Early spring, a time in which many anglers will catch their biggest bass of the year. Not by pure luck, but because they are using the correct tactics that draw in big largemouth bass. During these first few months of spring the water temperatures are still pretty low, because of this the bass aren’t quite as aggressive as they will be when the water warms up. Anglers must keep this in mind when they hit the water for the first few trips of the season.
Bass are beginning to work their way up to the shallows for spawning purposes, because of this we want to be fishing areas in which shallow water meets deeper water. Tossing a spinnerbait against the bank and slowly reeling the bait across the drop off into deeper water will put fish in the boat. As stated before, bass aren’t going to work hard for their food during this time, especially big bass. Knowing this we want to try and put our lures right in front of their face and make them eat. A great lure to use for this is a plastic salamander or a crawfish. Bass don’t like intruders in their spawning areas and dropping either of those baits into their hole with frustrate them and trigger them to eat your bait. Fish also like being protected, so that tree lying over in the pond is a great place to fish around. The thick marsh grass that stands out of the water has been a very successful cover spot for me personally. Get out on the water and with these tactics you will catch more spring largemouth bass!
I had time to hit the water with a friend of mine a few days back. It was a nice day with a little wind. We dropped the boat in the water and as we were pushing off shore I slipped and missed the boat. Needless to say my leg froze the entire time. We hit the cover spots hard and had a ton of success on this trip. I was casting a black, double spoon spinner bait against the shores and the bass were hitting it right up against the banks. My buddy was using a crankbait and wasn’t having near as much luck; I believe the lure was a little too fast for the fish on that particular day. As I always say, any day is a great day on the water whether you catch a bunch of fish or get skunked. Good luck to all you anglers!