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From the category archives:
Now that the cold weather months have arrived, it’s time to give up bass fishing right? Well…not so fast!
While it is true that bass will get more lethargic as the water temperatures drop, you can still have some seriously good days of fishing in the winter…if you keep some basic principles in mind.
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Wishing you were winning more bass tournaments? Well there’s a lot of stuff that the top pros do the day of the tournament to better their chances. Our resident touring pro, Big Fred Contaoi, sheds some light on the all-important pre-tourney routine…
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Okay, so Shane Davies of River Run Guide Service in Texas (214-418-9786; s.davies@sbcglobal.net) has stones the size of Cowboys Stadium. Need some proof? Check out his tale from a recent kayak trip on the Brazos River. In his own words:
“In 20 years of fishing the Middle/Upper Brazos River, I can honestly say that I have never encountered a venomous snake (pit viper) within the riverbed,” he says. “However, as I tell my clients, go outside the riverbed and that can be a very different story. Obviously, just because I have never come across a venomous snake in the river, does not in any way mean they are not there. In fact, I always remain vigilant and on the lookout knowing that I’m simply overdue for my first encounter. The way I look at it, Texas , venomous snakes and the outdoors will always go hand in hand. So, I wasn’t too surprised when I observed a juvenile rattlesnake headed accross the river while I was in my kayak flipping a jig for bass.”
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If you’ve got big bass on the brain, March is your month around here. Generally, we’ll see big hen bucketmouths in our local lakes go into a pre-spawn mode sometime over the next few weeks (depending on the weather) – and that’s when they’re at their largest.
Full of roe and still actively feeding to store energy for the upcoming breeding season, pre-spawn largemouth are fat and sassy and great fun to pursue. You just have to know where to look for them.
The first key to success is to check your water temperature. As a basic rule, the pre-spawn pattern starts when the water creeps into the low 50’s (that’s about where we are at most lakes right now) and then picks up as the temperatures climb towards the magical 60-degree mark.
When the water’s in the 50’s the fish shake off the winter-induced cobwebs and start migrating towards the banks. They also begin feeding heavily. The biggest mistake most anglers make this time of year is fishing too shallow. You really need to locate some deepwater structure that’s close to a spawning cove. Use your electronics to search for rock piles, ledges, submerged trees, bridge pilings or humps that are 15 to 30 feet deep – yet close to shallow water.
The big hens will hang out in these deeper spots as they wait for the water to warm and their eggs to ripen. You can catch smaller males up on the flats this time of year, but for the big gals, again, stay deep. In these situations, crawfish imitations become your weapons of choice.
Jigs are my all-around favorite things to throw in the early spring, though tubes are also productive. Go with the darker craw patterns like brown and orange and crank them according to the water temperature. If the temps are in the low to mid 50’s, retrieve them at a snail’s pace – slow and steady. As you find water that’s closer to 60 degrees, you can speed up and even switch over to deep-diving craw crankbaits (I like Norman Deep N’s and Berkley Frenzy Deep Divers).
It’s a good idea to have plenty of gear on board when you fish in the spring as conditions can change quickly. If we get a shot of warm weather and the water temps shoot up above 60 degrees, you’re going to have to start working the shallower flats. Until the bass get bedded up, I like to fish quickly with rip and jerk baits like Lucky Craft’s Pointer 80 in the American Shad pattern. Unless, of course, the water’s off-color due to storm runoff. In that case, chartreuse or white spinnerbaits slow-rolled just off the bottom can produce when nothing else will.
So, there you have it – now’s a great time to start thinking about big bass.
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Looking for a super-effective late season bass bait? Go with good ol’ Mr. Versatile himself: the spinnerbait.
I know, I know…people often think of throwing spinnerbaits early in the season but the truth of the matter is these big flashing hunks of metal and vinyl work great year-round if you know when and where to throw them.
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Here’s a fun little exercise: Walk into a bar near a bass lake and ask the assembled patrons what the best bass lure of all time is.
You’re sure to get a very spirited debate (you may want to leave if bottles start flying) and about as many answers as you have fishermen. While there are many good bass lures worthy of mention, I think there’s really only one lure that could be considered the all-around best.
It’s the one that, if faced with the decision of only having one lure in your box for the rest of time, you’d pick…the bait that, if you only had one lure in your box and you were starving, you’d use.
I know what my choice would be…
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Glug – Splish – Glug – Splish…KABOOOSH!!!
This is, my friends, time for topwater froggin’ on bass lakes all across the country and it’s one of the most exciting types of fishing you’ll ever do. When a big bucketmouth blows up on your lure, your heart is guaranteed to skip about three beats!!
Here’s how to do it:
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