Spring is the time of year bass anglers live for. Fish are moving up shallow to spawn during the first half of spring and then put the feed bag on post spawn. One of the best parts about spring is the variety of techniques that catch fish. You can fish shallow structure, or mid depth weeds, and you can also fish beds. In this article we’ll go over 5 lures that will help you catch more bass this spring.
Chatterbait
One of the most effective lures in the spring is the chatterbait. Its profile mimics a swimming baitfish and its vibrating blade generates bites even in the most stained water. Throwing a chatterbait near shallow structure will catch fish but burning it fast through the tops of weed flats is even more effective.
Chatterbaits are a great way to cover a lot of water quickly while still generating plenty of bites. White/Chartreuse, Black/Blue and Fire Craw are all favorite springtime colors. A 7 ft or 7’2″ medium heavy, fast action rod is great to use with a chatterbait. The length will give you casting distance as well as leverage when you hook up with a fish.
Best Chatterbait Tip: Never retrieve it the same way twice. Change your retrieval speed, start and stop, and pop your rod tip every few seconds. The more you can make the skirt dance, the more enticing the lure is to a bass.
Weightless Wacky Rig
Over the past ten years, there may not be a lure that has caught more springtime bass than the wacky rig. When bass move shallow, whether its on docks, shoreline structure, or beds, a weightless wacky rig will get the job done. Easy to cast and skip under docks, it’s virtually silent when it hits the water. It’s the perfect weapon to target shallow bass. Cast it out, let it fall on partially slack line until it hits the bottom. Let it sit for five or ten seconds. If nothing happens give it two or three quick pops using an upward rod action, and let it fall to the bottom again. Keep an eye on the line as it will visibly jump or twitch when a fish sucks in the worm, then set the hook!
VMC Wacky Rig hooks, or VMC Neko hooks are great wacky rig hooks. As far as plastics go, stick to normal senko style plastics, using green pumpkin, black/blue flake, or PB&J colors. Spinning gear with a 6’8″ to 7 ft rod is a great setup for the wacky rig. Using a shorter rod always helps casting accuracy and wacky rigging doesn’t require a big hookset so the power and leverage a longer rod brings isn’t a necessity.
Best Wacky Rig Tip: Use a slow sweeping hookset. If you’re using the hooks listed above, it doesn’t take much power to drive it into the fish’s mouth.
Jerkbait
The jerkbait is effective all year long but it shines brightest in the spring. Cast it parallel to docks or work it over the first weed beds and points you can find out from shallow water. The suspending and erratic action is what the bass can’t turn down. The colder the water temps, the slower it should be worked. This is also an excellent post spawn lure, when the bass are in the mid-depth transition areas actively feeding before they slide out deep for summer. A spinning or baitcasting setup can be used for jerkbaits (personal preference), but a rod around 6’10” to 7 ft with a fast action is recommended. A little flex in the rod tip is needed to help the jerkbait achieve the erratic action that triggers fish. In clear water natural colors excel, with brighter colors like bone, sexy shad, or chartreuse working well in stained water.
Best Jerkbait Tip: When retrieving use a downward “jerk” and allow the rod to recoil or bounce back towards the direction of the lure. This motion along with keeping some slack in the line will produce a more erratic action.
Texas Rig
The almighty when it comes to targeting bass on shallow structure. Almost any type plastic can be Texas rigged, and because it’s extremely weedless, it can be pitched into the middle of downed trees, lily pads, shoreline reeds or grass, rocks, and other gnarly structure and still not get snagged. Paired with a 1/8th or 3/16th oz bullet weight, the Texas Rig is also a favorite for dock and bed fishing in the spring. Cast, pitch, flip, or skip it into the middle of a laydown, or underneath a dock. If there’s a fish there, chances are it’ll bite.
A 6’8″ to 7’2″ ft, medium heavy baitcasting rod is the go to for the Texas Rig. 15 to 20 lb. fluorocarbon line is a must for its abrasion resistance if fishing docks or laydowns. Senko and craw style plastics are most effective, especially in Black/Blue flake or Green Pumpkin colors.
Best Texas Rig Tip: Work it slow. Let it fall to the bottom and let it sit for 5 to 10 seconds. Give it a couple small twitches, and let it sit again. Keep in mind with just a small twitch of the rod tip the rig moves much more than it seems. Keep it subtle.
Dropshot
One of the most popular bass fishing techniques over the past 10 years, the dropshot is typically thought of as an offshore technique. However, in certain situations in the spring, it can be deadly in shallow water. Pitching a dropshot near and under docks can be extremely successful. Most dock fishing techniques are presentations fished on the bottom. Using a dropshot to move the presentation higher in the water column can trigger the most finnicky bass, because it’s something they don’t see often. Bedfishing is another application where the dropshot can be deadly. Again, it brings a different look because it is off the bottom, and you can use very finite movements with a dropshot setup to entice bedding bass to strike.
A 7 or 7’2″ ft, medium fast spinning rod works best for dropshotting. VMC Finesse Dropshot or Neko hooks are great options when it comes to terminal tackle. Many anglers prefer the pencil dropshot weights to the standard round weights because they don’t get caught up in weeds as easily. The length of your dropper (the length of line from the hook to the weight) will depend on how high off the bottom you want your presentation, as well as how far out the presentation is being casted. If you are casting to targets that are 20-30 ft away, a foot of dropper line is perfect. If you are making longer casts you will need to increase that length. The further out the presentation gets the more horizontal it will sit off the bottom. Tubes, senkos, finesse worms, and flatworm style plastics all work well on the dropshot.
Best Dropshot Tip: Use less movement than you think. Just the movement of the water is enough to give a dropshot action. Don’t over do it.
