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Many kinds of ‘spinners’ are used effectively for catching different kinds of fish, but the ‘safety pin’ Spinnerbait is one of the best lures ever invented for catching Largemouth Bass. Even Smallmouth Bass fall prey to this amazing bait. While the Spinnerbait is really only a bent wire with blade(s) on one side and jig head, hook and skirt on the other, it does not take much experimenting to realize that the reasons for the lure’s effectiveness are many:

1- By varying retrieve speed, a fisherman can cover the entire water column from top to bottom.

2- The ‘hidden’ hook means spinnerbaits can be deliberately ‘knocked’ into cover, which attracts Bass.

3- The bait can resemble a baitfish, an insect, a bird, a bat, a crawdad and other prey Bass like.

4- In heavier weights it casts like a bullet, giving the shore-bound fisherman a new reach to fish-holding areas and offering the boat fisherman a long-distance search weapon.

5- Blade sizes and shapes can be varied for specific conditions.

6- Skirt sizes, materials and colors can be varied for specific conditions.

7- A hard strike on the bait’s large hook usually means a caught fish.

8- The weighted head can have different shapes, colors and eyes.

9- Spinnerbaits can be dropped, jigged, pumped, hopped, retrieved straight or even trolled.

10- Addition of a ‘grub’ or other trailer can slow the fall rate and change the look and feel fish perceive.

I can think of no other bait that offers so many advantages.

Up here in the North country it can be difficult to find a Spinnerbait weighing more than ½ ounce. Wholesale Sports in Vancouver does have some baits weighing in at ¾ ounce and that is my preferred weight. Unfortunately some manufacturers seem to imagine that a ‘heavy’ Spinnerbait must either be a bottom-dragging bait or a night-fishing option, so often they only have one blade which is usually a ‘thumper’ Colorado-style blade.

I prefer a heavy, twin-blade Spinnerbait. I like the long castability of the heavier bait, I can feel it’s progress through the water, I can feel the blades turning, I can sense how high or low it is in the water column, I can tell what type of cover the bait is contacting, I can even detect a following Bass when the rear blade first ‘tickles’ his nose and this prepares me for the hookset, though often fish crash the Spinnerbait like a freight train with no warning at all. I have had the rod nearly yanked from my hands on Spinnerbait strikes.

After ‘discovering’ the Spinnerbait (I think I saw Bill Dance using them), I first used ½ ounce spinnerbaits and caught fish on them but I soon realized that they were not quite heavy enough for my purposes. Not satisfied with baits I could find in stores or online, I began building my own. Adding up the cost and time spent, I don’t think I am saving any money, but I am creating a bait that does exactly what I want it to. It’s not difficult and I enjoy using free time in the off-season building baits and thinking about what is to come in the Spring.

Choosing skirt and head colors will be up to you, as will your blade shapes, sizes and colors. I believe contrasts can be important. For instance, a different color skirt than grub trailer can be a fish-getter. Also, I prefer a very small Colorado blade in front, with a large willow leaf blade in the rear, again in contrasting colors. I think brass, copper or gold in front and nickel in the back is the best combination. I believe that this combination can look like feeding activity and stimulate fish to strike. Remember that baitfish grow throughout the season. I increase blade sizes as the Summer wears on in order to match the feed Bass are eating.

If you decide to build some of your own baits, here is what you will need:

-Spinnerbait heads and wires. You can really start from scratch and mold lead heads onto wires and hooks or like me, you can simply order pre-painted wire heads in the weight you want. The ones I prefer are not only painted, but they have eyes painted on as well. I prefer ‘open-eye’ Spinnerbaits. They have a bent wire line tie, as opposed to a twisted wire loop tie. I believe that open-eye baits allow the entire wire to ‘pulse’, giving more action to the head and skirt on one side and to the blades on the other.

-Metal or glass beads, plastic spacers, high-quality ball-bearing swivels, wire clevises, blades, skirts- and some kind of wire-bending tool. I simply use my Leatherman Charge tool. It is titanium tough, but the nose on the plier comes down to a fine point, allowing me to make a nice, small loop at the blade end of the wire. Larger loops or twist ties will gather moss or weeds which then foul in the blade, stopping their action. You can obtain all these components from stores, catalogues and online sources such as Jann’s Netcraft or Barlow’s Tackle.

Assembling the pieces can be tedious, and it requires concentration and attention to detail. You don’t want to end up with a bait that is missing a component. But the finished product is a satisfying sight to behold. Just imagine the odd looks you can get from friends and family as they watch you madly assembling and playing with your beautiful lures. I’ve even had ladies hold them up to their ears like jewelry!

