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Three Baits for Early Spring
By: Chris Erwin
The wait is almost over, we have
an article in this magazine to help you go through the checklist to get ready for
the up coming season, that done, it's time to talk about the top baits that you should
have in your tackle and a brief discussion about how to use them.
The title of this article is Top Three Baits we may actually bring up a few more
than that, you should have these baits in your box as the spring makes its way here.
The first bait we want to talk about is the lipless crank bait, some names you might
know are the Rattle Trap, Cotton Cordell Super Spot, Sebile Flat Shad, Lucky Craft
LV-500, XCalibur Xr50 Rattle Bait, and our own Littlebear Wiggle Shad. They are
plenty more but these are some of the ones I use, you can pick from a huge selection
of lipless baits that are out there.
I'm always puzzled about these baits in
the spring since most of them move pretty fast through the water when you think about
bass being slow and just getting warmed up as spring gets a full head of steam, but
I can tell they always produce in the spring, this is the bait that produces more
than its share of both bass and musky strikes even when the water is still cold.
It has been my experience that these baits work best when fishing around old weed
beds, rip rap on the sunny side of the lake where rocks seem to draw feeding action.
A hot spot for these baits is where flats break off into deep water, if your lucky
enough to find some structure like timber, rocks, or weeds along with the break from
a flat to deeper water it deserves your attention.
Tip**
The second bait-We want to talk a little about the Jig or the Jig & Pig. They are many versions of this set up including things like the "Jig and Craw", Jig and Craw Tube, the list goes on and on they are also many weights of this bait, and I have found most of them effective. I personally use our jig the Bear Claw Spring Jig, both made with deer hair and living rubber, but they are many types and just as many brand names, most are well made and work as expected.
You can use a flipping stick to fish the spring offering, or you can use casting gear, I've even run across a few people that use spinning gear.
I personally use regular casting gear, in stained or dirty water, I may go to a braided or Fireline but in most conditions I will stick with a normal mono-filament line usually 17lb to 25lb test depending on the wind and size of the jig I am using. In your neck of the woods, you may want to go to light jigs and light line but in the spring, I'm thinking hogs so its heavy gear for me in most cases.
Where should you fish this jig deal? What should be your presentation?
While I may be throwing those lip-less crank baits across the flats, I usually use the jigs, closer to cover, brush, stumps, and places where water in running into the lake. I like a soft entry to the water keeping a slight bow in my line as the bait sinks, watching my line with an intense focus, if my line jumps, I have two choices; one I can lay the wood to it, or I can take up the slack and wait for the next bump. The fish usually lets you know pretty fast if you have to wait for that second bump, many times the bait will swim off to one side or the other, this is why learning to watch the line and staying focus can pay big rewards.
Bait Three: The Jerk Bait
Just a few examples to give anyone still learning the fishing vernacular; Rapalas, Rouge AC Shinner, are just a few, the thing you have to decide, do I want to fish it top water, or do I want to fish it at some distance under the water.
If you're not sure, I would suggest starting on the top and then move down if you don’t get any action. The one thing that is worth bringing up in this article is the fact that most of these baits have many ways to work them, from a slow steady retrieve to a stop and jerk action, here again, your focus and presentation can mean everything when it comes to this lure.
I have found that when the fish are short striking or only flashing under the bait. It's time to move to a bait that will suspend and not rise to fast. A Rouge or a little weight added to one of the others will let the bait stop and hang without rising or falling. This can be a killer bait in the spring when the fish want to flash strike the bait at about two or three feet deep. You swim the bait for a couple of cranks, then jerk it until it gives you that little side to side flash, at this point stop the bait and hold it there for a count or two and repeat the cadence.
Where do you fish this bait? Along areas that you know will be spawning beds, along ledges, road beds, points, creeks and weed beds are my favorite spring location for this hot bait.
Some may argue that I should have added the spinner bait in the hot baits for spring. I must agree a spinner bait should be in your box, one could argue that a spinner bait will catch fish year round. I must say that the point is well taken, but in the spring if I only had three baits I would have the ones I listed.
I hope this warms up your fish fever just a bit, the more the sun shines the more that big hog will be waiting for you to come along and have yourself a tussle that will live on in the memories of what soon will be the good old days!
Good Fishing
Chris "The Trimmer" Erwin