Spring is right around the corner, and for many anglers, that means it’s time to start thinking about catching big, fat bass. After a long winter, nothing beats the thrill of slinging baits and reeling in fish.
If you’re like me, you’ve spent hours in the garage this winter organizing and tweaking your fishing tackle for the upcoming season. With so many lures to choose from, it can be tough to decide what to tie on first. To make things a little easier, here are my top five favorite early spring lures:
Lipless crankbaits have tight wobbling action, which helps trigger strikes from fish who are less willing to chase erratic lures. Lipless crankbaits also sink, which helps me fish them at different depths effectively.
Silent But Deadly
In clear water, I use the quieter, more subtle silent lipless crankbaits. Silent lures spook less fish and can trigger bites when fishing in a crowd. If everyone else is throwing loud rattling baits, try using a silent version.
Loud Rattles
If you’re looking for an early spring lure that can help you call in fish from a distance, a lipless crankbait with loud rattles is a great choice. These lures are particularly effective in stained water or windy conditions, where the noise can help fish locate your bait.
To get the most out of your lipless crankbait, try using a slow and steady retrieve. This technique can be very effective in triggering strikes from bass that are still sluggish from the winter months. If your lure gets caught in grass or other vegetation, try using a light sweep to free it instead of a hard snap. This will help prevent spooking fish that may be lurking nearby.
Overall, toning down your lure movements during the early spring can be a great way to attract more fish. By covering water slowly and steadily, and using lures with loud rattles in the right conditions, you can increase your chances of catching big bass during the early spring season.Use crawfish-colored lipless crankbaits and target river channels, secondary points, and sunny banks in the early spring.
Suspending Jerkbaits
Explore Suspending Jerkbaits
A suspending jerkbait holds all of the characteristics I look for in an early spring bait, and they’re a blast to fish.With a simple twitch of the rod, anglers can’t mimic the action of a wounded or fleeing shad with the trusty old jerkbait. Traditionally, I’ve fished suspending jerkbaits from brands like the Rapala or Lucky Craft. While I still love both of their jerkbaits, I’ve had the most success recently fishing with the new Googan Squad Scout jerkbait.I use a twitch, twitch pause retrieve with my jerkbaits in the spring, typically letting my bait rest for at least 2 seconds after the second twitch. In cooler water, I add an even longer pause. Most of my jerkbait bites come during the pause.Arguably the best jerkbait angler of all time, Kevin Van Dam, once said that you should never use your reel to bring in a jerkbait but instead use the rod. The reel is just there to pick up the line as your rod brings in the jerkbait. I always try to remember that when I fish jerkbaits.
Early Spring Bass Lures: Finesse Jigs
Explore Finesse Jigs
When bass aren’t chasing my moving baits, one of the first things I switch to is a finesse jig.A finesse jig gives me exactly what I need from a jig but in a downsized profile. Fish can be finicky this time of year and I feel like a finesse jig provides me with a few extra bites when compared to jigs with larger profiles.Rocks, docks, metal, and other hardcover warm up quickly when the sun rays beat down on them. Bass gravitate to these areas to warm up during the early parts of the year.
Early Spring Bass Lures: Bladed Jigs And Spinnerbaits
The chatterbait is a tight wobbling bait that set-ups perfectly for springtime fishing. Covering water is key, and there are few baits better for that than the chatterbait.While chatterbaits put off an insane amount of THUMP, they do it while maintaining a streamlined swimming profile. To me, this is the perfect combination for early spring fishing. The chatterbait’s blade calls fish in, and the streamlined swimming action convinces them into taking a swipe.When it comes to chatterbait trailers, it’s all about the Yamamoto Zako or 10,000 Fish Yoto Worm. Both soft plastic lures put off an inviting swimming action without taking away the intended action from the chatterbait.
Early Spring Bass Lures: Soft Plastics
The BioSpawn VilleCraw
There are few better baits in clear water than a soft plastic craw. Clearwater fish rely heavily on sight, so having an early spring lure that looks similar to what fish are eating will result in more bites. With so many rigging options available, a soft plastic craw is an easy lure choice for this time of year. Texas rigs, shaky heads, and Carolina rigs are three of my favorite ways to fish a soft plastic craw in the early Spring.
Pro Tip: Fish The Northside
The northside (south-facing) part of lakes and ponds receives the most sunlight and warm up the fastest in the Spring. Target these areas with the baits we’ve covered, and your season should be off to a hot start.
Also, stained water warms up faster than clear water. Fish stained water lakes early in the year and switched to the clear lakes after that. This way, you can target the most active fish.