The best part? There is nothing quite like the feeling of a jarring, yanking strike on a Spinnerbait that you put together yourself! You have just fooled a fish with a bait of your own creation.

Now that’s real Bass fishing!

Well another September is coming, with its cooling temperatures and shorter days. Bass will go into their weight-gaining feeding frenzies and it will be more comfortable daytime fishing. Take some Spinnerbaits with you, present them in various ways and be prepared to haul in a monster Bass. I often make many, many casts before nailing a good, heavy fish. That’s Spinnerbait fishing.

We’ll discuss another kind of bait next month: The Crankbait. Until then, keep your line tight, your dry side up and your wet side down.

Best of luck from your fanatical Bassmaster friend,

Bob Larimer

I thought April showers were supposed to bring May flowers, not monsoon rains and record-setting cold temperatures? It’s the third coldest May on record around these parts. Friends and I were wondering if plunging water temperatures might just put Bass on rewind, back into pre-spawn mode.

If you take a look at my most recent Largemouth picture, you will see that this big female is still carrying eggs and has a sore tail from preparing a bed for the spawn. Definitely a pre-spawn fish. Though all fish do not spawn at precisely the same time, even on the same body of water, I think we will find a similar story in most Southwest Washington waters. Every cloud comes with a silver lining, and the cold rain might just extend some crazy spring Bass fishing. I can deal with that.

The pictured fish could not resist a new River-2-Sea, double-jointed, floating stick bait in Rainbow Trout pattern. I had placed it right next to a corner of flooded brush. She hit near the surface of 3 feet of water after I gave up on twitching the bait. I had just started to move it toward me when she grabbed it and then tried to dive back into the brush. Even in chilly water, this fish had plenty of fight. Three times on the way to the boat I had to wrestle her back out of different spots along the brush line. The water was dingy with new run-off and because of our tangles in the brush, I was not really too sure how big of a fish I was dealing with. After finally being forced away from the shoreline she made a dash for the boat, freight-trained underneath and right out the other side. When I tried to pull her back to my side, I had to pull so hard that I thought maybe she was wrapped on something. No, just a strong, heavy fish. I netted her, amazed at the depth of her body and the thick hump of her back. The backwaters of the Columbia hold such treasures, but finding high enough water and pre-spawn-attractive flooded brush can be a challenge. With all the recent rain, it wasn’t too much of a challenge this time. Who knows? Maybe the water will stay up as the temperature comes up and we’ll have a few more weeks to try such areas?

I still have some more River-2-Sea baits to try out, including some really detailed, realistic salamander imitations, complete with adjustable brush guards. There is also a dandy, sinking, single-jointed Rainbow Trout patterned bait that seductively ‘walks the dog’ underwater with a little practice. It has a hard body, but it comes with a replaceable soft plastic tail. Now that’s attention to detail! If they are as productive as the floating version, I’ll be very pleased. I have not tried them yet but there are also some very highly detailed soft plastic crawdad imitations as well. This new line of baits is available at Wholesale Sports in Vancouver, and I know I’m not the only guy picking them up.

A few weeks ago my friend Ken and I went East up the Columbia Gorge to see if we could find some Smallmouth. We found three foot waves and cold wind, but we also found some good fish. Using the old standby lipless crankbaits, we found fish around the usual suspects: Underwater humps and small rocky islands. Sheer rock walls that work for me in warmer water seemed to hold no fish at all. Though I fished them with confidence, soft plastics such as grubs or tubes produced only a few fish. The water was barely 50 degrees and probably too cold for a good grub bite. But it was great to get smacked by Smallies chasing the crankbaits. Lucky Craft seemed to produce the best, and I also did well with a blue and chrome Rapala and a red Rattle Trap. The size of the fish was nothing to write home about, as you can see in the picture, but the rollicking, racing, yanking fight of a Smallmouth of any size is always a thrill. Just a week later, my friend Josh was able to blast a 5+ pounder in the same general area. It’s just going to keep getting better as the temperature rises, and I recently heard a rumor of Salmon fishermen complaining about ‘nuisance’ Smallmouth hitting their baits!

Every Spring has its own character. Usually May is a dependable, uniformly warming month, but not this year. I suspect that we will snap back into more ‘normal’ weather and a rapid warming spell in the next few weeks. This means that Bass fishermen will need to stay adaptable, ready to hunt pre-spawn or spawning fish, and ready with either foul-weather gear or shorts and T-shirts!

