By Scott Norton
It is that time of the year again. The water temperatures are rising and bass are hungry. Bass have one thing on their mind and that is the drive to spawn.
Before the spawn, bass have to feed up for energy and energy storage. Once the spawn happens, the desire to feed goes away for a period of time. The males will protect the fry and will not feed but they will bite protecting them. The females will back out and recover for a period of time but will start to feed again once they have recovered.
There are 3 seasons in the spawn and that is pre-spawn, spawn, and post spawn. Knowing what part you are in will tell you what and where you will fish. Everything changes in each stage, so make sure you plan accordingly.
In the pre-spawn you will be finding bass in the deep and in the shallows. They will be moving in to feed and spawn so you will have waves of bass at different times. In the spawn season you will be fishing with lures you can run through those beds. You will have to slow down and be very careful not to spook bass on their beds. The trick is to catch the male and keep it in your live well long enough to catch the female. In the post-spawn stage, bass will be in a funk while some recover and others are protecting the fry. If you’re not catching anything at this time, use a bluegill or crawfish bait where the fry will be to catch those guardians.
When it comes to baits, you can use those bold colors this time of year since the bass are not pressured yet. The color red can be amazing at this time since they are looking for iodine to break loose those egg sacks. Some anglers will use bright color lures so they can see when a fish bites the bait. What they are looking for is the color to disappear. When the color is gone it means it is in the mouth of a bass. During this time period they are not looking to eat the bait so color does not matter. Bright colors will only be used as an indicator.
When bass move up shallow, this is a good time of year for those who fish from the banks. This is where you will have the advantage over the bass boats. Sneaking up on those bass on their beds is a huge advantage from shore. Bass will know if a boat is nearby and will be aware of it. If you are fishing from either boat or shore you have to use the art of stealth ,which includes wearing clothing that blends into your surrounding and controlling the shadows coming off of you. A good pair of polarized sunglasses are a must to locate beds with bass and when to swing on bass that has the bait in their mouth.
Have fun and enjoy this season.
Scott Norton is a Western North Carolina native. Born in Asheville, N.C., he is a long-time hunter, angler and weekend warrior.