Fishing Tips Tactics and Techniques Baits to Throw in Early Spring
Baits to Throw in Early Spring
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When fishing in early spring, a very small jig 1/8 to 3/16 oz. with a uncle josh no# 101 pork frog is the hot bait in icy water. My second choice is a tube bait. These are the only two baits I will throw in early spring. You have to remember to fish these baits very slow. You also must keep in mind that you will not catch 100 bass a day at this time of year, but you can get your limit. Find the warmest water in the body of water you are fishing and start there. I look for any backwater area that has docks or brush piles in it. Pitch your jig in and around cover and make sure the jig falls straight down. You have to feed line out after your jig hits the water to make your jig fall straight. Begin making little shaking motions with the rod tip, do not move the jig 6 or 8 inches at a time, move it 2 to 3 inches at a time. This time of year you must be a line watcher, the bites maybe very subtle, just a small jump in the line, if you are only going by feel, you will miss these light strikes. Sometimes in very cold water the bites can also be a hard thump, so be ready. At this time of year more than any other you need to fish your bait all the way back to the boat. Bites may occur right in the cover or they can come 2 to 15 feet out in front of the cover, so fish all the water in front of you.
| Deep Crank Baits |
There has been a lot of talk about deep diving crank baits winning several “Tour” tournament in the news lately. There are several things you can do to enhance and maximize your bass fishing with these baits. First start with a low gear ratio reel, a 4.9 to 1 will allow the bait to reach its maximum depth by slowing down your retrieve, and will also help with fatigue of cranking these baits for a long period of time. The next thing, use fluorocarbon line. Fluorocarbon has properties that cause the line to sink, which will also help in getting the bait to run at its maximum depth. The last thing, choose a longer rod, at least 7 feet in length and preferably made up of graphite composition. The length will allow you to cast the lure farther again helping the lure run deeper. The graphite composition works two fold, first it will allow the fish to inhale the lure without you feeling it and pulling the bait away from the fish, you will just feel the rod “load up” or feel heavy which gives you a good hook set. The second way it helps is when you are fighting the bass fish. It has a lot of flexibility that will assist in keeping the fish buttoned up by not ripping the hooks out of their mouth. These simple changes in you equipment will increase your hook up and landing ratio and will not wear you out on a long day of fishing. |