I recommend having several rods baited up and ready to go. Have a stickbait rod, a soft-plastic rod, a spinnerbait rod, a crankbait rod and a top water rod with a Zara Spook, a River-2-Sea floater or a buzzbait ready to tempt surface-striking fish. Low-light hours will probably be better for your top water offerings. Remember, never give up after being short struck on any hardbait. Immediately put a soft plastic such as a worm, a tube, a creature or a lizard right back into that same area. You might just score big on the second strike! Use scents! They work, and the lubrication helps your baits move through weeds and snags more freely. Vary your retrieves, especially with spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Short pauses and bursts of speed will arouse fish more than a steady, predictable retrieve. Remember that Largemouth can have spawning beds anywhere from 1 foot to ten feet deep. If you use your Polarized sunglasses and look for them, you might just find them. When fishing flooded brush during midday, cast to the deepest shade areas and don’t pass up indentations or ‘pockets’ in the brush. Even small changes in a brush line  or any weed line or shoreline – might hold big fish!

If it stays cool and rainy, just put your rain gear on and get out there! I hustled off the water when the thunder and lightning started today, but the rain wasn’t so bad. Catching a nice big fish can make you forget having to wear a raincoat!

Your fellow Bassing fanatic,

Bob

With spring time pretty much here and summer time just around the corner, you have to choose the long beach peninsula as one of your bass fishing vacation plans. There is lakes scattered all over the peninsula full of largemouth bass, and they get very little pressure. There are a few lakes that I would definitely concentrate most of my time on, Loomis, Black, Island, and Lake O’Neil

Loomis Lake is the first one I would spend a day on. The lake is a pretty big lake and is just completely full of big largemouth bass. The lake has a pretty good public boat launch, but other than that there is no public access. There is no shore access to the lake at all, the one boat launch has a few places for people to fish but without a boat here, you are pretty much wasting your time. There used to be a nice dock to fish off but as of last year a tree had fallen on it and they did not fix it. The bass in this lake can be very finicky, sometimes its crazy and you will have 20 fish days and other times you will be lucky if you’re able to hook a couple. I have fished this lake since I was a little kid and I have never been able to pinpoint the reason for this but it just happens. The main places you are going to want to concentrate on this lake are the docks and any other wood you are able to find. There are logs and pilings all over the lake for bass to live. Fish all of them; don’t pass any of them, because the one you pass is the one that has a big largemouth on it! Another place the fish like to hide in this lake is the weed bed breaks. The lake has a really bad milfoil problem. The state has tried to get rid of it numerous times but have failed. The bass love it though! There is spots where it’s so thick you can’t get your trolling motor through the weeds but then all the sudden it will just stop…..when you find these spots fish them. The bass suspend just inside these beds and destroy food that crosses their path. The best baits of choice to fish this lake are spinnerbaits on the wood and 5” weightless senkos on the weed beds. After you have spent your time here, head over to Island Lake, it is just a short drive away.
Island is another lake where you need a boat. There is no bank access what so ever. This lake is huge! You could spend all day fishing the lake. I like to launch my boat and head directly east, once you get through the first bigger channel then start concentrating fishing the south shore. The fish in this lake don’t average very big but I think that is just because how many are in the lake. No sarcasm at all, I have caught upwards of 50 largemouths in one day on this lake. Most fish average between 1-3 pounds, with one pound fish being more common. The lure of choice I like to throw is brush hogs. These fish love to hide way up on the bank in thick brush so, casting up on the bank and dragging the bait into the water works very well here. If you get board catching small fish, it’s time to head to Black Lake.

Around 15 mins from Island Lake, Black Lake gets absolutely no pressure from bass fishermen. The main reason this lake isn’t fished is because of the difficulty this lake conveys in catching bass. Not only is the lake very clear, there isn’t a large number of bass in the lake. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout frequently, so the bass in the lake reach very big sizes. I have pulled 2 fish out of the lake pushing 9 pounds. This lake has a trail that goes most of the way around the lake, and yea you can catch a bass sometimes from the bank but your best bet is still going to be from a boat. Launch your boat and head south around the left side of the lake back into the bowl shaped section of the lake. The most effective way in catching the huge bass that live in this lake is drop shotting. Use your electronics and find some of the deep water structure, a hint for you; it’s in about 25 feet of water. Both the big bass I caught in this lake came in deep deep water. Be patient and if you can come back to the lake numerous times in a season you will eventually hook into one of the big guys living here. Now just 10 mins away from Black lake lies Fort Canby.

