Spring Techniques

The first thing to keep in mind is exactly what’s going on in the spring of the year. The
biggest thing that happens in the spring is that the weather warms up, and when the
weather warms up, the water temperatures begin to warm as well. As water
temperatures warm, bass begin to move from their deep water winter lairs, to shallower
warmer water.

This means after a couple of warm day’s bass will begin to move onto any shallow flats
seeking warmer water. So, rather than focusing of deep water cover, in the spring focus
on underwater humps and shallower water than you would in the fall or winter. As the
water temperature rises bass will move to the warmer water.

With all that being said, let’s discuss some of the more popular and effective spring
bass fishing lures, what do you say?

1. Jig & Pig – The jig and pig is a great bass fishing lure for the spring of the year. This
bait imitates crayfish very well, which is a favorite food for bass in the spring of the year.
Use colors that mimic crayfish as much as you can. The jig and pig is a great lure at this
time of year.
2. Rattling Crank Baits – In the spring a rattling crank bait is a great lure foe bass. Many
anglers believe that the rattling sound imitates fighting crayfish underwater. Is this true?
Who knows, but the point is that the rattling sound helps to give the bass something to
“hone in on”, and in the often stained water of spring, these bass fishing lures are very
effective. A great tip is to find some grass and pull your crank bait through the grass,
varying the speed of your retrieve as you go.
3. Spinner Baits – Slow rolling spinner baits is a great bass fishing technique to use in
the spring. Once again, many anglers think that these lures, when retrieved slowly,
mimic crayfish, so stick with darker colors such as black or brown. Colorado blades
seem to work better than other blades in the spring of the year as well. Slow roll your
spinner bait through any grass that you can find, just like with the rattling crank bait. Try to
keep your bait near the bottom as much as you can.
makes the bass additionally vulnerable at this time is that they also strike out of reflex
and a natural instinct to defend - hungry or not.
4. Weightless soft plastics-  A 6 or 10 inch lizard Texas rigged without a weight can be
very productive this time of year, and is one of my favorite baits. One of my favorite lizards
is a pumpkin body with a chartruese tail 10 inch Zoom lizard. Target the grass areas
near the banks. The wightless lizard will allow you to throw into the grass and fish it
without getting snagged. Remember to keep the line as tight as possible because the
strikes are sometimes a small bump in the line.