Where are Bass in Early Spring?

As winter degrades the bass begin to move out of their winter haunts toward the spawning grounds. They leave the shear rock walls and steep banks in the main lake and make their way toward secondary points. They sit on the secondary points and feed on baitfish, crawfish, and other prey in order to bulk up before they spawn. The bass are waiting for the water temperature to warm and the moon to be right in order for them to move in to their spawning grounds. Where the bass hang around on those points is the structure. They sit on boulders, brush piles, logs, and anything they can use as shelter. When the days are warm the bass continue their migration, but when a cold front creeps in they hunker down where they are. The weather would have to be very extreme for the bass to ever move back to the main lake. Another factor in prespawn is rain. If there are heavy downpours days before then the bass will shoot back in the creeks to feed.

The baits to throw in early spring are simple. The bass are mainly feeding on baitfish making a-rigs, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, glidebaits, and cranks a great option. A great glide bait to throw in early spring is the S-Waver by River2sea. If there are trout in the lake where you are fishing then a natural trout color is probably going to work the best. For the rest of the country bluegill, perch, and Shad style baits are going to be the best options. A few great jerkbait options are Rapala, Lucky Craft, and Jackall. If the bass are not feeding on baitfish then move towards more finesse gear. Great baits are tubes, drop shots, and ned rigs. A great tube bait is the Dry Creek Tournament Tube. A great ned rig bait is the Z Man T.R.D. One of the all time greatest drop shot baits is the Roboworm 6” Fat worm. Another great option for a baitfish pattern is a finesse swimbait such as a 3” Swing Impact Keitech rigged with a finesse swimbait head. Another option for a soft plastic is the 5” senko. It works well in most situations and can catch a lot of fish.

Spawn is heading our way in parts of the country and the fish are bulking up. Follow these patterns and you have increased your chances of catching a big fish in early spring.