how to catch bass

Springtime Bass

By Mark Lassagne

This is the time of year when most of the mature bass will go shallow. Neil Manji, Chief Fisheries biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game says that for many bass, this (spring) is the only time they will go shallow all year meaning many large bass live deep all year except for during the spawn.

In springtime the mature bass move from their deep water haunts, feed up, make a bed, spawn, recover, guard the fry and then move back to deep water. This is the normal process, however, it’s important to remember that not all bass are alike and it’s good to keep an open mind while trying different depths and techniques.

When do the bass move up?

This depends on different factors that you as an angler should be aware of. Weather, water-temperature, daylight and moon phase effect it, in that order.

Weather plays the most important role in bass movement any time of year and can move these spring time fish in or out in a hurry. After a few nice days the fish will move up shallow but a cold snap will put them right back in deep water. The next factor is water temperature. When the water is 47-52 degrees and rising, bass will move up and when the temperature moves into the high 50’s and low 60’s, the fish will make a bed and spawn. How quickly the water temperature increases will affect how fast they move up. When the water moves into the high 40’s and low 50’s, crawfish become active so crawfish are the main forage for a staging bass. As we move past the winter solstice the days get longer. You will notice an extra half hour of daylight when these fish start moving up. The last factor in bass movement is the moon phase during the spring with each full moon and new moon bringing a new group of fish up as long as the other conditions are right.

Where do they move to?

During the winter, most bass live deep. Depending on the body of water, they’ll be from 10 to 80 feet and sometime deeper. When things start to change, they make a move. It could be similar to when you get the itch to start fishing after a winter break, or when the wife wants you to do a little spring cleaning. Where they move is the big question! Keep in mind not all bass are the same so they don’t all take the same route. For our purposes will use generalities regarding where the bass are and where they are going. Looking at a map or spending time on the lake will help you find spawning areas, work your way out to deep water from there until you contact fish. Sounds easy, but if it was, everyone would be catching lot of fish.

Spawning areas consist of: shallow water, a protected area, lots of sunlight and hard or sandy (not muddy) bottom composition. If you have a large area like this you could have a good population of spawning fish moving in and out. If it’s a small area with only a few good spots the number of spawning bass will smaller. Keep these factors in mind when you’re searching for staging areas. Note, when you go into a cove, take your rod, paddle or push pole and touch the bottom and see how it feels, if it’s hard with some gravel then its good or if its muck or silt then you won’t have many (or any) bass spawning there.

A staging area will be an area with a good supply of food and close access to deep water combined with some type of structure. Rocks, ledges and points are key areas however not all points, rocks and ledges will have bass. Look for the spawning area, then back out to the nearest point, rock pile or ledge, this is the route the fish will be moving through. As the weather changes the fish will move from the staging area to the spawning area and back. Finding both of these areas will be a key to your success. Rocks are a big plus this time of year for several reasons. Rocks hold several types of crawdads along with other species of prey. When the sunlight penetrates down to the rocks it forms algae which is food for the bait fish and crawfish. Note: when crayfish have an abundant supply of vegetation to eat, they their under-sides turn red where a lack of vegetation turns them blue. This is why the black and blue jig work well in the winter and why often, red is better in the spring. In addition to rocks, shell beds hold bass. Note: ledges vary quite a bit from lake to lake. In Florida a ledge can be a one or two foot drop while here in California reservoirs, a ledge is usually a 10 to 20 foot drop.

Some other things to keep in mind is creeks and running water as these areas can get washed out or muddied up and cold water can change the bite dramatically. If you find fish in these areas just beware that with some rain it all could change in a hurry.

With an idea of where these bass are, how do we catch them?

Chris Lane, BASS Elite series pro says he targets staging fish with a Zoom Shaker searching for a bite or two to pin-point their location. When looking for fish that have moved shallow he opts for a Cane Toad as his search bait. Once Chris has found fish in either location he will slow down and target the bigger fish using an ACE by Gambler lures.

