JEFF ’ S JERKBAIT Strike King KVD 300 Jerkbait in pro blue . Jeff Sprague utilizes the twitching motion of this bait to draw reaction strikes from suspended bass .
THE WORKHORSES
The 1 / 2-ounce Strike King Red Eye Shad is a staple bait for Jeff Sprague during the prespawn period . Colors pictured are chrome sexy shad and chili craw .
Jeff Sprague
Wills Point , Texas
PRESPAWN WATERS : Lake Tawakoni , Lake Fork , Lake Cypress Springs , Lake Bob Sandlin in East Texas
BPT star Jeff Sprague prepares for prespawn activity on a wide range of waters east of Dallas . Here , spawning activity stretches from late February through May .
“ All the bodies of water I fish in spring are different ,” Sprague says . “ They all have grass , except for Tawakoni , but they ’ re constantly changing . The grass will die off due to high water or low water or chemical spray . Fishing different lakes and conditions keeps my skills up to speed .”
Key conditions / habitat
During the early prespawn , bass like to slide up onto flats and absorb heat from grass or shallow rock . As each wave of bass transitions from prespawn to spawning mode , they move from steeper banks into shallow , flatter areas .
“ They let the sun warm the grass or rock and translate that heat to their body to warm themselves up ,” Sprague explains . Texas bass bed on a wide range of lake bottoms . “ Bass have so many places to spawn on a Texas lake – from gravel mix to hard clay to grass patches ,” he says . “ They ’ ll even spawn on top of logs and stumps . The key to bed selection is protection from the wind and enough sunlight to incubate the eggs .”
Keep in mind that …
Water temperatures will vary from the surface to the bottom of the water column . “ The fish want sun , but when the
“ Bass are lethargic when it ’ s cold , but they won ’ t pass up a crawfish meal .” water is warming up , surface temperature may read 49 or 50 degrees while the water below is much colder ,” Sprague says . “ Fish may sit high up in the water column .”
Favorite baits and techniques
A 1 / 2-ounce Strike King Red Eye Shad is his workhorse in late winter and early spring . He fishes it over and around grass , gravel and shallow rock .
Chrome sexy shad and crawfish colors predominate .
“ Crawfish are coming out of their holes at this time ,” he says . “ They have dark colors . That ’ s why your browns , dark blues and greens , dark reds , black and black-and-blue combinations are early spring colors .
When bass prefer “ slow ,” he likes a football jig with a Strike King Rage Craw or Rage Menace trailer in black-and-red or black-and-blue colors .
“ I drag the football jig extremely slowly in these conditions ,” he says . “ Bass are lethargic when it ’ s cold , but they won ’ t pass up a crawfish meal if you put that jig in front of them .”
Another effective early-season tool is a Strike King KVD 300 suspending jerkbait .
“ It goes deeper than the 200 , and you can get it into their zone when you know how deep they ’ re setting ,” Sprague says . “ A jerkbait is also a reaction bait . When you twitch it , bass react to it .”
Tips & Tricks :
“ Conditions dictate my bait selection more than water temperature ,” he says . “ If you have confidence in a bait and have it in your hands in the right conditions , you can manufacture bites and have a decent day .”
“ Spring fishing can change hour by hour . Cold fronts are your worst enemy . High pressure , followed by cold temperatures and north winds , can change fishing big time .”
50 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2022