Hands down my favorite time of the year to catch fish is during the spawn. Some of my biggest numbers and sizes have come my way during this time. The spawn is the time where fish make their nests or “beds” as most anglers refer, to lay eggs. Typically you can locate these beds quite easily. This is what anglers call, “sight fishing.” With the exception of the warmer waters located near power plant discharge or intakes, the spawn begins on the northern side of the lake. The spawn will run down the whole course of the lake ending at the southern-most portion last. On some lakes you can chase the spawn well into late May and in rare cases, early June. Spawning fish are mostly found in the very backs of coves in the shallowest of water having quick access to deeper water. Bass like to make their beds on hard bottomed surfaces. These beds can range in size from a few inches to a few feet in diameter. Most beds look like white or cloudy circles scattered out over an area. A bed can be simple and consist only of a few exposed shells or twigs. Sometimes the only thing that will identify itself as a bed is a fish laying close by or darting off as you approach. Bass like to place their beds close to cover like dock posts, rocks, stumps, etc. for protection and to hide in case a predator comes by to disturb their nest. Although the fish are not in a feeding mode you can still get them to bite.
In the morning sun I prefer an amber lens in my polarized sunglasses to help brighten the low light and enable me to spot not only the beds, but roaming fish as well. In the late afternoon I’ll switch to a gray lens that filters out light as the sun gets higher in the sky. Polarized lenses are essential to sight fishing.
A stealthy approach to a bedding bass is essential to the catch. As I am trolling in the back of a cut I am looking pretty far ahead so that when I spot a bed, I take my foot off the trolling motor or bump it in reverse and simply slow drift in. If you approach too quickly not only will you spook the fish off of her nest, but you can blow mud and debris into your field of vision and it can take hours to clear up. Don’t forget though, for every spawning area with fish on beds, there are plenty you can’t see as well as pre and post spawn fish roaming the area. As I am searching, I usually throw a weightless senko, pesky perch, or a wacky rigged worm to key in on strikes from those roaming. This is where the “numbers” I spoke of earlier are produced. Once you have found a few beds and see fish nearby it is important to understand the fishes’ behavior to know whether it is catchable. If you approach slowly and the fish scoots away out of sight it is probably what we call skittish and will be a challenge to catch. However, if it slowly moves away from its nest and quickly returns, game on. Here is where the fun begins!
I prefer to use bait color that I can see clearly. My go-to colors are white, bubble gum, and merthiolate. If I don’t get a reaction from these colors in a reasonable amount of time however, I’ll switch to a “harder for me to see” color like watermelon or green pumpkin. The more you can keep an eye on your bait the better. A lot of times the fish will hover over your bait and if you can’t see it clearly you may be tempted or fooled into thinking the fish has picked it up and set the hook only to snag or foul hook the fish. This is not a fair fishing tactic nor is it healthy for the fish. Also, the fish may flare its gills and blow the bait out of its bed. This is awesome to witness but it’s crucial to be able to see that fish moved the bait so you can reel in and place it back in the nest where it needs to be.
I typically use a 7 foot spinning rod with 8-10lb fluorocarbon. I either use no weight or a 1/16th split shot to add a little weight. Tubes tend to entice or aggravate the fish better than a bait with no reaction or buoyancy. You can even rig a tube with a light shaky head hook to make it stand on end to allow the tentacles to flow openly. You cast well past the bedding bass and slowly pull your lure into the nest. If luck is with you, the fish will strike right away. Though in 20+ years of fishing, this has only happened for me a handful of times, for which I am grateful because my thrill is in the visual duel between me and the fish. As I bring my lure into the nest, quite often the fish will make a large circle around its bed, slowly, slowly, re-approaching, inching forward, nosing down to sniff the bait. With a twitch of my wrist, almost a shiver, I make my bait quiver ever so slightly producing just enough movement to get a reaction and BAM…we have a strike!!!
That’s my ideal scenario, the one I dream about, the one that gets my heart pounding, the one I wait all season for, the one that is better than a bogo (buy one get one, guys)at the shoe store! For those harder to catch fish you can add a little more color to your bait, like a tip of chartreuse dye can make all the difference in the world. For the hardest of reactions, I often place part of a denture cleaner tablet in to the belly of the tube to create a fizz that sends the fish over the edge. This is usually my last resort to catch that uncatchable bass.
For me, when bass fishing, it is always catch and release. Especially during this time of year, since these bass are protecting their nests and left without protection the eggs are gone to waste. Sight fishing is beautiful and exciting. It is an ideal time to take kids, not only for the numbers of fish that can be caught during the spawn but for the ability to see the catch from start to finish is an extraordinary experience.