february/march
TAKEOFF
IN SEASON
Seasonal tips and tricks
other odds and ends
SpoTTeD baSS SucceSS
Target Bluffs and Transition Banks Now
Several of the country’s best spotted bass fish-
eries lie just a long cast or two from Greg
Bohannan’s Bentonville, Ark., home. Year-round
access to these waters has allowed him to hone his
skills in patterning spotted bass during late winter
and into early spring.
“I like to target spotted bass early in the year
because they are often more aggressive and less sus-
ceptible to cold fronts compared to largemouths,” he explains. “The first places I
like to explore for big spotted bass are bluff wall ends. Transitions, located
between bluffs and gravel banks, are my second choice.”
Bohannan believes that when water temperatures consistently register below
45 degrees, a Skirmish Baits AIM-7 suspending jerkbait will entice most spotted
bass hovering along bluff walls. As water warms, he changes to a Skirmish Baits
A10 crankbait and systematically probes transition bank bottoms.
“Forty-seven degrees is definitely the magic temperature, at least in the Ozarks,
when spotted bass begin their migration from bluff walls to shallower transition
areas,” Bohannan adds.
20 YEARS AGO …
Rick Clunn Got FLW Win No. 1
Date: Feb. 26-March 1, 1997
Location: Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi
Legendary angler Rick Clunn earned the first of three
FLW Tour wins with a four-day total weight of 43 pounds,
7 ounces. He bested the likes of Ricky Green (second),
David Fritts (sixth) and Peter Thliveros (eighth) for the
win. The ultra-stingy reservoir did not yield many bass, as a mere 10-pound, 2-
ounce two-day total weight was adequate to finish in the money.
Don’T forgeT The original floaTer
1. Zack birge
Norman Deep Baby N
“Even though the Deep Baby
N is very effective in the
spring, it’s often overlooked
by anglers. I like to throw it on
10-pound-test fluorocarbon
and slow-crank it along the
bottom, similar to fishing a
Wiggle Wart. My favorite col-
ors are chartreuse/blueback
or any of the craw colors.”
MARCH
For most regions of the country, the months of February and March are
prime for jerkbaiting. Many of the seemingly endless models of jerkbaits in tack-
le shops can trace their ancestral roots back to a single lure – Rapala’s Original
Floater, or the Finnish Minnow. The lure dates back to 1936, when Lauri Rapala
utilized cork, tinfoil and photo negatives to create his first prototypes. The lure
was an instant success. Today, the Original Floater populates millions of tackle
boxes around the world.
“The Original Floater remains one of my favorite lures in the spring, especially
when bass are guarding beds during the spawn,” says Kentucky pro Terry Bolton.
“I like to snap it down in short jerks and rolls, and pause it to hover over a bed. It
does a really good job of aggravating spawning fish.”
20
By Paul Strege
3 JerKbaiT
alTernaTiveS:
2. ramie colson Jr.
SPRO Little John MD
“It’s a versatile lure. You can
retrieve it at a wide range of
speeds, and the lip design
helps it to run over branches
without snagging. Spring
craw is my favorite color of
the bunch.”
3. clark reehm
1/2-ounce Bill Lewis
Rat-L-Trap
“Lipless crankbaits produce
decent numbers of quality
fish during the spring.
Additionally, you can cover a
ton of water and get fish to
react even during a cold
front.”
flwfiShing.com i february-march 2017