This beautiful state park has 2 really untapped bass lakes. The one that has campsites all the way around the lake is called Lake O’Neil. This lake is a great lake to fish from the shore just casting weed less frogs. The fish average 2-3 pounds in here with the occasional 5 pounder falling to your frog. I love fishing this lake when I want to just drive to the beach and go catch some easy bass. The lake gets pretty much no pressure so the fish are pretty willing biters. If you have a pontoon boat you can do very well in this lake as well. The other lake in the campground requires a pontoon or other small watercraft. If you head back towards the Yurts in the campground there is a little gravel parking lot with a hiking trail on the left. The trail isn’t much maintained so dragging your boat through here isn’t easy and make sure you bring your bug spray! If you can endure these 2 things you are in for a treat. This lake is chalked full of bass and some really big ones can be taken out of here. This lake is really weedy as well so bring your Spro frogs! Have fun out there and leave some bass for me!

Your local fishing addict

Marlin LeFever

A few days ago my friend Marlin talked me into a finger-freezing expedition into a local, Fall Largemouth heaven. I had been watching the barometer drop like a stone and I knew that sometimes, contrary to conventional wisdom, lake fish can really go on the bite when that happens. I also knew that you can get cold and wet….and skunked!…..too. But some fishing is better than no fishing, so I was up for the adventure.

I threw my camo raincoat into the rig for just in case, and headed to the water. As I suspected, the water temperature had dropped significantly, but the SouthWest Washington lake we were fishing is one of my favorite Largemouth producers and I have had success there even in November. Also, it was late afternoon, so surface temperatures had been given a chance to recover a little warmth. So electric-motoring off down the lake in my canoe we went, bucking the wind and searching for big Fall Bass.

Marlin was looking for surviving weedbeds. I was looking for rocks that might still be radiating a little heat. We found a cove that had both and guess what? Fish on! The first was a dinky little volunteer that I could hardly tell was there. But Marlin’s observation was right, that fish gave us hints about his bigger buddies’ hiding places! We caught a few nice fish in several good spots and Marlin had a monster on for awhile, but it somehow managed to escape, defeating Marlin’s best fish playing tactics and my best boat handling skills.

Mostly, I was trying to hold our position by running the MinnKota in reverse so we could both cast to good spots. A few times even the highest speed did no good and we would run helplessly with the wind or spin suddenly, just at the wrong time. Underestimating the force of the wind gusts, I allowed us to be pushed right over the top of some of the most likely fish-holding areas several times. Dumb guy! But it can be that way when the winds of November come early, and at least I managed to avoid the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald! We were also able to slip through some shallow, confined areas that a bigger Bass boat could not have managed.

As the sun went down and the wind picked up even more, especially on the open lake areas we were trying, we both got a little too cold to stay as long as we had planned. But it was great to be on the water for awhile, and I really got a kick out of watching my friend battle a big Bass out of a weedbed, through several arcing, diving, pumping, drag-yanking runs and in to where I could finally lip him and hand him over. Marlin’s big, happy grin reminded me of why fishermen put up with foul-weather Bassing.

While October can offer some tough fishing and inactive fish, that expedition offered few challenges besides the wind. Slow-moving, grub-trimmed spinnerbaits in obvious places did the trick, but we did try the venerable jig-and-grub combo as well. When conditions do get really tough, jigs and other soft plastics generally produce better than flashier, faster-moving baits. Slow-rolling or dragging a spinnerbait along the bottom with occasional blade rolls will sometimes produce, even in very cold water.

Choosing and using baits in the Fall are best accomplished by keeping water temperature and clarity in mind. When the water gets down into the low 50′s and high 40′s, big Bass will not move far to inspect or pick up your offering. Their metabolism has slowed down and they are just too lethargic to move fast. They can still pull hard and offer a good fight, but usually they just do not have the energy to run far or jump at all. A surface headshake and wallow on top is about the best they can muster.

With the jig-and-grub combo as well as with spinnerbaits, I like to run the head of a 4 or 5 inch grub straight up the shank of the hook and as close to the lead head as I can get it. I always have the grub’s curled tail pointing downward. This helps to keep the tail from fouling on the hook point during the cast and it also lets the tail flutter along the bottom, stirring things up and looking like wiggling, live prey. I also like to keep the grub lubricated with some kind of attractant such as Yum Crawdad flavor, Smelly Jelly Crawdad or in the Columbia River, Smelly Jelly Herring/Salt (Do Bass see alot of herring? No! But I am certain that they like the smell anyway!). The odor seems to help make a difference in how much effort a coldwater Bass is willing to make. Remembering that the bite can be very light, I trim the jig’s fiber brush guard almost even with the hook point. This lets it collapse better when the fish mouths the bait, while still keeping most of the weedless/snagless features of a guarded jig. In really cold weather, I switch to an Uncle Josh pork frog which I believe has a better ‘feel’ and stays more lifelike than cold plastic. Remember to take it off the hook and put it back in the bottle, or it will shrivel into a cement-hard little booger that you’ll have to saw off next time you want to use that jig!

