COLUMN : TACTICAL BASSIN
Rivers and Deltas
River and delta systems are current- and tide-driven fisheries . Most river systems have current year-round , and water flows are dependent on weather and the upriver dam , while delta systems are affected by the ocean and have daily tidal swings .
Bass in these systems will try to get out of the current and find backwaters to spawn using the path of least resistance to get to their spawning locations .
Some well-known examples of river and delta systems include the California Delta and Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee . creek flow . If you ’ re in a cut without a creek , look for laydowns and submerged stumps to target with a big glide bait , which can serve as a search bait as well as a giant-catcher .
The key point to remember here is that on Chickamauga or other similar fisheries , don ’ t be afraid to start shallow in the backs of creeks and work out from there .
LAKE CHICKAMAUGA
IN ACTION
The Scenario : It ’ s late April on Chickamauga . The winter drawdown is over , and the TVA is starting to increase the flows and raise the lake level to summer pool .
The very first place you should be looking is in the clear backs of cuts that have running water in them . As the water levels rise with the incoming water , the prespawn migration happens very quickly . Bass will almost skip the middle and go straight to the back of the coves with moving water . The additional flow brings warmer water , nutrients and food to every fish in the ecosystem , in turn drawing predatory species with it . In this scenario , I like to throw shallow-diving squarebills and lipless crankbaits in the moving water . I ’ ll also sometimes throw bigger glide baits in the calm water near the incoming
Natural Lakes
Natural lakes are lakes that don ’ t have dams or are not manmade , though some natural lakes have very small dams as flood precautions . Natural lakes are low-lying lakes found in mountainous areas . They fish more like lowland reservoirs than highland reservoirs and are typically shallower .
Natural lakes don ’ t usually have a lot of offshore structure , and bass in these fisheries will instead use creek channels and
clear lake
subtle depth-change contours as highways to get to their spawning locations . On a smaller scale , it should be noted that many small manmade lakes and ponds share some key characteristics with natural lakes .
A shining example of a quality natural lake with exceptional prespawn bass fishing is Clear Lake in Northern California .
IN ACTION
The Scenario : It ’ s mid-April on Clear Lake . The winter and early spring have been unseasonably dry . The creeks are pretty much dried up and the backwaters that usually hold fish are similarly devoid of much water .
While not totally unique to natural lakes , many times bass will turn to offshore areas to spawn when there isn ’ t much available suitable shallow real estate . I would rely on my electronics ( especially side imaging ) to locate offshore areas that are slightly deeper , looking specifically for fresh grass .
Because a lot of the areas bass normally spawn in are on dry land , you ’ ve got to find areas where they can spawn out deeper . Look for hard bottom or gravel patches on your side imaging . The hard bottom will have a brighter return and readout than a soft or muddy bottom .
Key search baits for this scenario include an Alabama rig and glide bait , both fished just above the grass , and a lipless crankbait or blade bait to rip through the grass . In either scenario , bass in Clear Lake use the grass patches and grass lines as cover to both ambush prey and to spawn .
34 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | APRIL-MAY 2021