Early season bass

Question
Hey Uncle! How you been? Me and a buddy are starting to explore up here in washington to find some good bass!  Figured I'd ask the best largemouth fisherman I know his favorite techniques for trying to catch some cold water bass, been pretty sucessful pulling decent trout out of the lakes up here but I'm iching for some bass!  Most of the lakes I've been fishing are surrounded by houses with docks but the bass haven't moved that shallow yet, and with no fish finder locating underwater structure is a little tough, I was thinking about fishing some points at verying depths to see if I can find a school or two.  Just picked up a fiberglass boat to refurbish and buying a 5 horse for it today, fishfinder is next on the list though, but until then fishing from my buddies boat with no fish finder.  let me know your thoughts and let the family know I send my love.

With Love,
Your Favorite Nephew

Answer
Hey Brett!

Yee haw! Good question. Spring has sprung down here and the fish are moving up to spawn. The warm winter has been a mixed blessing; the water just never got as cold as during normal winters. Fortunately, the other trigger for the bass is the photo period...the duration of daylight each day.

So without knowing the key information about the lakes and ponds you'll be fishing, there are some basic patterns you'll likely find fish on.

If the lake is deep (lots of 50 foot plus water) and clear, you'll do well to figure out the water temp. If it's less than 48-50 degrees, the fish (largemouth) will still be on winter patterns and spending much of their time at those depths. So drop shotting with four to six inch worms will certainly produce some fish. So will jig and pig worked slowly to imitate a crawfish. Check primary points but don't rule out shallower fish...they're gonna go where the food is. If you recall the fish you took on Travis with the Rattlin' rap in the cold water, it was a reaction bite and that lure lends itself to good depth control. I would also try working 1/2 oz willow leaf spinnerbaits slow and deep along drop-offs that border some shallower water...be sure to use a stinger hook on them.

As the days go by and the temps start creeping up (or if they are already in the mid-fifties) the fish will be pre-spawn (upper 40's to the mid fifties is the "pre-spawn" temp range in the northern latitudes)and you won't have any trouble finding feeders. Find the shad if you can and cover lots of water with crankbaits...just match the hatch or check with the locals on any odd colors that tend to kill the fish. I would likely use suspending jerkbaits so you can control the depth but if the water is really clear, have yourself some fun with size 11 or 13 floating Rapalas in the "S" color (silver belly, black back), a local color choice or match any feed you see or know the lake has. Most lakes have shad or some form of prolific bait fish. Try rippin' the baits...it's a series of short, brisk jerks of the rod tip all the while cranking the reel about a turn per jerk...like the bait-fish is darting away to evade the predators. Remember in clear water, feeding bass will come up from some decent depths and if the barometer is dropping, the fish may surprise you and maybe, just maybe, give you a cold temp top-water show!

As you might remember, I WILL NOT fish the beds. I just respect the fish and the sport too much. There will nearly always be pre-spawn and post spawn fish around when the spawn is on, so pulling a sow or a buck off a bed and allowing the bluegill and other predators to hit the nest is nuts.

If the water is clear at all, be sure to take a cruise around the lake and look carefully for fish...the bucks will come up and look for bed sites first and then start coaxing the females up...Remember something else: lakes warm at different rates. So on larger lakes, the northern side of the lake will warm a bit more quickly as spring progresses than the southern side and you will likely have fish behaving vary differently in those varied areas. And don't forget the smallmouth! They love jerk baits...and rock piles...give'm a go!

So Brett, we could go on and on but that should give you some confidence while checking out your new fishing holes.

Have fun Buddy! Stay safe and let me know how you do.

P.S. Give your Grandpa and Grandma a call and say hey...

Till then, stay hooked and send me some pics! And while your at it, check out TheBassinBlog.com...

- Your Uncle