Slowly dragging a weedless 6 inch Texas-rigged Zoom or Power Worm, or a swim-tail Senko in black, white or watermelon seed works if you keep it low and slow, feeling carefully for a slight ‘tick’ or a ‘mushy’ resistance that might just be something more than a weed, stick or rock. As in early Spring, a ‘parked,’ lightly-twitched, slowly-retrieved suspending stick bait can work too. If you are fishing murky water, try a worm rattle pushed into your grub or worm. Just a little extra, subtle noise can help the sleepy fish home in on its target. Often a grub, worm or Senko-style bait will sink quite well with no additional weight. Get used to casting an unweighted soft plastic, and work it very slowly. I believe that a coldwater Bass is more likely to hold onto it longer than a weighted offering. This may be one reason slow-fished tube jigs work so well. They are small, subtle and usually have only a small weight, hidden in the head. The fish feels nothing but lifelike, ‘squeezable’ skin.

As strange as it may seem up here in the cold North, Bill Dance’s ‘Dancin’ Eel’ or smaller tadpole version can work in the Fall as well. Even with dying, shrinking weed-beds, the treble hook can be a drawback, but just like crankbaits, the diving bill causes a head-down attitude that can keep you from snagging up if you are careful. Fish in sparse weeds, the edges of brush or weeds, bump it carefully over submerged limbs and logs, or bring it over rocky bottoms. Try cranking it down to or near the bottom, then retrieving slowly. It is not necessary to get the bait vibrating strongly and the tail does not have to ‘wiggle’ frantically. In colder water, I think a slower retrieve mimics a stunned, helpless baitfish more than an eel and it will provoke bites. If the bigger one doesn’t work, try the smaller one. Have several colors on hand.

Here’s an odd little fact to keep in mind when you are fishing in clear water: In cold water, the shape of the Largemouth’s eye changes slightly, resulting in clearer vision. That’s right! He can see better! Use the most lifelike baitfish, worm or crawdad imitating bait you have. And remember that in cold, clear weather, the fish can see you better than he could in warmer months. Don’t spook him by getting too close and showing yourself.

As I was reminded on the last outing, the weather can be unrelenting and unforgiving. Gear up appropriately, wear long underwear, make sure and have wet-weather gear, bring some warm fluids along and try some fingerless gloves or fold-back mitts. The more comfortable you are, the better a fisherman you’ll be.

Is it worth your effort to even go out after Bass in November?

Well I think it is, but let’s discuss that next month!

The days are getting noticeably shorter, lake and river temperatures are ramping down, and Largemouth Bass are responding by going on ‘The Fall Bite.’ In this time of ‘feeding frenzy,’ fish are bulking up in preparation for the cold winter months when their metabolism slows way down and with it, their feeding activity. Plus, a beautiful Indian Summer is a great time to be out on the water.

In the Pacific Northwest, September and even October can be excellent for Bass fishing, mirroring the crazy activity levels of Spring. Fish caught during this time can be much heavier and have much more of a football shape, compared to fish of the same length caught in Spring and Summer. One particularly warm mid-October, I caught 10 Largemouth in a row out of the same small area in a backwater of the Columbia River near Woodland, Washington. I had an appointment to keep so I had to leave without being able to find out how many more would have jumped on my baits, but what a day!

The above is just one benefit of the Fall frenzy: Bass seem to be more concentrated in obvious areas, not dispersed as in Summer fishing. Look for Largemouth attracted to riprap and other rocky areas. Rocks hold heat and radiate it during the cooling weeks of Fall, and Bass begin to look for these warmer areas. I have caught very large fish simply by making casts parallel to riprap shorelines and by running baits through shallow, rocky areas. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jig-and-grub (skirted with brush guard) or jig-and-frog combination’s work well in these situations. In clear water, try a swimbait that looks like the baitfish in that area. Rig it with as little weight as possible, but make certain it stays upright and straight, then swim it slowly along the rocks at mid-depths. A recognizable, easy meal will be hard for a Largemouth to resist. Don’t forget to experiment with a topwater bait too. A hardbait or a frog can still work under the right circumstances.

Start with the bigger, flashier lures. If they do not work, or if you get hit but not hung on a fish, go to the swimbaits or the quieter, smaller jig combo, or even a Texas-rigged soft plastic worm or tube bait. If you can be on the water at the beginning of a Fall rain, be there! This often turns on a major bite. My biggest Fall fish have come at such times.

