Spring Bass Fishing Tips and Techniques
Spring bass fishing is the best time to catch your PB (Personal Best) fish. If you want to learn more about the best Spring bass fishing tips and techniques, then keep on reading this article.
This is the time of the year when the bass are moving from their cold water Winter hang outs to shallower water are they prepare to spawn.
It's all about water temperature for bass and most fish for that matter. If you can figure out how bass behave based on water temperatures, then you can figure out where and how to catch a ton of them.
The best way to target spring bass is to figure out where they will be transitioning from the deep water to the more shallow water as the Sun's energy starts to warm the shallows.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been catching bass for over 40 years. Spring bass fishing is a great time of year to catch bass and once you figure out the Spring bass patterns you can increase your bass catching ratios.
In the article below I will tell you all that I know about bass fishing in the Spring time. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more Spring time bass.
Spring bass fishing is the best time to catch your PB (Personal Best) fish. If you want to learn more about the best Spring bass fishing tips and techniques, then keep on reading this article.
This is the time of the year when the bass are moving from their cold water Winter hang outs to shallower water are they prepare to spawn.
It's all about water temperature for bass and most fish for that matter. If you can figure out how bass behave based on water temperatures, then you can figure out where and how to catch a ton of them.
The best way to target spring bass is to figure out where they will be transitioning from the deep water to the more shallow water as the Sun's energy starts to warm the shallows.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been catching bass for over 40 years. Spring bass fishing is a great time of year to catch bass and once you figure out the Spring bass patterns you can increase your bass catching ratios.
In the article below I will tell you all that I know about bass fishing in the Spring time. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more Spring time bass.
How to find bass in the Spring?
In general bass and any other fish are very predictable if you know how they behave given certain water temperatures. Of course, this depends upon where you live in the United States because the water temperatures will rise and fall at different times.
I believe that bass fishing can be broken down into 4 water temperature ranges that are important to know for catching bass. They are less than 50 degrees; 50 to 55 degrees (pre-spawn); 55-60 degrees (spawn) and more than 60 degrees. We will cover a few of those temperature ranges in the article below.
Less than 50 degrees:
This is your typical up north Winter time water temperatures. Down here in Florida most of our lakes and ponds don't usually get this cold but the rest of the U.S. do so let's talk a little about it.
Bass are down deep when the water is this cold where the temperatures are more stable. It is as simple as that. You will have to fish deep and slow to catch bass in water that is 50 degrees or less.
50 to 55 degrees (pre-spawn):
This is your typical water temperature range for the early Spring in most states and is a lot of bass fishermen's favorite time to bass fish.
This is the time of year when you have a great shot at catching your PB (personal best) bass because those big females are in pre-spawn mode and are ready to chow down and get fat after a long cold Winter.
This applies to everywhere bass live. Like I mentioned earlier, bass and all fish are very predictable and behave a certain way based on the temperatures in the waters that they live in.
Down here in South Florida the pre-spawn usually begins in January. In North Florida it might not start until February. In Missouri it might not start until March. You get the idea. If you don't have a thermometer get one. That way you will know what behaviors to expect and where to fish for your bass in your area.
Spring time bass are on the move. They are heading to shallow water to find a suitable place to make a nest and lay their eggs. Your job is to figure out where the best bedding areas are in the lakes that you are fishing because that is probably where the fish are.
When you see the smaller male bass in the shallows you can bet that the bigger females are in the deeper water adjacent to those bedding areas. Fish drop offs in lakes and ponds and deeper cuts in rivers and canals.
As you transition from Winter bass fishing to Spring bass fishing, you will want to focus your fishing efforts on the areas of the lake, pond, canal, river..... that are most likely to heat up to the 50 to 55 degree temperatures first.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a largemouth bass. You can read that article by clicking right here.
This means that you will want to focus on those areas around dark mud or dirty water because those areas will absorb the Sun's heat energy better and warm up first.
You should also focus on areas that are protected from the cold fronts. This usually means focusing on the Northern parts of the lakes that are protected from those cold winds.
What are the best lures for bass in the Spring pre-spawn?
In the Spring, the bass are starting to warm up which means that you can start to throw your faster moving reaction baits. The bass have more energy to spare so they will put in a little more effort to go after your lures.
This is a great time of year to throw a red crank bait. A major source of protein for bass is crawdads. The crawdads were hibernating for the cold Winter months and are now out of their Winter burrows foraging for food.
Well, unlucky for them, the bass are out foraging for crawdads. Those crawdad imitation crank baits are deadly this time of year.
Another great choice is a spinner bait. Spinner baits can be used in deep or shallow water but shallow is best. You know that the bass are moving from deep to shallow water this time of years so focus on those shallow areas that are adjacent to deeper water.
I fish with three colors of spinner baits. White and chartreuse for clear water and sunny skies and blue or black for murky water and cloudy skies.
A suspending jerk bait is another great lure for this time of year too.
Watch the video below and catch more winter bass with Texas Rigged crawdads.
This is your typical water temperature range for the early Spring in most states and is a lot of bass fishermen's favorite time to bass fish.
