Big Bass Dreams:
Working the Pre-Spawn Bass
by Bruce Callis Jr
March is the time of dreams! Tournaments are getting started. And then throw in the weather and wind. All of this makes for big dreams and high expectations. The water temperatures are rising and the warmer they get the more excited the bass become. They are like a bunch of high schoolers with raging hormones. Okay, maybe not that bad. But they are starting to move towards the spawning grounds to create the next generation of what we hope every year will be the best population of future big bass.
Dreams of that monster bass dance in our dreams and we are willing to do whatever it takes to land her. Right now they are moving towards the spawning areas and it won’t be long if this warm weather continues. Where do we need to start looking? What baits do we need? For me, comfort baits are always my top choices, and they produce for me.
Start with the main points leading back to the spawning areas. And then look to the secondary points as you move back. Suspending jerkbaits work great for this. But also I mix in a SPRO Fat John 60. Work them from up shallow out or work them over the point. Just hang on! I like to use Seaguar Red Label in 10 pound test as it offers me the opportunity to work my baits to the max depth.
As I start to work back, I pay attention to any laydowns and brush piles, and especially any stumps where bass may make pit stops on the journey. Here I really like to throw two baits. The first is a Missile Baits Baby Destroyer Texas rigged on a Woo Tungeston 1/8 ounce flipping weight and a 3/0 Gamakatsu Extra Wide hook. I also will throw a Missile Baits Ike’s Mini Flip jig with a Baby D Bomb trailer. Great options to slow down and entice a big bite.
A spinnerbait is still a great choice to cover water and mimic baitfish. I’ll mix up these depending on the day and water color. For clear water, a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce double willow blade with either a Missile Baits 3.5 inch Shockwave or a 3.5 inch Spunk Shad as a trailer to offer up a tasty choice. But don’t be afraid to throw up to a 3/4 ounce spinnerbait, especially in stained water. Nothing like your spinnerbait hitting a log and discovering the log is moving.
But don’t be afraid to work in some smaller baits at times. One bait I love to throw is a Missile Baits 3.5 inch Shockwave on an 1/8 ounce Owner Bullet Head jig as it allows me to rig it weedless. I can work it in and around any cover or even in open water. Here I prefer to work it on a spinning reel spooled with Seaguar Smackdown or Basix braid as a main line to a long 8 lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leader. Yes it’s light line, but you need it.
A drop shot is never a bad thing to throw around structure. I like to use a Drop Zone Rattle Shot as I feel it gives an advantage. I like to use a short leader of about 6-8 inches below the hook. Here is where you need to determine what hook you want to use. If you are on the outer edges of a brush pile or around something you aren’t worried about hanging up in, a circle hook or dropshot hook is great. You can nose hook a 4 inch Missile Baits Mini Magic Worm or a Bomb Shot. But if you want to work closer where you may get hung up, use either a worm hook or a wide gap light wire hook. I will also upsize my bait at times to a 6 in Magic Worm.
Now is the time we have to pay close attention to what the bass are doing. And we need to cover water as quickly as possible and still be productive. Remember to pay attention to what the bass are telling you. If you are mainly catching small males as you move back, chance are the big girls have not made the big move. Don’t be afraid to move back out the mouth of the openings to the creek and coves. Stay calm, they are there just waiting for you to find them.