Chasing the Dream:
Moving to Bedding Bass
by Bruce Callis Jr
April showers bring May flowers! It is also the time when the pollen gets worse. Breathing can be difficult and the nasty green on the water makes things look terrible. These warm spring days are raising the water temperatures and that is what we have been waiting for, maybe. And the bass are getting ready to move up to spawn.
But the key word is moving, and now we need to think about what to throw as we search for those big girls moving up. For m,e that can be broken down into just a few baits. Moving, topwater and bottom baits. Let’s start with a topwater bait.
I am going to have two baits I will have tied on, depending on where I am and the vegetation. The first is a SPRO Bronzeye Frog. This works great over the emerging lily pads and the emerging grass. Baitfish will be in those areas, especially bluegill. And where they are the bass will follow. Because of the vegetation, I like to use 30-pound Seaguar braid on a medium-heavy rod. Remember, let them eat it before setting the hook.
My second choice is the SPRO E Pop 80. A popping bait can be a deadly choice. It mimics a bluegill hitting bugs on the surface as well as a frog. You can make it pop and dance in place. Just be ready for that explosion. For this, I have a 30-pound braid with a leader of 10-15-pound monofilament on a medium-heavy rod.
For a moving bait, I like a few options. The first is for the shallows. I like to use a SPRO Fat John 60 or a Little John. Both work great and offer a different presentation. The Fat John has a more hunting action while the Little John has a tighter wobble. I work both of these on 10-12 pound Seaguar InvizX and a MMA TakeDown Knockout series medium extra fast 6’ 10” rod. It has the power to get them in while allowing the rod to set the hook and play the bass. If I need to work out a little deeper, the Little John 50MD is my choice.
And you have to have a spinnerbait tied on, especially if the wind is blowing just a little. I prefer to use a combination set-up of either a willow blade and small Colorado or an Indiana blade with a small Colorado blade. It mimics baitfish and can be worked from up on shore all the way out to 10 foot with ease. I like mine on a medium-heavy fast tip rod with 12-pound InvizX fluorocarbon. Just be ready for some heartpounding stops.
My other moving bait has been tied on all winter and still works great. A SPRO Aruku Shad is one of my favorites and will catch monster bass. It works over emerging grass and the tight wobble is deadly. And it comes over stumps and limbs better than most think. I like to use 10-12 pound fluorocarbon on it as well, but you can go to 15 pounds if the grass is heavier. I use a rod built especially for lipless crankbaits. It has just the right amount of tip action to allow you to feel the bait thumping, making the tip quiver and enough backbone to not rip the bait out of their mouth.
My last 2 choices are for working around stumps and laydowns. It will also work in the grass and around the lily pads. The first is a Missile Baits Ike’s Mini Flip with either a D Bomb or Chunky D trailer. Or a D Bomb or Chunky D Texas rigged. I like to use either on a medium-heavy fast-action rod and Seaguar 20 pound AbraizX fluorocarbon. And I will keep a white one handy for if I see one on bed.
April is the month of big bass, especially the ones dreams are made on. Having the right tools to do what we love is the most important part of fishing. Plan ahead and get ready to have fun. And the most important bait of all, your life jacket. Make sure it is in great shape and you wear it. Have fun, think safety first, and live to fish another day!