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Spring 2019
“The water is still cooler, and the fish will eat a smaller bait in the shallow water,” Martens said. “It’s more subtle that time of year. The fish are still sensitive, and a big walking bait doesn’t work as well.
“When it’s a calm day, you have a few layers on and there’s steam coming off the water from a sunny morning, you almost want the bait to be unnoticeable. The fish are lethargic, but they may surprise you how well they’ll eat a small pencil bait.”
“This also raises the bait higher in the water column,” Martens said. “It helps the bait come up quicker at low speeds.”
PENCIL BAIT
Put away those full-size dog-walkers, Martens said; early spring finds the fish kind of jittery during their transitional time. In a couple of months, those hefty presentations will take on seasonal relevance all the way through fall; but for now, a 3.5-inch Duo Realis Pencil 85 does the job well.
WAKEBAIT
Reminiscent of his early guiding days, Martens knows well the simplicity and effectiveness of a 4- to 6-inch wakebait. He’s partial to his set of handmade baits, but whatever your preference, Martens suggests matching bait size to local forage.
“Maybe you’re trying to get a big spotted bass on Shasta or down south on Castaic, this is an easy bait to use because you just cast it out and wind it in,” Martens said. “You can see the bait the whole time.
POPPER
Later in the spring, when the fish have moved up to the perimeters of spawning areas, Martens loves throwing a Duo Realis Popper 64. This bait, he said, grabs plenty of water for a tantalizing “blurp, blurp, blurp” sound that calls fish from far and deep.
“Once the fish pull up shallow to spawn and then later when they’re guarding fry during, a popper can be productive,” Martens said. “You’re trying to antagonize the fish and make it come to you; and a popper will do that.”
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TACTICAL TIPS
Gear for the Rear: Martens is a firm believer in feathered rear treble hooks, as the subtle action adds a lifelike element that often turns lookers into biters. He ties his own feathered hooks with a variety of colors such as white, chartreuse, red, black and various combinations. This diversity, Martens said, allows him to mimic different forage and simply show the fish an array of looks until he can dial in a preference.
Tackle Up: The key element of Martens’ topwater setup is an 8:1 Shimano Metanium reel, which allows him to promptly respond to direct and indirect opportunities.
“Some of the strikes you’re going to get on the end of a long cast,” he said. “The fish will hit coming at you, so you need to be able to catch up to him. Also, spring fish are roaming a lot and if you have 40-feet of line out and an 8-pounder comes up chasing bait next to you, you can get your bait in faster to make a cast at that fish. A lot of times, it’s a race to get to that fish before he goes down, so you want a fast reel.”
Stick It To ‘Em: For optimal connections, Martens says he’ll “line set” the hook — essentially, cranking out the slack and reeling into the fish, as opposed to setting with the rod. The advantage: Smoothly and efficiently easing the hooks into lethargic spring fish that may not always pound the bait.
“That makes him get the bait better and then you can give him a little nudge,” Martens said. “I crank as hard as I can for three to four cranks and that fish isn’t getting off.” •
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