Fishing Tips From the Pros

A Great Spot For Spring

By TROY JENS

One of the most frequently asked questions thrown my way during spring guiding is "when do bass first become active in the spring?"

My standard answer for people who live in the northern states is that bass become active as soon as the water is soft enough for the bait to sink. In the south, it's as soon as the water temperatures become consistent in the mid to upper 40s. I've caught many big bass in lakes and ponds with ice still on the water.

As soon as the ice melts, or as soon as water temperatures show signs of warming up, bass want to get shallow and they want to eat. People who wait until April and May to start fishing are missing some great action and the chance at a really giant bass. A lot of 10-pound fish and bigger are caught in water temperatures less than 50 degrees.

Bass stage sooner than many people realize as they typically can spawn in cooler water, often going through the spawn weeks before the big waves of smaller fish move up. It's also surprising to many anglers how active these early fish can be. Dragging jigs and bottom dredgers at a snail’s pace in deep water is not the answer to big cold-water spring bass. These bass are after shallow baitfish, and my favorite baitfish imitator for these springtime cold-water periods is the Cotton Cordell Super Spot.

The Cotton Cordell Super Spot is one of those timeless baits that is versatile enough to work from very slow to super fast. The quality construction, consistent action, color selection and good hooks set it apart from other lipless crank-baits, making it my bait of choice right out of the box.

In the spring, from ice out and through water temps in the 40s, I like to fish the Super Spot on breaklines where big bass are staged for the spawn. Areas that go from 4 to 8-feet deep are prime target areas for me during late winter and early spring. Points, humps, ledges or breaklines with old grass or wood cover such as stumps or lay-downs are excellent areas to start. You don't have to fish deep to find big bass this time of year, just make sure there is a breakline close to deeper water.

Secondary points, shallow points in creeks and pockets and shallow main lake ledges and humps hold a lot of active early bass. I often throw the 1/2 oz. Super Spot, working it just fast enough to stay above the bottom. It works great over old grass on humps and ledges and swims better at slower paces than other lipless crank-baits. Normally I use 14-lb test Silver Thread AN40 line, which allows the bait to swim easily yet still has the strength to muscle big fish to the boat.

With water temperatures in the 40s, bass are often on the edges of humps, points or banks, and the slow, steady retrieve is very productive. I'll make long throws and keep the rod tip low so the bait stays just above the bottom, lifting the rod tip only if the bait begins to make contact with the bottom or the cover I'm fishing.

As the water warms into the 50s, I begin fishing the tops of the humps and ledges and I begin moving further back into the creeks where the bass will do the bedding. By speeding up the retrieve and lifting the rod tip, the Super Spot becomes an outstanding shallow water pre-spawn bait.

So, if you're suffering from cabin fever, remember that for bass, spring starts earlier than you might think. Get to your favorite fishing hole and take the edge off. Throw a Super Spot on the edges of those spawning grounds, and just be ready, because that first bite of the year could be the one you've been dreaming of all winter.

Troy Jens is a fishing guide on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. Troy also fishes the Bassmaster Opens when he's not operating Troy's Pro Guide SVC.