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! 

Good Bye Ice Season

 The 2022/2023 ice fishing season was another great one.  I was able to get out a few times with some kids,  many times with my ice buddies and squeezed in a few over night trips too.  We covered a lot of lakes throughout the season and hit the Mississippi River a few days also.  As I write this, there is still ice available to fish in the Okoboji area, but with the waters thawed and the rivers flowing it is time to shift to the boats.  We didn't try too many new locations this winter, but one that we did try will see us again next winter.  5 Island lake, known for its large population of Yellow Bass was a great trip.  Yellows are a favorite of mine to chase, and this lake seems to be full of them.  We had a group of six of us there for a couple of days and we will certainly be visiting there again next season.  The yellow bass are not the large size like found in Clear Lake, but most of them are of cleaning size and they have that yellow bass attitude, which I love.  Clear Lake continues to put out some great fish during late ice times.  Walleyes, crappies and BIG Yellow Bass make the trip worth it every time.  The smaller lakes that dot Eastern Iowa still perform for short trips, and I keep trying a few new ones each year.  As this closes out the ice season, I have already booked our annual early ice trip to the Okoboji Lake system, perhaps the best fishery in the state.  Time to get the gear all charged up and safely put away until November. 

4 Steps You Will Want to do Soon

I LOVE Catching fish, and enjoying many meals of my catches throughout the year.  This simple recipe has become one of my favorites.  I typically use Yellow Bass, but Bluegills and smaller crappies work well too.

Step 1: Bake fillets for 12 mins at 350 degrees

Step 2: Break up the fillets with forks into shredded pieces

Step 3: Add your favorite TACO Seasoning

Step 4: EAT UP!

The "Magical" Yellow Perch

The Yellow Perch is chased all around the upper states of the US threw the ice.  The characteristics of these fish make them fun to chase down, they look gorgeous and are pretty tasty too.  These unique fish live in quite a few Iowa lakes and are thriving in the Upper Mississippi River Pools along the NE State border.  Finding these fish are the hard part during the winter months.  Long walks to out of the way backwater areas are the first step, but that just begins the quest.  Once you get to a perch location, your walking has only just started.  If you want to have a successful day on the ice for perch, you have to put in the miles.  Perch move.  No matter if you are in Iowa, South Dakota, or Minnesota, if you are expecting a good day of perch fishing, a lot of walking is what you will need to do.  Perch move.  It is highly unlikely that you will land on a school of perch and not have to move around to stay with them.  My experiences have shown that needing to find several school of perch each time out is necessary.  My favorite baits are spoons for these fish.  You can drop down quickly on the fish, and the treble hook no doubt helps hooking up too.  I like a 36-inch rod, my favorites are the Clam Dead Meat series.  These are set up very well for a variety of spoons, and the length is key to hole-hopping quickly.  Never sitting down or kneeling on the ice keeps you moving and will get you more perch.  Perch move.  A good, quality reel is vital for these fish, I use a variety of Quantum reels in the "15 size".  The Smoke model is by far the best, while the Throttle and Drive work well too.  The larger spool helps with line management, and allows the baits to fall faster.  Being able to move quick is key, packing light is part of staying of mobile, a couple of rods rigged up, auger, Vexilar and your food/drink for the day is all you need.  Too many items will slow you down, the perch will not slow down.  Perch move!  

I love these fish, they are fun to chase down, and at times impossible to chase down.  If every fishing trip was perfect, I think the allure of the fish would die.  The chase...I love the chase.  Stay dry my friends, another month of frozen water left...hopefully.