F
ew kayak anglers consistently catch giant bass
the way Max Lee does. With a personal best over
16 pounds and more than 20 bass over 10 pounds in just the last three years, Lee has built a reputation as
one of the top big-fish specialists in the kayak bass fishing
community.
In addition to his trophy catches, Lee has proven himself in competition. He has won five kayak tournament events on multiple fisheries, including the Central Valley Kayak Fishing Tournament of Champions, along with numerous top-five and top-ten finishes.
We sat down with Lee, a big fish specialist in the kayak community, to talk about spring bass fishing patterns, how he locates fish offshore, and the lure presentations he relies on to catch big bass from a kayak.
LEE’S BACKGROUND IN KAYAK BASS FISHING
WB: Who got you started in fishing and how long have you been competitively bass fishing?
Lee: My brother got me started in my early childhood; we used cane poles tipped with red worms and fished around creeks and rivers. Although I was far too young to vividly remember those moments, this was where it all began. My first bait caster was a Shimano Scorpion 1001 XT. It was a birthday gift from my brother during the initiation of the internet craze in my early teens, that was over 20 years ago. Although I never had a mentor or was acquainted with any competitive bass angler, I took the leap of faith and entered my first tournament 3 years ago. I won my first event at a snowy California highland reservoir that I had never fished or seen before; this was the third kayak bass tournament I had fished.
READING SPRING BASS MOVEMENTS: SEARCH BAITS, AND DIALING IN PRESENTATIONS
WB: During the springtime of the year, how do you locate bass?
Lee: The springtime could really be broken into 3 different patterns pre-spawn, spawn, and post spawn. During the post spawn, I study my mapping and look for the secondary points or humps near the spawning bays. I target the offshore fish that have pulled off after the spawn; those fish are hungry and are willing to feed. I utilize my side scan and 2D to determine which areas the fish are schooled up before I make a cast. I will triangulate the cast I need to present my lure by using my mapping, side scan or with forward facing sonar to locate those schooled bass.
WB: Which lures do you use to help locate bass during the spring? Lee: During the springtime I really like to utilize a football jig, topwater walking bait, and Carolina rig.
WB: What cadence do you use to get the bass to bite? Lee: I like to start with a topwater walking bait. The key for me is to make a long cast over the humps and secondary points. In clear water, fish will move a very long way to bite
my walking bait. The football jig is my clean up lure on the humps. I will change my presentation from a slow drag with some shaking in place, so the fish get a good look at the bait. Sometimes just dead sticking the jig in place is the ticket to converting bites. During high-water conditions, I prefer the Carolina rig. During the spring when the snow melts, rising water covers new vegetation, and the Carolina rig allows one to present a bait without covering the lure with grass and weeds. I like to drag this on the secondary
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Spring/Early Summer 2026
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