Early Spring Bass Fishing in Northern Waters

I once had a trip in April where I went to a small bay along the edge of a private lake. It had reached 70 degrees that day and the woods and water were teaming with activity. I had told someone earlier in the day, as we were driving into the back woods to play airsoft, that the small bay would be a great spot to try fishing on a day like today. When things ended early, I realized I still had my rod and a few lures behind my truck seat so I figured I'd give it a try. I nearly skipped the bay and went to the main lake before reminding myself of the advice I had given my friend.

I poked my way through the cattails and started to fish. I caught a 10" bass first, nothing special but it beats nothing. Then nothing on the next cast, then, on four of the next five casts, I managed to catch four fish that all weighed 4+ pounds!

This bass measured in at nearly 23"

Spring bass fishing has long been one of my favorite fishing activities. When you hit it just right, it can produce some of the best bass fishing there is! Like that incredible trip, being at the right place at the right time can make all the difference.

Bass season may not be open where you are and you want to be careful targeting them off-season. But if you have the opportunity to get out and do some catch and release bass fishing this spring, I highly recommend it.

That bay I fished was special in the spring because it had a dark, muddy bottom. With the sun out, the dark mud warmed up and the various insects were very active. This attracts other fish and frogs that feed on the insects, which attracts the bigger predators, like bass. These areas exist in many bodies of water, bass are a warm water fish so look for areas where the water temperatures would be higher. Shallow flat bays, muddy slack water, shallow back canals with good sun exposure, etc.

My favorite way to fish these areas is to work a creature bait along the bottom. I use a Zoom superhog with a 3/8 oz. tungsten bullet weight, Texas rigged, in a color that matches the area. Green pumpkin is my go-to. On this trip, black neon was the perfect presentation in the black mud with 20 lb. Power Pro braid and a palomar knot (see video below from videofishingknots.com).

The goal was to make the creature bait look like a frog. I'd cast it to an area and let it hit the bottom hard and then barely wiggle it. Just enough to kick up a cloud of mud and make it look like a frog trying to hide. Bass find it very a-luring!

So get on out there this spring and look for a warm spot and match the prey that's out there.