By Michael Murphy
On Lake Murray, May is the month when bass are finishing spawning, and shad will start to spawn. Fish in the upper reaches will be finishing up spawn, but many of the fish will still be spawning on the lower end of the lake, with the shad spawn starting lake wide. Look for largemouth to be strong in the shallows and moving to secondary points out in front of spawning bays feeding on shad and blueback herring by the end of the month.
On the upper reaches of the lake, from Dreher Island up river where the water has more color, look for fish to be further along and finishing up with spawn. In this area, try using crankbaits that dive to the 2- to 4-foot range like an IMA square bill; spinnerbaits; topwaters, such as a buzzbait; poppers; frogs; prop bait, like a Deps buzzjet or Ima Helips; jigs; soft plastics flipping baits like the new Reins Punchin’ Predator and Ring Craw Tube; or Finesse worms in a natural or green pumpkin color, or a merthiolate or white colored Trick worm. Target fry guarders and shad spawn fish with topwater, crankbait and spinnerbait techniques early in the morning until the sun comes up, switching to slower techniques in the same areas as the day gets brighter. Look for areas with a hard bottom and visible cover in the form of laydowns or docks.
On the lower end of the lake, from Dreher Island to the dam, focus on wakebaits like an IMA Bone Floating Flit; swimbaits like the Optimum, BLT Optimum Opti Shad and Reins 4″ Fat Rockvibe Shad; and soft jerkbaits like the Optimum Victory tail. Cover areas where bass are spawning or points where shad spawns are taking place on secondary points. Once fish are located, or as the day gets brighter, slow down with a jig, shaky head, dropshot or trick worm in a watermelon or green pumpkin color, and the Optimum Victory Tail, rigged weightless, in a shad color like chrome, herring, or sexy shad color. Look for fish to be finishing spawn and moving to the flatter secondary points with a hard bottom for the shad spawn. Key on shad spawn fish in the morning, looking into adjacent pockets as the sun gets higher for remaining bass spawning.
May is a transition month when bass are finishing up their spawn and moving from the shallows to secondary points to feed on the herring spawn. This is a great month to pick up your favorite shallow water lure and just go fishing. Bass will be in the backs of creeks and pockets holding on the last deep water areas around rocks and docks and finishing up their spawn around shallow cover, transitioning to secondary points. Up the river and in the backs of creeks and coves, where resident fish are more prevalent, fish could be as shallow as a couple feet in areas that hold heat. Be sure to focus on areas with bait and hard bottom areas.
A great way to get out, enjoy the outdoors, and do a little fishing is to book a trip with one of the Lake Murray area guides. I am a certified Fisheries Biologist, have fished fulltime and competitively for over eight years across the country on both the BASS and FLW trails, and have a lifetime of fishing experience. I offer a learning experience on multiple techniques of your choice and would love to share my knowledge with you on the water and enjoy a day of fishing.
Michael Murphy
www.MichaelMurphyFishing.com
Michael@MichaelMurphyFishing.com
