Early Spring Bass Fishing

 April is always a great month to get on the water and explore the new fishing season.  The first few times out I keep it pretty simple, when targeting largemouth bass I stay shallow and have a Wig's Jig tied on along with an IMA Lures shallow crank bait.  Two rods...that's it.  Once the water temperature hits 55 degrees, then it is time to add a few more to the deck.  If I am looking for smallbass I incorporate four different baits.  A medium diving IMA Lures crankbait, an IMA Lures Flit jerkbait, drop-shot rig, and a Texas-rigged Hot Rod Baits tube.  These baits have done very well for me in the past, and in the first few weeks of the open water season, this is all I need.  Sure, other baits will catch fish, there is no arguing there, however for over 90% of the bass I catch early in the season, these baits trick them.  Either way, I have them tied to a Quantum Rod and Reel.  The durability and 5-year warranty on these products cannot be beat, click the link to find your next combo.

Spring bass fishing can be feast for famine this time of year, and I don't' think there is a rhyme or reason behind it most of the time.  I have had great days fishing in cloudy weather with 20mph winds and I have done well on sunny 60-degrees days too.  The more times spring rolls around I really think it has more to do with stability in the weather.  IF we get several days in a row of similar temperatures overnight and daytime highs, the fish really seem to feed up.  When we have 70s for a day and then 50s for a few days and then back to a 70 degree day, I feel as though the fish get a little confused.  Either way, if I have some free time in April and May, I'm hitting the water!

The First Casts to OPEN Water

I hate to see ice fishing go away each spring, but that feeling disappears pretty quickly after that first catch out of the boat.  That first catch turned out to be a largemouth bass, which is pretty typical for me.  I love getting into shallow backwaters soon after the ice and trying to find where those largies are feeding up after the long winter.  April 1st was the first day floating on the water, as usual there weren't a lot of bass caught, but 4 in the boat in a few hours felt pretty good.  The big one for the day was a bit over 3 pounds, so all in all it was a good first day out.  

The rivers are high right now, and the lakes are still pretty cold, who knows what the next time will bring!