breaks. A Rapala Husky Jerk fits the bill perfectly. Experiment with color to find what the fish will take. As a general rule, fish darker colors in dark water and natural colors in clear water. Any color combination with chartreuse on the spinner bait should produce Bass.
Rodney Raygor & Bass
|
If you have lived in Iowa for any length of time, you know that spring weather can be the most unpredictable weather of the entire year. Iowa often experiences fast moving cold fronts in spring that can drive Bass back into deep water and make them very difficult, but not impossible to catch. In the days immediately following a cold front, target bass in 10’ to 15’ feet of water. You may even have to look deeper. The fish will be found around humps, old road beds, or creek saddles. Once you catch a fish under these conditions, fish the entire area slowly and thoroughly as Bass have a tendency to school in these locations. I would begin by fishing a rubber worm rigged Texas or Carolina style and fished very slowly. This is also a perfect time to break out a jig. The Berkley Gulp products and Power baits are my favorites.
Keep an eye on water temperature. Although not all Bass spawn at the same time, a majority of female Largemouth will move into the spawning beds when the water temperature reaches 50-55 degrees. There is an ongoing debate about whether or not a Bass caught off the spawning bed will return to the bed once it’s released. In the interest of protecting the future quality of Bass fishing, I personally don’t fish spawning beds at all. As I said earlier, not all Bass will spawn at the same time, so if you observe fish in the shallows on beds, you will more than likely still be able to target pre-spawn fish still working deep water breaks. Let’s all do our part to help guarantee good Bass fishing in the future by protecting bedded fish.
Get out and enjoy the wonderful outdoors and try your hand at landing that trophy spring time Bass. I hope to see you all on the water soon!