As bass move up, from staging to spawn, they are in need of food for the rigors of spawning. Crawfish are the main forage this time of year and they provide a good meal with calcium and protein the bass need. Note: crawfish are nocturnal feeders so with a full moon the bass have the opportunity to gorge themselves on these slow-moving crustaceans.

Lure choice and retrieve speed are dictated by water temperature. When the water warms to around 48 degrees a good choice would be a jig, worm or deep slow moving crankbait. As the water warms into the 50’s the fish move up and the bite improves greatly. This is where a Rattle Trap / Zoom Shaker, a spinnerbait like a Damiki red/black Charade spinnerbait, Jackall Squad Minnow, Lucky Craft Stacee, Lucky Craft Pointer, black or black and red Chatter baits , Crank baits like a Speed Trap or a Jackall MC 60 in Craw colors, or a swimbaits are all good choices. Talking about swimbaits, you have many choices but if you’re just starting out, keep it simple with a few River 2 Sea bottom walkers, Optimum Double Diamond or Pro Swimbaits paddle tails. The Double diamond and Pro Swimbaits work well with a Revenge swimbait head; all three of these swimbaits are inexpensive and can be fished anywhere in the water column. When the water get into the high 50’s and low 60’s a Zara Spook is always a good bait, a SPRO Frog or Cane Toad, the new Reaction strike revolution shad or the optimum AC minnow and Zoom trick worms can also be deadly. The frog is an excellent way to find bass on the beds because many time they will just swirl on the bait and not take it, you then go back with a worm or other slow moving bait to clinch the deal.

Note: taking a rattle trap type bait letting it fall to the bottom then ripping it up and letting it fall back to the bottom can be a very effective technique.

When the water warms into the 60’s the fish most likely will be spawning which leads into a whole new venue of baits and methods, however, two methods that are especially deadly on spawning fish are the drop-shot or a Senko. Drop-shot a small bait like the Sniper Bolt in a bright color so you can see the fish eat your bait. The Sniper Bolt is a three inch worm shaped similar to a Senko.

Once the spawn is over some fish will move back out to the staging area and then into their summer patterns. Other bass usually males will stay in the shallows and guard the fry for a week or two after the spawn. Remember weather is the most important factor to locating and catching bass. If the moon is full and the water 65 degrees, bass will be on or near the beds but if a major cold front rolls in it can still move those fish back out.

Good Luck and happy fishing!

Did the bass change? Yes, of course they did. Are they gone? No “But things change every year”, structure moves, creek channels change and the bait moves along with other things. The fish are still there but they may have gone deeper, down the back or if the structures gone they may be suspending most of the time. Sometimes you need to step back and think, basic bass fishing.

Whether you’re new to the sport or an old pro, there will be a time when you need to just go back to the basics. Forget those old spots where you always caught um. One of the most important thing to do when bass fishing is to have a plan and base that plan on seasonal patterns. One example would be early spring the fish are getting ready for the spawn. We know the fish spawn in the coves and they eat crawdads so we start out fishing a Brown Pepper 1/2oz football jig on the points leading into coves. After fishing this pattern for a few hours you will earn it’s either working or it’s not then you can alter your plan. The example is a little over simplified but is meant to show you how a plan can save you a lot of time and really help establish a pattern. The same planning applies for the Delta but in the Delta you have to figure in the tides. Remember water direction and water height are key. Now that you have you basic plan insure you have the right equipment. The right equipment will mean more bite and more fish in the boat. We’ll start at the hook and move back. I have exclusively switched to EWG Hooks (extra wide gap) for the simple fact that you will land more fish. The extra wide gap hook allows for a Texpose style rather than Texas. (Texpose is where you push the hook completely through the worm and skin hook the point on the hook) With the EWG hooks there are two different styles one is the finesse light wire style (Eagle Claw Feather Light Series) designed for finesse fishing and when you need good hook penetration without exerting much pressure. The other style is a heavy wire style (Eagle Claw Pro Series) this hook is designed with a heavy wire and requires more pressure for hook penetration but is not likely to bend. The Pro-Series hook is recommend for flipping and pitching, Senkos, flukes and weightless worms, The heavy wire hook is also heavier “go figure” witch allows for faster sinking of Senkos, Flukes and Weightless worms. One cool trick to use when you want a slightly faster fall on weightless baits is to use a small weight call a Bull Shot, it’s a split shot shaped like a bullet weight and works awesome on Flukes. Next is the line. Do you know what line you use and why you use it? You should! For most applications except Froggin I use monofilament. My preferred line is