An excellent all-around Fall tactic is to prowl river or lake shorelines from a boat, canoe, float tube, pontoon boat or kayak and simply cast a ½ ounce jig-and-grub to the shore, then drag it into the water and reel slowly, letting the jig bumble along the bottom. Aggressively feeding Fall fish will know what to do! I prefer a multicolor jig such as black, brown and green, with a little touch of red somewhere on the jig or grub. If you are shore-bound, don’t give up! You can still catch big Bass by working the shoreline to the right or left of you, gaining more access by carefully, quietly wading out where possible.

Remember that because of it’s off-center, head-heavy design, the jig is especially susceptible to being thrown if a caught fish gets his head above water and shakes it. The bait will flip out of the fish unless you keep a moderately tight line while the acrobatics are going on. Don’t allow your line to go slack, and don’t try to jerk or ‘horse’ the fish toward you. Just keep the line straight and tight between you and the fish while he’s head-shaking. I like to keep my rod more parallel at such a moment, so there is less of a sharp angle between the tip of my rod and the hook in the fish’s face. It seems to help keep him stuck. Remember that water temperatures and fish activity levels can vary quite a bit from day to day, and from area to area. A faster retrieve might stimulate attacks in one instance, a slower retrieve might be the real producer in another. When you catch a Fall bass, remember what you were doing and at what speed. The fish just gave you a hint!

As the days grow even shorter and colder, as light levels decrease and as the Bass’s metabolism decreases, the Bass will begin to move to deeper haunts and become harder to catch. But not impossible! The ‘strike zone’ – distance from the fish in which he is willing to move to take a bait – will shrink, but fish will still need to feed. Slower fishing is called for, but it will still produce fish. We’ll talk about some specific slow tactics and presentations in October. See you then!

BY: Bob Larimer Your Friendly Addicted Bass Fishermen

Pre-Spawn, Spawn and Post-Spawn Largemouth Bass are always a hot topic for committed Bass anglers. In the Pacific Northwest, the topic can almost drive you to distraction. That is because our changeable weather and differing waters can mean that the Spawn runs from early April to July or even later, and not just in separate bodies of water…..but even on the same lake!

Different sides of the lake warm at different times, and different ends of reservoirs reach different temperatures as well. Add to that coldwater springs in some lakes, and runoff from warmwater creeks in others – even the pumping of warm water by landowners from flooded fields into ponds or rivers – and you can get quite a wide-ranging spectrum of temperatures.

The magic temperature that forces Bass into reproductive mode is generally agreed to be 60 degrees farenheight, but fish can spawn in slightly colder or slightly warmer water than that. Once the right temperature is reached, the urge of nature becomes irresistable and Bass begin spawning.

In the same way that a Spring Chinook Salmon is driven by its genetic makeup to run up the Columbia from the ocean, seeking out its home spawning tributary and completing its life cycle, Largemouth Bass must find the right spot, build their nest and spawn when the temperature reaches that magic spot on the thermometer. Luckily for us Bass fishermen, this does not end the fish’s life cycle. It just starts new ones for another generation of Bass that manage to survive and beat nature’s harsh odds to adulthood.

This April started out cold and is warming only slowly. As I’ve mentioned before though, watch your thermometer and weather patterns closely. Warm weather and warm rains can cause a sudden jump in temperature. It pays to have a way to check the temperature for yourself. Your boat’s fish finder will tell you the surface temperature. You can also buy a castable glass thermometer that can measure either the surface or deepwater temperatures. They can be found at quality sporting goods stores such as Sportsman’s Warehouse/UFA or flyshops. Experiment with your thermometer and you’ll find quite a gradient from top to bottom at times. This may come in handy as we progress into Summer. More on that in later months.

Water temperatures are ranging from 46 degrees in the Columbia in warmer areas, to 53 and higher in various lakes and reservoirs. This means that most Bass will still be in Pre-Spawn mode. The Pre-Spawn tactics and baits discussed in last month’s column will work just fine, but because we are nearing spawning temperatures – especially for bigger fish – it is good to start including a few baits for the Spawn in your arsenal.

