Catch BIG Spring Bass with These 10 Tips & Tricks

Every angler has one thought in mind just as the ice starts to melt: Spawning bass!

Now that it's early in the fishing season, you need to begin getting your gear together and checking out those prime spots teeming with largemouth and smallmouth bass.

So how do you catch a big fish during spring fishing?

The following early spring bass fishing tips are geared towards enthusiastic anglers looking to bag a huge catch!

 

Here are some early spring bass fishing tips!

You've probably been snowbound for 4 or so months in the North and can't wait to get back to fishing. Southern anglers are just as eager to catch prespawn bass during this time of year.

Is there any way you can ensure your hopes won't be in vain and that you get it right?

Take a look at the following 10 bass fishing tips straight from professional bass anglers that will guarantee you win this spring.

 

1. Bang against the rocks

Fish – largemouth and smallmouth – that are just before they spawn frequent rocky flats and slopes not too far from their spawning hubs. You'll need gear for 20 to 30 feet of depth in these areas, so you'll want to prepare yourself with the right gear.

You can catch big fish by diving crankbaits slowly near the bottom. You can make the slit by hitting the lures right up against a chunk of rock. Crawdads scurry hastily to hideouts in similar fashion to what you just accomplished.

Let your bait sit for a moment when you hit big boulders. You'll be met instantly by a massive bass that's drawn to your irresistible performance.

 

2. Know the Correct Temperatures

Bass fish don't hang around just anywhere. Exactly where the fish are depends on the water temperature, so you have to determine the optimum temperature for the water you are fishing. As soon as the water temperature reaches 48 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, largemouth bass are ready to spawn. Once the temperature gets up to the low 60s, this is officially spawning season for them.

It should be a few degrees lower for smallmouth bass. Aim for about 55 degrees for the sweet spot. You'll be golden for bass that are about to spawn!

 

3. Wait Until the Sun Goes Down

Although it may not be so appealing to fish at night in the early spring due to low temperatures, this is a great time to catch bass this season. This time of year, when bass are spawning, night fishing offers an excellent chance for you to connect with spawning bass.

In shallow water, spotting spawning beds during the day is easy, and seeing them at night is even easier. When you're casting in the middle of a bass catch zone, you're pretty much guaranteed a strike.

In early spring, there is another advantage to night fishing - there are no mosquitoes! Those bugs are hardly visible, as well as the "toe biters," which makes night fishing quite pleasant.

The nights will be chilly, as we mentioned. Warm pants and a jacket will take care of the problem. Find the right spot and dress accordingly. The calmer the waters, the more likely your noisemaking topwater lures will work. You can catch spawning bass hours before dawn by bringing a few mice lures, jitterbugs, and the like.

During night fishing, timing is essential. If you want a better chance of catching something, be sure to sit at your spot after dusk.

 

4. Make Sure All the Elements Are in Place

Early spring bass fishing can be enhanced by the moon?

In addition to keeping track of the water temperature, you should also pay attention to the moon phase as a factor in spawning behavior. The moon phase and water temperature can be logged in a journal.

You should invest in a temperature gauge for your boat, which lets you track and record temperatures. This handy little gadget lets you record and monitor the temperature every five feet deep. A handy device like this one will suffice if you can't use a larger one for whatever reason.

 

5. A Big Lure for a Big Fish

According to a fishing proverb, the best bait for catching a big fish is a big bait. There is some truth in this old saying, but don't let it be your only rule. Large bass can also be caught with medium or small baits since they eat whatever they can get their teeth on.

However, getting that big lure out of the box doesn't hurt. During that glorious pre-spawn period, it will surely come in handy. You should be able to hook a few huge male bass on this bite, and you can also count on large mama bass to inhale this bait!

So be willing to experiment with baits of different sizes and sizes to find out which one works best for you.

 

6. Cover the Water with Those Hard Lures

In some cases, it is worthwhile to use hard lures that double as location lures. As a result, you will be able to cover the water much faster and elicit a strike from your game. It is for this purpose that hard lures are used, and they are much better at acting as reaction lures than a soft lure and a more graceful presentation.

 

7. Look at the Water Features

Early spring fishing for bass requires a bit of observation.

It is not difficult at all to figure out where to fish if you look at the land around the lake. You can tell so much about how likely you are to catch something by the geography.

Underwater structures should be checked. This time of year, it's a good idea to focus on areas that receive a lot of sun and heat. The pre-spawning and spawning season takes place in these places.

 

8. Staging Areas for Spawning Bass Should Be In Prime Locations

I mentioned earlier that boulders or chunks of rock on hillsides or slopes make great staging areas. Bass feed at these locations prior to spawning.

You should cover cast the area and then wade quietly. By this time, you should have already cast your slope and are fishing in an area where prespawn bass are in abundance.

 

9. Shallow Water is the Best Option

Bass are commonly found in shallow water near the mouths of major creeks and along their back ends in the spring. Coves, points, and banks near shallow water are also good places to catch your prized catch.

When a cold front passes, fish may be within 10 to 15 feet of the surface, but when temperatures rise, they drift shallow, sometimes up to 4 - 8 feet deep.

Another decent spot is near a break line. While working the area for a bass, be more thorough and slower down. Between the mouth and the back end of this creek, you should be able to locate schools of bass staging.

When you return the next day, don't expect them to be where they were the day before. While some of them may still be there, they are more likely to move to a new spot.

 

10. Try Spinnerbaits

I recommend that you get your spinnerbait into action. Right now would be the ideal time to start throwing them. Shallow waters are the ideal place to try them out.

The jig-and-craw method also works, but the best method is to cover a lot of water, regardless of the bait you use. Stick close to the shorelines.

 

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