McCoy 100% Fluorocarbon because of these reasons: high abrasion resistance, low stretch, great knot strength, sensitivity and it still casts great. Fluorocarbon line is the choice for reaction baits and for flippin, pitchin and Senko’s. For fishing Frogs McCoy braided line 65lb is a must, McCoy braided line has near zero stretch and when that frog is 60 ft into a weed mat you need all the strength that line has to get it and the fish out. The fishing rod is one of the most important tools to bass fishing, the right rod will help you cast accurately and land more fish. Do your self a favor and purchase a good quality rod. I’ve found that I can cover all fishing techniques with four different rods. Spinning rod for finesse fishing (drop shot, split shot and dart heading) medium action seven foot with light but fast tip. Flipping stick seven and one half foot heavy action (backbone) with a medium tip, remember the tip is what enables you to pitch, too heavy of a tip and you up in tulles and making big splash. For spinnerbaits, buzz baits, senkos, lake jigs and heavy Carolina rigs a seven medium heavy rod with a medium tip does the trick, the tip should be flexible enough to make a accurate casts and have enough back bone for a good hook set. The last rod in the arsenal is for small cranks like the Speed Trap 1/8oz or 1/4oz, top water poppers, shaken worms and light Carolina rigs. This is a medium action with a light tip seven-foot rod. . A seven foot take a little getting use to but one in tune you’ll never go back to a smaller rod. A longer rod gives you better hook sets, longer casts and is easier to control the fish. A good quality reel with a sooth drag is a must a 7:3 to 1 gear ratio is the most versatile for most all techniques. With all the right equipment your almost half way there now all you need is baits, fish and some skill. As far the skill part it’s advantageous to practice at home. With some practice you should be able to pitch into a coffee can at 20-30 feet and cast with in 6 inches of your target. This may sound somewhat hard but you can figure on a good day the strike zone will be 12 inches, so when you cast 13 inches from your target you won’t get bit. Remember those lazy days where you casted close to target but not that close say a foot or two and not catching any fish. Try this stop turn around make a good cast past you target and retrieving your bait slowly through the strike zone. The results will amaze you. When pitching and flipping insure your bait falls vertical and doesn’t fall away from the target on the drop. Short accurate casts are the most effective, long casts may cover more water but water is only water if not in the strike zone. Don’t cast to the same sport as your partner cast at least a foot or two away or the only thing you will accomplish is to spook the fish. Fish your confidence baits for the time of year and the body of water, and then stick with those baits. There are days when I set out my six rods and never change bait all day except for color because I know it tough and I just need to grind it out with my confidence baits. Listen to the fish and adjust accordingly. Over the summer I found that when throwing my Chartreuse Persuader buzz bait on a very high tide the fish missed the bait, I knew the fish where there because I could see them but couldn’t hook them. So changing presentations to a Luhr-Jensen Fire Tiger PJ Pop and a slow retrieve I then hooked almost every fish. There are times when a fish will hit your bait but not get hooked this means your in the ball park but not quite there try changing colors. Bass fishing is a thinking mans game, you should be attempting to solve the puzzle you entire day even though the pieces change.

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Mark Lassagne free lance writer, pro bass angler and the publisher of Bass Angler Magazine

Spring Time Bass

Bass Fishing Changes Everyday