Pre-Spawn Bass Fishing System

By C.C. McCotter

The quest for bass fishing information whether by weekend recreational anglers or serious tournament competitors is relentless. No matter if it’s a six-pack or $5,000 on the line, the region’s anglers want to know how to catch more fish.

As part of our continuing Bass Fishing Series we done some digging and put together this system for targeting and catching pre-spawn largemouth’s in area lakes like Buggs Island, Lake Gaston, Lake Anna, Sandy River Reservoir, Briery Creek, Lake Moomaw, Black Hills and the countess other municipal water that dot our region.

This system is drawn from personal experience and members of the W2 Pro Team like John Hutchins, Rob Grike, Don Zeagel, Rich Newton, Peter Yanni and Rodney Mosely.

When

So when the heck is the official pre spawn period, you might ask? Many area lakes and reservoirs normally get down to around 40 degrees in the winter. If we experience a couple days of nearly 60-degree, sunny weather and the water rises three to four degrees, it’s time to get on the water.

Where

When do you find lake largemouths when this occurs? Consider what you know about where the fish tend to spawn on the water you are targeting. Find a main lake point near the main river channel or a short spawning cove off the main lake. If there is a beaver hut (lots of bass can be here) or other wooden structure present, fish it. Rocks and stumps are secondary choices. It’s generally too early to fish docks, that comes next.

How

Perhaps the top lure for catching finicky and sluggish pre spawn bass is a suspending jerkbait. However, right from the start many anglers don’t use the right tool to put them on the road to success because the bait they choose doesn’t suspend.

Critical to this tactic is the bait’s ability to suspend truly. It must not rise in the water column. Even some baits labeled as “suspending” will float slowly upward.

Top regional anglers know that just casting and twitching a hard plastic jerkbait is not enough any more. These “easy” fish have already been caught by tournament day. No, anglers like Hutchins and Newton begrudgingly admit that “dead-sticking” is the way to fish this lure now.

Dead-sticking is very effective when the water is in the low forties and fish are suspending near spawning areas.

The tactic involves the angler casting the lure as far as they can (usually parallel to a likely bank), cranking it 10-15 times quickly to get the bait down to maximum depth and then letting it just sit there.

A true, suspending bait will remain in place, a tantalizing enticement to any bass (striper or crappie) in the immediate area.

A quick twitch of the lure and then another long pause of up to a minute is the next step if the initial presentation doesn’t bring the wood. Repeating this as long as your patience can stand it usually produces bass when no other tactic can or will.

Top suspending jerkbaits include the legendary Megabass Vision 110 Minnow, the Lucky Craft 78DD Pointer, the Lucky Craft Bevy Shad, Jackall Bros. Squirrel and the Yozuri Hardcore Shad (must be modified to suspend) and the Smithwick Suspending Pro Rogue. These lures offer highly detailed and realistic finishes that mimic baitfish.

Most anglers fish suspending jerkbaits on spinning rods with light monofilament or flurocarbon line. Others use braided line with a clear leader. Still other anglers like a baitcasting outfit.

Regardless of the gear choice, the rod should be between six and six-and-a-half feet with a medium action. This is so you don’t rip the bait way from a light bite and when you twitch the rod tip isn’t a foot in the water.

Variation 1

Shallow and muddy doesn’t automatically mean spinnerbait. Often anglers will shy away from shallow, muddy or stained water with suspending jerkbaits, instead using a spinnerbait or jig. This is a traditional outlook, however it is a mistake to eliminate the suspending jerkbait from your arsenal when fishing shallower, stained water.

Especially this year, when area lakes and reservoirs are going to be swollen with snow melt and runoff, you should consider trying the same lure you use down lake or mid lake, just in a shallower running version.

The main reason is because the bass could still be suspended, they’re just suspended a foot off the bottom in three feet of water. Tossing the jerkbait right to the bank and slow twitching and dead-sticking is the variation here.

Variation 2

Fish the mix. Where you would otherwise cast a spinnerbait to a windy bank or point, try the suspending jerkbait with minimal movement. These windy washes are often where a soup of plankton and baitfish exist and gamefish inevitably follow.

Variation 3

Bait down when conditions change. Use a smaller and smaller jerkbait as the water warms and the fish move shallow. You can also significantly speed up your twitch rate. This works because as the water warms more small threadfin shad, herring, white perch and sunfish begin to frequent the shallows versus the early season, cold weather hardy big gizzard shad.

Final Tips

When you finally find the fish, present the right lure and hook one, don’t blow it. That medium action rod and a drag loose enough to allow even a one-pound fish some line should enable you to land nearly 90% of what you’ve hooked with proper fighting technique. Do not set the hook hard when using this pattern. Just lift up sharply and reel down. Once you feel the rod load up, keep it up and in front of your body with the tip at 10-11 o’clock at all times.

Early season bass will rarely jump, but they do a good imitation of a striper for a few tense seconds. Drop your rod tip at this point in the battle and you are asking for trouble, bub.

Keep a long handled net on board. Sometimes the fish only get the back hook of a suspending jerkbait. If you have too short of a handle on your net you will stab at the fish and run the risk of hooking the dangly front hook before netting the fish. This could be disastrous and involve cussing and foot stomping.

Enjoy the pre-spawn season and don’t blame us for the tendonitis!