There’s a ton of good early season bassin’ to be had, even if it includes dealing with fish that can still be caught up in various stages of the spawning cycle. Keys to success include knowing just how far along the season actually is, and being adept at using a variety of methods. Team Crestliner member John Janousek of Nisswa, Minnesota loves working heavy duty bass early in the season, especially just before the spawn; “It’s the best time of the year to be on the water. The females are still big and fat and they’re usually hungry. Sure you can catch fish during and after the actual spawn, it’s just that the action is never better than right now.”
Water temperature is a key to determining how far along the spawning season has progressed, but it’s not the only factor to keep in mind. Consistent weather is the wild card and the lack thereof can delay the whole process, even under optimum water temps. According to Janousek; “If you have sixty-four degree water temperature you can figure you’re definitely into the spawn and by the time it reaches the low seventies it should be pretty much over, but not always. Cold fronts can keep fish off the beds and can extend the process for another couple of weeks or more, no matter what happens to the water temps.”
Typical early season patterns include working shallow water like bays loaded with lily pads, reed banks, as well as inside weed lines. Janousek on location; “I’ll start with the usual areas like black bottom bays and channels, but if the going is a little too slow it won’t take me long to move out to the first break. It might only be a drop of a couple of feet but a break line can concentrate fish. If I’m looking for pre-spawners I can usually fish a little faster and will use a small shallow running crankbait or a plastic swim bait like Northland’s Slurpies Swim Shad to locate fish. The thing I’ve found out about the plastic is I catch a lot bigger fish on it.”
Flats are another potential hot spot and can hold plenty of bass early in the season and don’t always receive a lot of pressure. “One of my favorite flat patterns for locating spawn and post spawn fish includes finding a clean sandy bottom that darkens up, and where the inside weedline begins. You can find bedded bass along the edge and into a weed flat, and is where big schools of fish will stack up shortly after the spawn is finished up. With a pair of Polaroid sunglasses and an electric motor you can cruise the weed edge and try and actually look for bedded fish, if it’s calm. If not, you may have to get to work and try and locate them with a lure. A Rapala used with a stop and go retrieve can be worked over the tops of emerging weed beds and can really turn fish on. One of my favorite techniques for hooking up with bedded bass includes using a weightless Slurpies Dip-Stick worm, which needs to be worked nice and slow to be effective. Stay back as far from the fish as you can and cast the worm beyond the bed and then reel it back and let it drop into position. Another thing you can try and do is keep the sun at your back which will make it easier to go undetected. Bedded bass can be extremely spooky and you have to be extra careful if you plan on catching a few. If they make you out before you see them you’re in trouble, and might as well move on and come back later after they’ve had a chance to settle down. Another subtle option for fooling jittery bass includes pitching a tube rigged on a weighted worm hook like the Northland Tackle Inner-Tube Jig Head, which can provide for a soft entry into the water and will help keep from spooking fish.” A pitch is an underhand flip that allows you to achieve some distance and keeps the lure flying close to the water and helps eliminate most of the splash and commotion when it enters.
Rigged plastic worms are another great search lure and are particularly effective right after the spawn, which can be one of the toughest times of the year to catch fish. The technique involves using a plastic worm threaded on a curved shank hook along with a short leader and a ball bearing swivel. The rigged worm is designed to be cast out and slowly retrieved and will spin all the way in, and why you need the swivel. It really doesn’t look all that appealing but can drive bass crazy. Because the rig is light it really requires spinning gear like St. Croix’s six foot nine inch Avid Series model AS69MLXF rod and Avid AS2000 reel loaded with eight or ten pound test to get any distance. Cast the worm to the inside weed edge and over the tops of shallow weed flats and start reeling and get ready. The key to hooking fish is giving them a couple of seconds or so after they’ve grabbed the bait before you set the hook. It’s going to take some self control but will mean more fish hooked and landed if you can hold off.
See you on the water.
Ron AnlaufBy: Ron Anlauf
