Spring is here and summer is creeping up fast. The water tables are steadily dropping down to low pool for the summer rains and hurricane season. The hydrilla is now at the water’s surface making lures snag, but easy to see the edges. The bass are moving to current at the canal entrances and are hanging around the edges of the sand bars. At first light, fish open water for Bass for the first hour. They are feeding like a frenzy on the schools of shad. Bait of choice – crank baits like Rapala X-Raps or Rattle Traps. Bait of choice in open water vegetation are plastic baits like Zoom Speed Worms, flukes, Bitter’s brand vibe worms and the skinny dippers are the hot baits this month. Best colors are June bug, watermelon seed, black and blue.
Crappies are out in open water. Troll at various depths until you get a bite. Run multiple jigs in various colors tipped with a minnow and when you find which color they like, change them all to that color. Panfish: The bluegills have moved up into shallow water to compete for spawning areas. This is the best time to locate the spawning areas. The males are really aggressive and are starting to fan the beds they will be easy to see. Shell cracker will also be mixed in the same area. They are finishing up and will be spawning in a little deeper water. Both panfish prefer the same type of spawning area but will move out deeper to spawn due to the warming water temps and lower water table. Break out the flyrod with a popping bug. Another good bait is the trusty beetle spin in red and white, yellow, and black. If you are a live bait fisherman crickets under a float is the best bet for panfish followed by red worms.
