®
D
ominating the 2023 fishing season on the
West Coast kayak trail, Anthony Garcia won
several tournaments ranging from northern to southern California. This includes claiming a berth to the
Bassmaster Kayak Classic in 2024. He has competed in
Arizona and back East where his domination on their kayak
competition trails continued.
As one of kayaking’s superstars, here Anthony shares a
little about himself and explains how he locates and stays
on bass during the springtime.
WB: How long you have been fishing and what stands out about your tournaments last year?
GARCIA: My dad got me into fishing since I was able to walk, but the In-Fishermen Magazine got me into bass fishing. I have been fishing seriously, roughly seventeen years. I started competitively bass fishing the last five years. The year 2023 was pretty amazing for me, winning seven out of eight tournaments, but if I were to pick just one accomplishment, it would be winning the Native Big Bass No Limit at Lake New Melones. The reason I single out this event is because the Native Big Bass No limit set a record for the most anglers in a California kayak tournament with 182 participants. Winning that was pretty cool.
WB: Since you’re not able to search large areas in a kayak, how do you decide which areas of a lake to start?
GARCIA: I go online and research as much as I can before I arrive at the lake. I’ll have 10 places to check and of those 10 locations, I hope to find two areas that are holding fish. These two areas need to be close to each other. I’ll drive around the lake with my kayak in tow and check the different launch ramps and areas. It is always a good idea to stop at a local tackle shop and ask for some pointers from locals that have spent time on the body of water.
WB: What water temperature or time of year do you start looking for spring bass locations?
GARCIA: My rule of thumb is once the water temperature hits the low-60’s, I start to look for spring spawning bass. March, April, and May you can say that bass are on beds spawning. Early spring, I start looking at main lake points and flats leading into spawning coves.
The second place I like to check for spring bass are secondary points further back inside of the spawning coves. I’ll check different water depths and water column that have standing trees or lay down brush. I’ll look in water depths that are not too shallow and not too deep, it depends on which body of water I’m fishing, for example, shallow lakes or deep reservoirs. Once the water temperature warms up to just above 60 degrees and around mid-March, I’ll start looking further back in coves and shallower. I’ll
focus on hard structure rock or wood; this is where the bass will spawn.
WB: What are the lures you use to search for spring bass?
GARCIA: During the springtime, If I only had one bait to use it would be a glide bait. The bigger, the better, because of the drawing power these big baits have. Last year, I caught some of my biggest bass all year on glide baits during the spring. It seems like the bass aggressively bite the big glide baits during the spring. I am talking about the glide baits that are over 12-inches long like the Deps Code Name Bass. I’ll use a pull/sweeping motion when I use the big glide baits. I make a long cast and pull the bait near the structure. I want to make the glide as big as possible once the bait is near the structure. I’ll speed up or slow down the cadence depending on the fish’s attitude.
WB: Are your electronics an important tool you use during the spring?
GARCIA: No, I do not think during the springtime when the fish are shallow, electronics are important; however, I’ll have my Navionics mapping on only.
Spring 2024
page 49