Spring is in the Air

Spring is quickly approaching and here in the heartland we haven’t had the normal winter that we are accustomed to. This means that the bass will travel into shallow water earlier than normal. With the sun beating down on the water and warming it, bass can be found cruising secondary points and at the mouths of pockets beginning their annual spring migration. This is what the shallow water angler looks forward to every year. Bass can be caught on a variety of lures this time of year. I will go through a few of my favorites.

The classic spinnerbait. This bait has been around for decades and still catches fish to this day. I like to use either a Strike King Premier Plus Spinnerbait or a Strike King Tour Grade Spinnerbait. The two size weights I typically throw are a 3/8 oz. or a ½ oz. Chartruese and white is pretty much what I stick with. If the water is a somewhat clear I might switch to a solid white or more of a shad color but more times than not, the water is fairly stained this time of year and a brighter color usually works. I will start casting it around secondary points and work my way into pockets targeting stumps, laydowns, and any other cover that might present itself. I do not burn the bait, but rather slow it down. One thing I see anglers doing is not getting the bait to connect to the cover they are throwing it at. I like to hit the cover with the bait and also take repeated casts to it. Sometimes different angles can make all the difference in the world and help you catch a few more bass. I normally throw my spinnerbaits on 17 pound Vicious Fluorocarbon and I use an Ardent Edge Tour reel with a 6.5:1 gear ratio.

The next bait is one of my favorite baits to throw. It is a small crankbait. Strike King has become a leader in the crankbait department. My two favorites are the Series One and the KVD 1.5. These shallow running crankbaits can be thrown around the same cover that the spinnerbait is thrown.  I use 14 pound Vicious mono and a limber Falcon crankbait rod. I use an Ardent Edge Pro reel with a 5.0:1 gear ratio. I like the mono versus the Fluocarbon because of the stretch. The stretch of the line helps me hook better. The Series One has a nice wobble to it while the KVD 1.5 has more of an erratic action almost like it is searching out the cover.

The last bait in my spring time arsenal is a Tour Grade Swimming Jig. Sometimes bass want something a little more subtle and the swimming jig is the ticket. I like putting a Rage Craw on the back using it as a trailer. When the bass won’t eat a spinnerbait or a crankbait, then this is what I go to. There are a couple of ways to throw this bait. One is to simply cast it out and reel it back slowly. The other is to pop the bait while you are reeling it in. I usually throw this on 17 to 20 pound Vicious Flourocarbon and an Ardent Edge Tour Reel with a 7.2:1 gear ratio.

All of these baits work well in the spring time. Make sure you experiment with each and see which one will catch fish while you are out on the lake.