Bass Fishing Apr - May 2020 | Page 24

COLUMN: TACTICAL BASSIN you don’t have to see to believe The biggest bass of the year can be caught around the spawn, but you don’t always have to sight-fish to catch them F ABOUT THE AUTHORS A fishing guide and con- servation officer, respec- tively, Matt Allen and Tim Little are well-known big-bass experts who own Tactical Bassin, a website and social media chan- nels dedicated to educat- ing the public about bass fishing. 22 ishing during the spawn can provide some of the most heart-pounding, mind-blowing and overall rewarding outings of the entire season. This is the best time of year to see some of the largest bass where you live. It’s also one of your best oppor- tunities to catch a new person- al best, and maybe even a fish of a lifetime. When anglers talk about fishing the spawn, they usually talk about sight-fishing or bed- fishing, and the full moons in April and May certainly are prime times for targeting bass by eye. But that doesn’t have to be the only way to target big fish. We have a few additional techniques to share with you to help you catch more bass dur- ing the spawn without sight- fishing, because you don’t always have to see to believe when it comes to springtime fishing. Find Spawning Areas To properly understand how to target big bass during the spawn, you must first understand their movements. On most bodies of water, the north end of the lake warms up first because of the sun shining in the southern sky, so that’s a great starting point early on. When we head out on the lake, we look for shallow spawning bays close to main- lake points. Shallow bays and coves that are protected from the wind and harsh afternoon shadows are key areas. This type of cove is where you will most likely find the first wave of spawning fish on beds. Locate Subtle Transitions Although bed-fishing is a large part of our fishing this time of year, we’ve caught some of our largest bass with- out ever seeing them until they are in the net. One of the most productive techniques is fan- casting in spawning bays. We drop the trolling motor and scour the shallows, meticulous- ly looking for subtle anomalies that will hopefully produce the next double-digit bass. You might assume we just look for the obvious cleared- out beds or nests, but that isn’t the case. The biggest bass are usually the weariest. As they transition and move from the depths up into the shallows, they utilize whatever cover and concealment they can find. They’ll use the obvious rock, wood, small depressions or FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | APRIL-MAY 2020