Prespawn and Early Spring Tactics

I just brought the boat home this last weekend and am looking forward to getting over to WI and keep learning about early spring bass fishing. We will definitely have plenty of opportunity this season to figure it out!

So far my go to is a chatterbait, ned, and speed cranking deep cranks. The chatterbait covers so much water easily and bass seem to hate that vibration in the colder water. The ned is for when you find a schooled up group of fish and worked painfully slow. The speed cranking is really fun when it’s on. Turn the reel handle 4 or 5 times and fast as you can than pause and repeat. I have has some nice days on that.

New things I’m trying this season. Blade baits. Cold water killer according to some. Worked like a lipless crankbait by letting it fall to the bottom and lifting, then letting it flutter back to the bottom. I’ll also be throwing a lipless as well.

What are you all throwing?

Be ready to throw stuff that will suspend for a long time, jerk bait or something under a bobber. If they will chase a chatter or blade, cool but be ready for them wanting something up and slow. Good Luck!

Pink x rap. Jerk, jerk, pause, and set the hook.

I’m always confused when right after ice out they hit great. About a week before the spawn they are hard to find.

mahtofire14 wrote:

The speed cranking is really fun when it’s on. Turn the reel handle 4 or 5 times and fast as you can than pause and repeat.,,,

New things I’m trying this season. Blade baits. Cold water killer according to some. Worked like a lipless crankbait by letting it fall to the bottom and lifting, then letting it flutter back to the bottom.

We fished a day last week in the backwaters of the Mississippi and watched a fella in a boat catch bass after bass using a crank and then a blade. Never moved the boat. He was fan casting a broad area of shallow sand bottom that eventually fills with grass. Not much structure there at all right now but the fish appeared to be plentiful.

I’ve never fished bass this early in the season in my entire life because the season has always been closed until May. But if I was going to do it, a jerkbait would definitely be my top choice. Long pauses. Like painfully long in between snaps. Once the water warms to near 50 or so, the action should improve. Until then I suspect tough sledding in that frigid water.

Never target bass this early. How deep are you finding them?

Flat-sided cranks and lipless cranks can be good. Shad Raps have made Ott Defoe a lot of money in the early pre-spawn. With this warm stretch, I would have a buzzbait and a spook on deck as well.

For ice out smallies I like a jetkbait, a swim bait and a tube.
Flats in 4 to 8’ of water have been my best areas.

What little I have fished for ice out large mouths the best bait was a jerk bait.

KVD put out a video from back in February fishing an ice out lake in Michigan. He was using a swim bait.

Slow rolling a double colorado blade spinnerbait with a paddle tail plastic threaded onto the hook. I’ve incredable days the past couple springs in WI fishing shallow with this setup. Best color for me has been bluegill colors on the skirt and paddle tail.

The crankbait bite on the first break outside spawning bays or flats can be incredible. This is where most fish hang out pre-spawn and often feeding heavily prior to moving in to spawn. It also is the area most females move after the spawn to recover. The key is to crank the bait as fast as possible to get it into the strike zone, Then kill the bait for a pause. They almost always hit at the end of the pause just as it starts to move again The old original Bomber Fat A or storm wiggle wart is deadly for this

Tellin’ ya jig, minnow & bobber (oops I mentioned a bobber & live bait on a bass site!) Watch your bobber eat some sandwich pull it forward 3 feet move on to chips. Those suspending sticks will rise up or sink, that could be a trigger or not. Keep the old school approach rigged on a rod as an option, which of course would be an extra good option if we could use 2 lines.

tim hurley wrote:

Tellin’ ya jig, minnow & bobber (oops I mentioned a bobber & live bait on a bass site!) Watch your bobber eat some sandwich pull it forward 3 feet move on to chips. Those suspending sticks will rise up or sink, that could be a trigger or not. Keep the old school approach rigged on a rod as an option, which of course would be an extra good option if we could use 2 lines.

You’re not wrong. I’ve caught some great bass while crappie fishing before bass season opens. Especially beetle spins!

Easy to get stuck in a rut size wise, good to upsize starting in about August.

My favorite pre-spawn baits may be a little different here in California but the Rapala DT-6 in demon red is ALWAYS a perfect bait for those transition fish that are tough stick. Crank baits are generally a great way to cover water.

Check out a post I wrote for my blog if you’re interested. These crank baits can be used all spring and summer.

The 3 Best Crankbaits For Bass That’ll Dominate This Spring