Can I catch fish? Can I find fish? Oh no, I'm not a fisherman after all. All of those fish that I caught last year and in the winter was just luck. Maybe I should be at home mowing the grass, or make my flowerbeds look better. If you fish as much as I do the yards certainly need help.
If there was ever a time of the year that these questions have crossed your mind March and April ranks at the top of the list of hard months to catch largemouth. Oh sure; if you live in a part of the country where the water is crystal clear and you can see bedding or better yet; post spawn suspended bass you can
certainly site fish and bring in a limit. Unfortunately South Georgia doesn't have an abundance of clear water or even water with 12 inches of visibility, so if site fishing is your thing you might consider moving. For me there is no other place to live, and I would rather learn how to catch these fish than cut grass any day of the week.
You can pretty much tell what a lot of people are good at by the number of articles that you can find on a given subject. There are not very many on spawning and post-spawn bass that pertains to our water conditions. There are a few articles on the subject. I have not only read them all, but I have tried them all. I think you can sum it up in three baits. And once you find the fish you can sum it up in one word. Slow!
First thing you have to do is find the fish. I always start close to suspected bedding areas and work my way out to deeper areas; up to about fourteen feet deep. There is only one lure I will ever use to do this.
A Rattle trap is my go to search bait when I am looking for numbers of fish. Strike King's new red eye shad trap is hands down the best trap that I have ever thrown. I will start by throwing this bait out and kind of pulse it back, two or three turns, stop for just a split second and two or three more turns. My number one technique is to let it sink to the bottom and just keep it moving fast enough to keep it bumping the bottom. Another very effective way to fish it, and cover a lot of the water column is to jig, or yoyo, it like you would a jig or plastic worm. I will let it sink to the bottom and snap it up off of the bottom and let it flutter back down on a tight line. Once you have caught a few fish, out of the same area, it is time to put up the trap and fish it out.
Senko type baits have been around long enough that I need a swift kick in the pants for not fishing them sooner. I can't tell you how many times I have turned my nose up at this bait and left it on the shelf. I mean, it doesn't even have a tail! I will gladly trade the truck loads of soft plastics that I have bought over the years for just a few packs of Senko baits in four different colors; White, green pumpkin, chartreuse, and black. It doesn't matter what brand so long as it looks like a Senko. Anything heavier than that will take a lot of the natural action out of the bait. I will let it go to the bottom and start jigging it slowly back. Lifting the bait and letting it fall back to the bottom staying in contact with the bait the whole time. Once it hits the bottom I will let it sit there for a long time. This is a lure that has an action of its own while just lying still; it kind of just wiggles with the current. After about ten seconds of letting it sit on the bottom I will just slowly reel my reel about one turn and let it sit another ten seconds. If this doesn't get a strike I will jig it again and repeat. This works great on bedding bass too.
Now we have to cover the water column from about three to six feet. The best tool for this is suspending jerk baits. Bass Pro Shops suspended nitro minnow, Yo-Zuris's crystal minnow, and the Smithwick's rouge are all at the top of my list. Rapala and Bomber make some great suspending jerk baits too.
Hard jerk baits are some of the simplest baits in the world, and they catch above average fish. I start by cranking it down and let it sit for five to ten seconds. I will twitch it two or three time to give it that struggling look and let it sit again. I will crank it slow, fast, let it sit, twitch it, and let it sit. I probably never work it the same way twice.
The key to cranking it is getting their attention, twitching to signal that it is hurt, and letting it sit is so that lazy bass may just meander over and suck it in. Maybe when it's sitting there you can be lucky enough that it's within sucking distance and with a slight twitch I can assure you that your bait will be hung on that fish's face. Just remember that when it comes to color and size to match the hatch or maybe a little brighter in stained water. Get off of that lawn mower and out of those flowerbeds and try these techniques and I feel you will be pleased. Just remember, it takes patience this time of year, so if you are a run and gun , reel fast, fish hard kind of guy; then maybe late May and June is more your time. You can spend your time catching up on yard work. I will be at the lake.
Take the time to discover all that fishing has to offer. You'll find a lifetime of discoveries. Make sure you are on the water at, or just before twilight. I think God actually stops time at that moment. This moment is a gift to us fishermen. Those of you that have experienced it know what I am talking about, and those of you that don't soon will, if you spend enough time on the water. ~ James Kirk Sparks
You can pretty much tell what a lot of people are good at by the number of articles that you can find on a given subject. There are not very many on spawning and post-spawn bass that pertains to our water conditions. There are a few articles on the subject. I have not only read them all, but I have tried them all. I think you can sum it up in three baits. And once you find the fish you can sum it up in one word. Slow!
Senko type baits have been around long enough that I need a swift kick in the pants for not fishing them sooner. I can't tell you how many times I have turned my nose up at this bait and left it on the shelf. I mean, it doesn't even have a tail! I will gladly trade the truck loads of soft plastics that I have bought over the years for just a few packs of Senko baits in four different colors; White, green pumpkin, chartreuse, and black. It doesn't matter what brand so long as it looks like a Senko. Anything heavier than that will take a lot of the natural action out of the bait. I will let it go to the bottom and start jigging it slowly back. Lifting the bait and letting it fall back to the bottom staying in contact with the bait the whole time. Once it hits the bottom I will let it sit there for a long time. This is a lure that has an action of its own while just lying still; it kind of just wiggles with the current. After about ten seconds of letting it sit on the bottom I will just slowly reel my reel about one turn and let it sit another ten seconds. If this doesn't get a strike I will jig it again and repeat. This works great on bedding bass too.