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Spring 2025
page 56
LakeMaster VX Maps in the One-Boat Network App
The first thing to keep in mind when fishing for a bass on its bed is to be very quiet as these bass are skittish. I’ll turn the speed on my Minn Kota QUEST Ultrex trolling motor down and slowly crawl along the shoreline and then when I see a bedded bass, I’ll deploy my dual Minn Kota Raptors. This way I don’t have to continually be on the trolling motor, and I can make accurate casts to that bed.
Flipping a bait onto or just beyond that bed and dragging it on to the bed is a great presentation to coax this bass into biting. Sometimes a jig and chunk work best, other times it needs to be a Texas-rigged soft plastic bait. To aid in the ability to see the bait on the bed, try using a white-colored bait on a Texas-rig, like a tube or four-inch Yamacraw.
Other times a finesse approach is better. This is when a wacky-rigged, soft plastic stickbait is my go-to set up. I’ll use a number 2 TroKar Pro V Finesse Hook and cast a Senko around the shallows. When I see a bed, I’ll drag it onto it and then shake it.
With either approach for bedded bass, the importance of keeping your presence limited in the water is important. That is why using a fluorocarbon line is a must, as it is super-sensitive and more importantly not seen underwater.
For my casting reels I’ll spool up with 15-pound Seaguar InvizX and on my spinning reels I’ll use an 8-pound Gold Label leader connected to a 20-pound Seaguar SmackDown High-Vis green main line.
POST SPAWN SUCCESS
Once the bass are done spawning, they move from their shallow haunts and typically back to the first form of cover they can find. On a lake this can be an inside weed line. On a river this can be a dotted shoreline. Areas like these provide cover for the bass to be protected while they recoup from the spawning process, along with ambush areas to grab food as they need to replenish.
Targeting post spawn bass is action-packed, as these fish are hungry and, on the move, so covering water is the name of the game. Using reaction-style baits provokes these fish into biting and keeps you on the move so you can eliminate unproductive water quickly.
I like to target post spawn bass by fishing topwater baits. I’ll either go with a prop bait, like the Northland Fishing Tackle Elite Bang O Lure Twin Spin or a soft plastic frog like a Reed-Runner Frog. Both baits allow me to cover water, and these baits will bring bass to the surface as they are worked over their heads. What I like about either of these baits is they can be worked along a weed edge or over the top of it and ripped out of the weeds; many times, this is when a strike occurs.
With spring here, we all get to enjoy more daylight, warmer temperatures, and open water! Make use of your time and hit your favorite lake or river to target some bass, but don’t forget to dissect the spawn first. •