Pond Tips
It takes large lakes much more time to heat up than smaller lakes and ponds in the early spring. The depth of these ponds is conducive to quicker warming and often there is little if any fishing pressure exerted on the bass that inhabit them. Remember that bass looking to construct their nests along shore for spawning are looking primarily for areas where the bottom has a sandy consistency. Lacking sand on the bottom, a bass will settle for gravel. Bass will avoid rocky spots and those that are all mud or silt. Walk along the shore of a pond prior to the weather turning warm to scout ahead and have an idea of where bass will want to head once the conditions turn favorable.
Skirted Jigs
The places that harbor early spring bass make the selection of a skirted jig an excellent idea as a choice of lure to catch them. The skirted jig has a tough and heavy wire hook with a weighted head. The skirt attaches to the collar of the jig and is composed of strands of some sort of material, often synthetic. The best rig for a skirted jig is a stout rod and reel spooled with at least a 16-lb. test fluorocarbon fishing line. Cast this presentation into brush piles sitting in the shallows, fallen trees that absorb the heat from the sun, and into submerged weed beds. Prepare to deal with a number of snags during the course of your fishing these spots that hold bass. The bucktail jig, which is a weighted jighead with a "body" made up of 3 inches of animal hair coming from the collar, also produces early spring bass. Its appearance fools fish into thinking it is alive since the hair moves back and forth as the jig cuts through the water.
Staging Areas
On a larger lake, try to identify those spots which anglers refer to as "staging areas" for pre-spawning bass. Bass are prone to coming out of deeper parts of a lake as the temperature of the water warms slowly. They will congregate in the shallows off the shore before moving on to the places where they usually spawn. However, bass will wait for those places to heat up substantially more before heading there. During this time, you can find bass in these flats next to rocky areas on the shore. If you have a boat, simply cruise a distance from the shore and cast towards it. Employ spinnerbaits, wobbling crankbaits and jerkbaits. Use different rates of retrieval until you discover what kind of feeding pattern the bass are in and then adjust accordingly.
Article Written By John Lindell
John Lindell has written articles for "The Greyhound Review" and various other online publications. A Connecticut native, his work specializes in sports, fishing and nature. Lindell worked in greyhound racing for 25 years.
