CONDITIONS
Weather | a mix of cold , rain , wind and overcast skies on days one , two and four ; cold and breezy in the morning on day three , with sunshine in the afternoon air temperature | upper 20s to upper 50s Water temperature | upper 40s to low 50s moon phase | first quarter predominant lake features | various shallow grasses , riprap causeways , bridges , points and docks photo by andy hagedon grass lines formed by submergent vegetation , usually hydrilla and milfoil , or even some types of emergent grass such as gator grass . The grass lines are created primarily by the rise and fall of the reservoir and / or low water temperature in the shallows . Aquatic grasses dry out and die when a lake is pulled down to “ winter pool ,” or when extreme temperatures kill off shallow grass . When the lake starts rising again in the spring , a clean lane forms between the old winter shoreline and the new flooded shoreline . This ribbon of water creates prime real estate for staging bass , allowing them to hold up against the inside grass line until conditions are right for them to spawn .
Browns creek Bass
Rose knows this staging phenomenon well .
“ It ’ s an age-old pattern that happens in grass lakes all over the Southeast in February and March ,” Rose says . “ Inside grass lines are the key places that the females stage . The places where I caught them in Browns Creek in Guntersville were textbook spots for staging fish .”
Rose ’ s primary “ textbook ” spot featured a flat point that stuck way out into the creek . The top of the point included scattered hydrilla in 4 to 6 feet of water and served as a gateway to the staging areas . As the grass ran toward the bank down both sides of the point , it formed a hard inside line , separated from the bank by an open lane of water about 2 to 3 feet deep . The lane was littered with hard objects such as laydown logs and scattered rock , creating a perfect staging area .
“ I couldn ’ t have scripted a more perfect spot ,” Rose says . “ It had everything they needed to hold them in there . I found some other thinner grass lines that held a few fish , too , but they were more like grass strips along clay banks . The inside line around that big point was by far my best place .”
In addition to the perfect staging spot , Rose also tapped the causeway riprap along the bridge in Browns Creek for several solid keepers on the week . He considered the riprap bass to still be in winter mode . They hung around the Browns Creek channel and occasionally moved up to feed on big gizzard shad along the rocks .
“ When I first got to town and drove across that bridge , there were hundreds of birds diving behind that causeway ,” Rose recalls . “ So that ’ s the first place I went in practice , and I started snagging big gizzard shad on my crankbait . I knew then there had to be some winter bass feeding on those gizzards . After that I ran back farther in the creek and found that beautiful inside grass line , and I was sold on Browns Creek .”
two-part execution
By tournament time , Rose had developed a potent milk run in the creek . His strategy was to start on the causeway riprap in low light to fish the winter pattern . Once the sun got up , he moved into the back of Browns to the point and its adjacent grass line to pick on the staging bass for a prespawn pattern .
TOP FIVE name |
hometoWn |
WeIght |
fIsh |
WInnIngs |
1 . MARK ROSE |
WEST MEMPHIS , AR |
79-11 |
20 |
$ 125,000 * |
2 . BRYAN THRIFT |
SHELBY , NC |
78-12 |
20 |
$ 30,200 |
3 . ALEX DAVIS |
ALBERTVILLE , AL |
72-10 |
20 |
$ 25,100 |
4 . SCOTT SUGGS |
ALEXANDER , AR |
68-09 |
20 |
$ 20,000 |
5 . SHINICHI FUKAE |
PALESTINE , TX |
68-04 |
20 |
$ 19,000 |
* Includes Ranger Cup
“ Some of that was about timing , too ,” Rose says . “ The riprap was a great place to kill time while letting the staging spot replenish . I would make a pass through the staging area , pick off one or two good ones , then retreat to the riprap and crank it while the staging area rested and reloaded .”
Things went perfectly for Rose the first two days . But on day three , a frontal passage left behind a blustery northeast wind that blew right down the main drag of Browns Creek .
“ I thought I was toast ,” Rose says . “ That wind had really stained up the water in back of the creek . But that inside line had done its job in sort of protecting that inside lane from the wind-driven mud . I think that ’ s one reason why inside grass lines are such attractive staging areas : protection . They provide a nice , secure place for the fish to hunker down and feel comfortable while they wait for the spawning process to happen .”
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