Dustin Connell
Clanton , Alabama
PRESPAWN WATERS : Coosa River and its chain of reservoirs
Dustin Connell honed his bass angling skills as a guide on Alabama ’ s Coosa River impoundments , but his prespawn preparation stretches well beyond home waters .
Key conditions / habitat
“ In the Southeast , when I think ‘ prespawn ,’ I think of that three-week window before bass slide up from their wintertime haunts ,” Connell explains . “ In a clear , deep reservoir , the haunts could be in 40- to 50-foot depths . In Georgia ’ s Lake Lanier , it may be 35 to 40 feet , 25 feet in the Coosa River lakes , 22 feet in Lake Eufaula .”
During the early prespawn , masses of bass migrate from deep holding areas up to bedding areas . Connell leans on his electronics to find promising flats adjacent to deep water .
“ The key prespawn word for me is ‘ staging ,’” he says . “ Bass are getting ready to slide up to areas where they ’ ll spawn . They stage near creek channel bends that meet spawning flats , the backs of pockets and creek arms , a flat with stumps or bluff ends that meet a flat or a run of docks . When I won REDCREST on Lake Eufaula last February , those fish were hardcore prespawn fish in the last week of prespawn . They were staging , getting ready to spawn , on 8- to 10-foot brush piles near deep water .” He looks for suspended fish as well as transition areas . “ A lot of times in clear water , bass suspend ,” he explains . “ They just float around on points , waiting for conditions to stabilize so they can slide up .”
With sub-50 water temperatures , a bass ’ metabolism is slow .
“ There are two different personalities of bass – shad eaters and bream eaters .”
“ When the temperature reaches 53 to 56 degrees , it ’ s a wake-up call to bass ,” Connell says . “ It presses their restart button . They ’ re ready to slide up from the depths to those 12- or 15-foot areas , and they ’ re more apt to bite . That ’ s when your best fishing happens .”
Favorite baits and techniques
Connell links lure selection to water color .
“ If the water is clear , I ’ ll fish a jerkbait or slow-roll a swimbait , keeping the bait above their heads ,” he says . “ My boat will be sitting in deep water , but I ’ m making long casts into 8 to 10 feet of water , trying to get fish as they are moving up .”
He prefers translucent and shad colors in clear water ; white and white / chartreuse in darkened water .
When bass move up further into shallow dingy water , his go-to baits are a black / blue vibrating jig , trailed with a green pumpkin Googan Squad Saucy Swimmer , and a spinnerbait . He matches both of these to bluegill colors .
Keep in mind that …
“ There are two different personalities of bass – shad eaters and bream eaters ,” Connell says . “ Bream offer bass a bigger meal this time of year . Big prespawn bass are eating bluegill . I ’ m throwing bream-colored baits in ( shallow ) dingy water , trying to catch a real big one .”
Tips & Tricks :
“ Often we get a ton of rain in February through April . When the water is really cold and muddy , a 3 / 4-ounce solid chartreuse spinnerbait with big No . 6 or No . 7 Colorado blades can be a life saver . You can cover water much better with a spinnerbait than a jig .
“ On lakes like Eufaula or Florida waters , I target the outside grass edges , secondary points as well as the edges of step flats .”
DUSTIN ’ S DINGY WATER GO-TO Black / blue Googan Squad Clickbait paired with a Googan
Squad Saucy Swimmer in green pumpkin blue .
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