Now that you know where to start your
search for the biggest bass, you need the
right tools. In our experience, the three
lures that excel at targeting oversized bass
in the prespawn are a soft swimbait, a
glide bait and a jig. Knowing when to use
each is the last piece of the puzzle.
Soft swimbait – The soft swimbait is
the first bait to come into play in early
spring. As soon as bass start the shift
toward shallower water, they become
susceptible to the swimbait. Baits with
wedge-style tails and boot tails will work
during this period as long as they are
large – 6 to 10 inches long.
We catch the most fish by sitting in
shallow water and casting a swimbait out deep along likely secondary points. Let
the bait fall all the way to the bottom, and
then begin crawling the bait back uphill
toward shore. Maintain constant bottom
contact, and be ready anytime you feel
your bait bump into cover. The biggest
fish are ambush feeders and will often sit
right against a key piece of structure.
When the bite comes, do not wait to
set the hook. The biggest mistake you
can make is hesitating. When you feel a
clear “tick,” set the hook like it’s the
biggest fish you’ve ever caught, because
it might be.
Glide bait – The glide bait will come
into play as the fish move into shallower
water. Anything less than 10 to 12 feet
deep is prime for a glide bait. We typi-
cally use one around visible cover.
A glide bait has a seductive side-to-
side swim when retrieved at a steady
speed, but the real magic happens when
you give the reel handle a couple quick
twitches. The bait will dart aggressively
from side to side, eliciting a feeding
response from any prowling bass. The
advantage of the glide bait over the soft
swimbait is its ability to “trigger” a feed-
ing response at will.
Jig – Last is the jig. While we all
dream about perfect prespawn condi-
tions, the reality is that much of the
country will be plagued by heavy
storms in the coming weeks. When
lakes are inundated with cold, muddy
water, the swimbait bite will temporar-
ily end. The less-prepared angler might
head for home, but you predicted the
changing conditions and are equipped
with a jig.
Knowing most of the giant bass
choose to hunker in place rather than
retreat, the likely locations for a big bass
become much smaller in our hypotheti-
cal scenario. Every large rock and piece
of wood along your favorite secondary
points, humps and breaks becomes a
perfect target. Take your time, make
repeat casts to each piece of cover, and
you might be amazed at the size of bass
that bite.
Big-bass fishing is a year-round pur-
suit, but the fish weigh the most in early
spring. You can treat this year like any
other, or you can begin hunting down
the fish you dream of catching. Be
strategic, pay attention to how the fish
are moving and adjust your presenta-
tions to match. You have the ability to
catch giant bass; it’s time to head to the
lake and make it happen.
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 29
first, and their location provides critical
information. The females will hang a few
points behind the males and linger for
long periods on key structures.
It’s important to know that the
largest bass choose the points with the
best structure or cover. If you find a
series of points entering a creek arm, but
only one has rock piles, brush or lay-
down logs, that’s the one that will hold
bigger fish much longer than all the sur-
rounding points.
The fish settle on these likely loca-
tions because they provide cover to feed.
If the creek arms you’re fishing have
multiple points with desirable cover,
assume the fish will use each one they
come to. With this in mind, you can
always stay ahead of them as they travel
toward the back of the arm.
Lowland Reservoirs
Bass in lowland reservoirs tend to
winter near the mouths of major creek
arms. The bass choose areas where they
can ambush roaming baitfish but
remain clear of any main-river current.
When these bass started their migration,
they had a very clear path to the back of
the spawning coves. Much like their
cousins in highland reservoirs, lowland
bass stop along secondary points. The
primary difference is lowland reservoirs
often have shallower bays, offering the
bass offshore routes as well.
In shallower bays, the bigger fish will
often follow the edges of the creek chan-
nel, stopping on major bends or humps
along the way. A smaller group of fish
will typically follow the shoreline, so be
sure to check both paths. In either situa-
tion, larger females spend the most time
on locations with steep edges and heavy
cover.
Once you’ve caught a fish or two, it’s
time to work backward toward the mouth
of the bay until you find the key structure
that’s holding the biggest fish. Take note
of any likely spots in between, as the fish
will subsequently use that area on their
migration to the back of the bay.
Natural Lakes
Natural lakes provide a unique set of
challenges. Bass in these environments
winter in large groups. The schools can
often be found on the edges of deep
holes or on outside breaklines.
Understanding their winter positioning
is key to spring fishing success because
you can figure out which way fish will go
by connecting a line from their winter
haunt to the nearest spawning flat.
Bass in natural lakes often have less-
defined paths to follow because shallow
spawning grounds can be found all over
the lake. They usually follow the most
direct breakline along the shore, stop-
ping on corners and depth changes to
feed. In lakes with slow-tapering shore-
lines, the fish will use any contour
change they find, and can even be found
along transitions in bottom material
such as rock to mud or mud to sand.
Again, the first goal is to catch any bass
that will bite. This will help you gauge the
depth where the fish are holding. From
there, you can work out into deeper water
in search of breaks and transitions where
the larger bass will stack up.
Small Lakes and Ponds
Bass in smaller fisheries behave very
similarly to those in large lakes. In steep
ponds that have a dam, the biggest fish
winter in deep water adjacent to the
dam. In natural lakes and ponds, the fish
winter in the hollows out in the middle
of the lake, lying flat on bottom with
nothing around. Depending on the type
of pond or lake you’re on, it’s safe to
assume the fish will follow the path of
either a highland reservoir or a natural
lake as previously described.
Keep in mind you’re fishing for small-
er concentrations of fish using smaller
structures. For example, a handful of big
bass will gather on a single log on the bot-
tom as they shift from the deep end to the
shallow end of the pond. A laydown or a
break wall might be the secondary point
where fish collect. All the same behavioral
rules apply; just on a smaller scale.
How to Catch Them