By Capt. Cefus McRae – NutsAndBoltsFishing.com
When it comes to finned foes, spotted bass definitely deserve a position in the top ten of fish species. Pound for pound, these critters fight as hard as any fish you’ll ever catch. They simply don’t give up. You can catch them year-round, and in the early spring they gorge themselves on whatever local forage is available for putting on weight for the spawn. Catch a ‘fatty’ and their belly looks like they’ve just swallowed a football.
They will viciously attack crankbaits, stickbaits, spoons, worms, and of course, live baits. I’ll often catch spots when striper fishing, and by the initial bend in the rod, think I’ve got a ten-or twelve-pound striper on the line, only to find out it’s a three-pound spotted bass.
This time of year, they’re in pre-spawn mode. They are moving from their deep water, winter hangouts and staging up in somewhat shallower depths before moving to the skinny water to spawn in the spring. Now is a great time to catch a big fish too, as they spend most of the day in the buffet line to put on weight and build up energy lost during the winter. It seems the magic number is 50 degrees. Even if the main lake or river is still in the mid-40s, the creeks and shallow flats will warm up into the low to mid-50s, so mid-day fishing can be really productive. You’ll just have to focus on some of the deeper pockets as the sun gets higher in the sky.
If your favorite pond has a population of spots, locating them can be fairly straightforward. Look on your chart plotter for long shallow points, rocky outcroppings, and shallow structure where they will make their beds in a few weeks. Then simply start a search pattern where the bottom drops steeply close to these areas. There won’t be a school at every drop-off, but the odds are in your favor. If there’s deep water structure close to these shallow areas, that’s likely to be a honey hole.
I’ll start my search with something that can cover a lot of water quickly like a spoon or a jig. Remember, the water is still cold so don’t get over zealous with your retrieves. Although they are ready to eat, these fish are still a bit sluggish and won’t chase a lure too far. Use your DownScan and SideScan to locate the structure and bait schools, then concentrate your efforts in those areas.
Live baits are a sure-fire way to put fish in the boat, and if you’re not tournament fishing, down-lining and free-lining herring, threadfins and gizzard shad will definitely draw a strike. A six-to-eight-inch gizzard shad is really hard for a big spot to pass up.
The pre-spawn frenzy is on, but it only lasts for a couple weeks. Bundle up, and get out on your favorite spotted bass water. Try these tactics and you’ll be seeing spots before your eyes too. Tight lines and calm seas.