Besides those spinnerbaits and jig-and-grubs for Pre-Spawn, think about soft plastics like lizards, worms and tube baits for subtle presentations in reedbeds, weedbeds and likely spawning areas. Texas rigs, skin-hooked will prove more manageable than Carolina rigs at this time. Dropshotting with small, subtle amounts of lead will work as well.
You may well find spawning beds that appear as well-defined light spots or dark spots (This depends on the composition of the bottom in that area) in comparison with the rest of the area. Take your time and use your polarized sunglasses and you may also catch sight of a fish, or its shape, hovering near a bed. Soft plastics can be dragged over beds or allowed to actually settle into the bed. This may stimulate a savage strike. Bass can also gently pick up the bait and deposit it away from the bed without really ‘eating’ it. For this reason, some recommend brightly colored baits so that you can actually watch what the fish is doing. You will not always have this luxury, so I recommend paying close attention and staying attuned to your line and rod. For obvious biological and sporting reasons, please handle any spawning bed fish carefully at the water level, get the hook out gently and release an upright, rested and revived fish. The fish and all your fellow bass fisherman will be grateful!
Another great bait around the ‘crazy time’ of the Spawn, when big fish can sometimes be the least wary, is the floating stickbait. A Bomber Long A or Rapala in a baitfish pattern such as rainbow trout or perch can be deadly. Look for an opening in a brush pocket, or along green grass growing up out of the water along a point, or over the top of flooded brush and submerged stumps, or along the outside lines of reeds, or over actual beds which you will find about 10 feet out from shore. Hmmmm! Sounds like there are quite a few spots where these baits will work!

You may need to experiment with a larger bait or a smaller bait, or a different color pattern, but the stickbait can be a real producer, and there is no fancy or secret technique involved here. Just find a likely spot like those mentioned above. Toss the stickbait near the grassline or reedline, or beyond the brush or submerged wood. Let it sit. Let all the ripples from its entrance into the water disappear. Let it sit a little more! Often just the appearance of this bait will cause a savage attack. I have actually watched a big bass rise out of the water and pounce downward on my stickbait. Heart attack time!
If no immediate strike occurs, and after waiting as long as you can, gently twitch the bait. As minimal a movement as you can make. Let it sit some more. Repeat this process a few times. This can also be irresistably tantalizing to Bass.
If you still have no bite, move the bait. Don’t reel it down and dive it. Just pull gently and move the bait over the top of the water. Anywhere from 6 inches to a foot or more. Use this time to ‘position’ your bait if you are going after fish hiding in submerged wood. Make use of the time it is directly over your target to twitch it again. This tactic can also stimulate a charging or a sipping bite from the hiding fish.
I was fishing from shore in a backwater of the Columbia, casting to a favorite submerged ‘schoolmarm’ or forked log, with some of the forks exposed above water. My brother laughed as I complained about getting my stickbait and its treble hooks ‘too close’ to the exposed wood. Concerned about losing this expensive bait, I held my rod to the side and painstakingly, slowly pulled the bait between two threatening stickups. I thought I had escaped the trap when to my dismay, I came up hard against what I thought was a submerged stick. Wrong! A huge bass had decided that my bait would travel no further past his hideout! When I finally battled the fish in, my brother just laughed and said maybe a little ‘worrying’ was a good thing!
After exhausting your sitting, twitching and pulling reflexes, one last tactic remains: Get your line tight, reel quickly for about 4 or 5 turns of the reel handle, forcing the bait to dive and swim erratically, then stop the retrieve and let up. Often this ‘escaping’ action of your stickbait is just too much for the Bass. Repeat this process back to the boat or your position on shore, if depth allows.
Who knows what your Spawn adventure will be? Get out there, experiment, look for likely spawning areas, and you might be ‘worrying’ about a monster on the line too!
See you next month, when we’ll get into some specifics about topwaters and tactics.

As the days grow longer and the water begins to warm up past 45 degrees, Largemouth Bass are moving up out of their Winter haunts and beginning to look for spawning areas.  This is great news for all of us who like to catch these beautiful, powerful, challenging fish.