This is the time of year when you have a great shot at catching your PB (personal best) bass because those big females are in pre-spawn mode and are ready to chow down and get fat after a long cold Winter.
This applies to everywhere bass live. Like I mentioned earlier, bass and all fish are very predictable and behave a certain way based on the temperatures in the waters that they live in.
Down here in South Florida the pre-spawn usually begins in January. In North Florida it might not start until February. In Missouri it might not start until March. You get the idea. If you don't have a thermometer get one. That way you will know what behaviors to expect and where to fish for your bass in your area.
Spring time bass are on the move. They are heading to shallow water to find a suitable place to make a nest and lay their eggs. Your job is to figure out where the best bedding areas are in the lakes that you are fishing because that is probably where the fish are.
When you see the smaller male bass in the shallows you can bet that the bigger females are in the deeper water adjacent to those bedding areas. Fish drop offs in lakes and ponds and deeper cuts in rivers and canals.
As you transition from Winter bass fishing to Spring bass fishing, you will want to focus your fishing efforts on the areas of the lake, pond, canal, river..... that are most likely to heat up to the 50 to 55 degree temperatures first.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a largemouth bass. You can read that article by clicking right here.
This means that you will want to focus on those areas around dark mud or dirty water because those areas will absorb the Sun's heat energy better and warm up first.
You should also focus on areas that are protected from the cold fronts. This usually means focusing on the Northern parts of the lakes that are protected from those cold winds.
What are the best lures for bass in the Spring pre-spawn?
In the Spring, the bass are starting to warm up which means that you can start to throw your faster moving reaction baits. The bass have more energy to spare so they will put in a little more effort to go after your lures.
This is a great time of year to throw a red crank bait. A major source of protein for bass is crawdads. The crawdads were hibernating for the cold Winter months and are now out of their Winter burrows foraging for food.
Well, unlucky for them, the bass are out foraging for crawdads. Those crawdad imitation crank baits are deadly this time of year.
Another great choice is a spinner bait. Spinner baits can be used in deep or shallow water but shallow is best. You know that the bass are moving from deep to shallow water this time of years so focus on those shallow areas that are adjacent to deeper water.
I fish with three colors of spinner baits. White and chartreuse for clear water and sunny skies and blue or black for murky water and cloudy skies.
A suspending jerk bait is another great lure for this time of year too.
Watch the video below and catch more winter bass with Texas Rigged crawdads.
55 to 60 degrees (Spawn)
The pre-spawn and the spawn are the time of the year that bass fishermen can't get enough of. Why? Because bass are hungry and overly aggressive this time of year. This makes them easier to catch.
When you are trying to catch spawning bass you are just trying to piss them off more than get them hungry. A male bass that is guarding his offspring is going to try and kill anything that gets to close to his nest.
Your job is to find the bass beds in your area. Bass eggs need sunlight to flourish so beds won't usually be deeper than about 10 feet unless the water is crystal clear. If the water is murky where you are, then you can stick to the shallows.
The females will be in deeper water near their nests.
What are the best lures for bass in the Spring spawn?
The answer is anything that you can throw at them. I love to run a white buzz bait over shallow bass beds because of the amazing top water strikes. That is a great bait to get bedding bass to hit.
Remember that you are trying to make the bass protect its nest so a bigger lure is more threatening that a small lure. A large plastic lizard that is Texas rigged is another great lure to throw at bedding bass.
Another great lure is a spinner bait. This is a great search bait to find out where the fish are.
My bass tackle box is very limited. I fish with plastic worms, crawdads, lizards and frogs and spinner baits 90 percent of the time. Those are my confidence lures and they work everywhere that I fish all year long.
Watch the video below to get the perfect rod and reel combo.
What is the best tackle for Spring time bass fishing?
The quick answer is the same tackle that you use for the rest of the year. Many bass fishermen like to use a 50 pound braid tied straight to the lure. This is going to work most of the time but if the bass are spooky, then you might want to tie a 20 pound mono filament or fluorocarbon leader to the braid.
If I am fishing thick weed mats or really heavy cover, then I might go that heavy but I usually have a 50 pound braid and a 7:1 gear ratio on my bait casting set up.
You will also want to have a stout and heavy rod to get some of those big swamp donkeys out of the thick stuff or from near structure of some kind.
When the bass are on their shallow water beds I also like to use a white buzz bait just to see the top water explosions as the bass try to kill my lure. Go get yourself a buzz bait for shallow water bass beds. You will be glad that you did.
Watch the video below and catch more bass.
Conclusion:
Bass fishing in the early and late Spring months is your easiest fishing of the year. Bass are super hungry and aggressive for the pre-spawn and spawn. You can use just about any lure in your tackle box and have success this time of year too.
The key to the Spring bass fishing patterns are water temperatures. You have to know the water temperatures where you are fishing. If you know the temperatures, then you will know how the fish will behave and where they will be.
There is no sense in fishing the shallows if the bass haven't moved from the deeper water yet, right?
I am a kayak fishing guide here on the Treasure Coast of Florida. The key to catching bass, tarpon, snook or any fish is to find the right temperatures and bait. The predatory fish will be near their food and in a comfortable water temperature. It's usually that simple most of the time.
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