April bass fishing

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I am going largemouth fishing April 20th in upstate pa on a small private body of water approx 7acres. My question is - with water temps still on the cool side can I still fish top water baits? Any bait suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much

ANSWER: Hi Paul, How are you today? Good I hope. Well, In my experience over the years the answer is YES!! You can fish topwater baits this time of year. The reason being the bass will be very hungry, and will be looking to feed on whatever they can get their jaws on!! Bass will be spawning very soon, if not already where you'll be, so they need to fatten up for their developing eggs. Fish topwater baits anywhere bass will be spawning, like a laydown, or near a remaining grassline, or near shore with rocks, or soft bottom. Some great topwater baits to throw would be a Dep's buzzjet jr., Megabass pop-max, a small stick-bait like the lucky craft sammy, or a jitter-bug type bait. Any topwater that is noisy and creates alot of commotion will do just fine, and remember to keep the baits on the small to medium size. The reason being is that the forage hasn't had all year yet to grow, so by keeping your topwater baits matched with the size of their prey, you'll be two steps ahead of everybody else!! Also, clear water you want more natural colors like a bluegill pattern, or silver type pattern etc. In dark water, you want black or super bright colors like chartreuse, or a clown pattern, etc. Hey I hope this helps, if you need more details or have another question for me drop me a line!! GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING!!!

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QUESTION: Thank you for your reply. I usually use top water baits early morning and evening and also on cloudy or overcast days. With water temps in the low 50's in April what time would you recommend to try top water? Also on a 5inch worm that is Texas rigged what size hook would you recommend? 3/0? And what mid running crank baits would you recommend? The lake has plenty of sunfish but no shad so I need a good color. Thanks again

ANSWER: Hi Paul, I'm glad I could help!! To answer the first part of your new question, I would start throwing my topwater lures about late morning to mid-day this time of year. The reason being the water will still be a tad cooler early morning, so by letting the sun warm up the water for a few hours will get the fish's metabolism going, and get them feeding. A warm overcast day would be perfect for throwing topwater this time of year, especially when the barometric pressure is falling or holding steady. Check the weather and watch the barometer on that day your going out. You can't always time it right, but when you can, this will put the odds in your favor. For rigging a 5 inch worm, if it's a senko or powerworm or whatever your throwing, Paul your right on the money!!! A 3/0 hook is a great size, the style of hook I favor is a wide gap hook, I like the clearance you get between the worm and hook shank, also I don't miss as many light hits. Just match up the type of hook for the cover you'll be fishing. But I found a wide gap hook is very universal. Now for crankbaits, this time of year use a use a squarebill crank. Some great baits to use would be the IMA shaker, Koppers squarebill bluegill, ( by the way this bait looks super real!!) and another would be the Jackall bling 55. These type of crankbaits have a super tight wiggle, which bass prefer for some reason in the spring. Also these baits once again, are on the small size, which is a dead ringer for the size of forage the bass will be feeding on. Remember the key with crankbaiting is make your bait come in contact with a log or weeds, or rocks etc. When your bait hits something, it causes it to dart in a funny direction, which will cause a bass to hammer it!!! A reaction strike is always fun!!! Some good colors with a body of water that has alot of sunfish and no shad would be any bluegill pattern, or any bait that looks like one. (Check out the KOPPERS live target bluegill, very cool bait! ) HINT: go out to the body of water your fishing, and catch a small bluegill, take notes of the color, then try to match up the color with the crank baits your shopping for. It doesn't have to be dead on, just close enough to trick a biggin' into biting!! Hey Paul I'm glad I could help! If you have anymore questions drop me a line and good luck to you!!  TIGHT LINES:).

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QUESTION: Thank you for answering my questions and your quick reply. I picked up the koppers live target blue gill crank bait. Hope it works as great as it looks. Do you have a favorite frog bait and color you would recommend? Thank you!!

Answer
Hi Paul! How are you today? Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner, had to work overtime:(. Well, I just happen to enjoy froggin. There's a certain appeal about a bass smashing through the weeds to kill a frog!! If you really like the koppers bluegill, you gotta check out the koppers livetarget frog!! This bait looks so real you would think it would hop away from you if you didn't hold on to it! This is bar-none one of the best frogs I've used in a long time. You can walk the dog with it, and make it hop through the water and cover. Also this bait is very, very, snagproof and weedless. Try casting it on shore, yes on shore, and hopping it into the water. It looks so real, it's scary. My favorite colors are all of them they come in, but I'll break it down for you to help you with your selection. If you see any frogs around in the grass, water,etc, try to take note and match up the color with the frogs that you see. But if you can't here's what to do; I like natural colors in clear water, and bright or dark colors for stained to dark water. Try the green/yellow, or brown/tan in clear water, these seem to produce the best. Also the tan/yellow would be a good pick. If the water your fishing gets a little dirty or has alot of heavy cover, like thick weeds etc, you can't go wrong with the black/yellow color. The reason being black silhouettes real well in shaded areas, or dark water. If you fish at night, this is a super bait to fish. Remember match the size of the bait to the season your fishing. This frog comes in 3 sizes, for this time of year fish the 45t. It weighs 1/4 of an ounce, and matches great with the general size of frogs this time of year. As the water warms move into the larger sizes. If you can, get a couple colors, in different sizes, and catch a biggin!! Hey Paul, anytime you need more help, just drop me a line! TIGHT LINES!!