Under the proper conditions, some of your greatest successes of the year can come during the Spring. It’s good to bear in mind that as the bigger, smarter fish make their first moves into shallower water and brighter light, they can be very spooky.  Remember not to throw your shadow over them, get your boat too close or make too much noise from the boat or from land. Just a bang from a paddle or a tackle box, or a few rocks clinked together by a misplaced boot, and Mr. Bigmouth will squirt away. These fish have grown to their large size by being cautious.  Stealth is the word! With the powerful, unpredictable influence of marine weather from the Pacific Ocean and/or possible flows of cold Canadian air masses down into our region, planning Spring fishing trips can be challenging.  The ideal condition would be an early, sustained warming trend, a full moon for lake or river fishermen, and high Spring tides for devoted river fishermen.  Watch for warm rains, which will warm up lakes and even the river much faster than warm air temperatures.  I like to remember that fish are not afraid of rain, and neither should I be.  I have caught several very big Bass during warmer, rainy Spring weather. But what we in the Pacific Northwest often get is prolonged chilly spells, with cold rain, snow or hail falling into our water. This time of year it’s best to find areas of shallower water adjacent to deep water. The skinny water warms quicker, and when it begins to climb through 45 degrees and above, fish will seek out that water. These fish are in pre-spawn mode. When the water temperature is between 55 and 65 degrees, Bass get serious about spawning. Whether in the backwaters of the Columbia or in lakes, pre-spawn fish will be cruising the shallows, sometimes even ‘setting up’ or remaining in a certain area. Contrary to some reports, a cold front will not necessarily drive these fish back out into deeper water. They often will actually push deeper into cover when this happens. Pre-spawn bass can be found cruising in flooded shoreline brush, or hanging in areas of outside structure – near future spawning sites – such as rocks, rockpiles, underwater humps, stumps, logs or points {Actual spawning flats will be approximately 10 feet out from shore and in stable depths of anywhere from a foot or so to 6 feet, with bigger fish nesting deeper}.  There are several baits that work best for pre-spawn fish. A jig-and-pig or jig-and-grub fished slowly in heavier cover can be very effective. Try a slow, steady retrieve, feeling for a ‘mushy’ slow-down, or a light ‘tick’ as the fish bites. Also try a slow, reel, hop, reel approach, using very gentle twitches of the rod tip to impart a little extra motion to the jig. This bait and these retrieves can also be effective in more open areas right near the heavier cover. Try both. But retrieve s-l-o-w-l-y!  I like to use a little attractant, such as crawdad scent, on my jigs. At this time of year a 1/2 ounce jig in dark brown, dark green or black is a good choice. If the water is not clear, a rattling jig might help. One of my favorites for warmer, pre-spawn water is floating stick-baits such as Rapalas in Rainbow Trout pattern. I don’t do much swimming of the bait, instead I prefer to just toss it into an open area in flooded brush, or near a log or stump, let it sit, then twitch it.  Often the fish will hit before any motion is given to the lure.  If a still bait or twitching do not work, try four or five fast turns on the reel handle, then ease up. This causes the bait to make a shallow dive as if escaping, then pause and begin to rise. Often the Bass will hit just at the slowdown. This same tactic, perhaps with a quicker retrieve, also works well on spawning fish. I am also not shy about using larger baits, 5 1/2 inches or longer. Jointed versions will work well too. Another excellent pre-spawn bait is a 1/2 ounce to 3/4 ounce twin-blade spinnerbait. A black, white or white and chartreuse skirt works well. I like a small Colorado blade in front and a large willowleaf blade in back. I usually use a grub trailer with the tail pointed down.  Even with a grub trailer on, it is often wise to put an additional or ‘trailer hook’ on behind the spinnerbait’s hook. Cut off a small piece of surgical tubing, put it over the eye of the trailer hook, then punch the spinnerbait hook point through the tubing and eye of the trailer hook, keeping the trailer hook oriented in the same ‘up’ position as the spinnerbait hook.  Soft-biting or ‘short-striking’ Spring Bass will often hang up on the trailer hook, when they would have missed the main hook.  ‘Slow-roll’ a spinnerbait by keeping it in relatively constant contact with the bottom, bumping and banging its way over the cover. It will act somewhat like a jig, only with additional flash from the blades. Try a big crankbait as well. Chrome, baitfish, firetiger, citrus or crawdad colors are good. A stop-and-go retrieve might be just what it takes to make the fish hit.  Try flat-sided as well as the beefier models. Some folks also crawl  or slow-roll a lipless crankbait on the bottom and convince fish to strike. This can be a Winter tactic as well. Try a suspending stickbait. It can be deadly on early pre-spawn fish.  Reel it down and ‘park’ it in a good mid-depth area. Then give it a short ‘rip’ with a moderate lateral sweep of the rod tip. Repeat this process and be ready for the take.  This also works well for Smallmouth Bass. If you sense that your offerings are just a little too much for the wary pre-spawn fish you’re after, don’t neglect the lowly tube bait.  Its non-threatening, do-nothing presentation might just convince a wary fish to go for a quick meal. An eighth ounce or possibly heavier tube jig head in a motor oil and red flake, or possibly watermelon and black flake tube can be good offerings. Retrieve it slowly near the bottom and stay alert for ‘taps’. On the other hand, if you feel confident that the water is warming well, you can throw topwater buzzbaits out on the edges of cover. Agressive pre-spawn Bass will kayo a buzzbait at times, but it would probably be my last choice unless I was sure the water was well on it’s way toward spawning temperatures.

As in Bass fishing at any time of year, pay attention to depth, structure, cover and local land features when you catch a fish.  Look for similar areas as you move from place to place.  And try to stick to warmer water, if you can find it! Try to get out fishing as often as you can this season.  Conditions change – Improve! – quickly in Spring Bass fishing.  You want to be there when that magical time happens!