Bass fishing time is here

The last couple of weeks we talked about March being the best time in this part of the country to catch really big bass. So this week, let’s look at what makes these predatory fish tick, and get some tips that might help you to land that lunker bass!

March and April are some of the best times to start focusing on big bass that are awakening from the winter doldrums and looking for a good meal. It also marks the nearing of the spawning season, the time the makes anglers across the country salivate.

Keep in mind that smaller bodies of water usually warm up faster, so ponds and small lakes will turn on first, followed by the larger impoundments.

Early Prespawn — As cold-blooded animals, bass spend their winter in fairly deep water in energy-conservation mode. Although they’ll still eat when food is available, the cold water lowers their metabolism to the point that they don’t need to eat much to survive.

Bass typically become active in water depths of 20 to 30 feet, and when surface temperatures warm above 44 degrees.

This is the time when the female bass begins to fill out her egg skeins, and she needs groceries to do this. Baitfish and crawfish are favorite meals, and being cold-blooded themselves, are easy pickings for predatory bass because they move slowly and not far, due to low energy reserves.

Keep this point in mind when presenting your artificial lure to these bass. Early bass instinctively refuse to chase a fast-moving lure or one that has a lot of action, because it’s out of synch with nature.

To grow and develop those eggs, Mama bass needs to consume more calories than she expends to catch her meal, so if it isn’t delivered to her doorstep, she isn’t buying it.

Jigs, worms and other slower moving baits are best for this time of year. Easy meal with little work on the bass’ part is key.

Late Prespawn — After water surface temps rise above 50, but before bass build their nest to spawn, is the best time to catch huge bass.

This is the period when bass anglers always seem to call in sick for work to play hooky. With the longer daylight hours and warming water in the shallows, largemouth begin to feel their oats, and they go on a major feeding binge.

Fish follow main lake points and secondary points as highways to the shallow flats, and will congregate on points where they can ambush baitfish as they swim past, and crayfish crawling out from under rocks. You may find these aggressive bruisers anywhere from 3 to 15 feet deep, but often the most aggressive bass will be the shallowest.

Look for rocky bottoms, particularly on flats in coves protected from the wind, and near deep water. Although wind pushes warm water into coves and pockets, too much stirs up silt, reducing the ability of sunlight to incubate the eggs, and increasing the odds of oxygen deprivation.

Because they are scattered, use reaction baits that allow you to cover large areas quickly. One of my favorites is a lipless, vibrating crankbait, such as the Rat-L-Trap. These are great search baits, since it casts a mile and covers the 5-foot depth zone efficiently.

Spawn – When water temperatures hit the upper 50s, bass will move into spawning mode. Male fish will move into shallow water, 10-feet or less, and stake out the best places to lure a female to spawn.

Fish that are on or have been working beds will have raw or bloody lower caudle fins from making shallow depressions, or beds in gravel or other soft substrate. If you have a contour map of the lake, look for areas that are relatively flat (contour lines far apart) in the 3-6 foot depth.

Not all bass spawn at once. Many will move onto their spawning beds around the new or full moon, or when the sun comes out after a long period of cloudy weather. At the same time many bass are spawning, others will be in a pre- or post-spawn mode. Normally, the biggest bass are the first to spawn. You need to make a decision now as to which group of fish you’ll target, because different approaches are required for each.