The spring is full of transition in fresh, brackish, and saltwater locations. Granted there may be a few days or weeks where conditions remain fairly stable, but for the most part, it’s always changing. Water temperature, along with water height, is usually rising or falling, and moving fast or slow (or not all). Predator and prey are both going through changes as well. Spawning stage, water temperature, and forage fish patterns can move your targets from shallow to deep, from bridge piling to rip rap, shell to grass, and every place in between. Choosing a lure for any angler of any skill level can be downright daunting!
I have scaled my box down to four basic baits that any angler of any skill can master, in fresh or saltwater—and it won’t hurt your wallet! In the spring, most water conditions have yet to become full of bloom and remain fairly clear. The bait has arrived, but is not yet frantic, or over abundant. I am looking for small flash and movement on a semi-subtle level.
For topwaters, I’ll stay away from noisy buzz baits and large dog walkers and scale back to less obtrusive poppers. I like the profile of Storm’s Chug Bug in both the 2 ½” and 3 ¼” size. (www.stormlures.com). This profile matches the hatch, and like bait this time of year, is less erratic. Give a small pop or two and let the plug rest. The pause is the key. If I see that fish are swirling at the lure but not committing, I’ll fire a stick bait like the Bomber Long A, suspending or floating, 4 5/8” or 3 ½”. My retrieve with the lipped divers is almost always two sharp twitches, pause, and repeat.
When I have to fish the nasty, (grass, brush, shell, rock, and timber) I use light spoons (1/4oz. to ½ oz.) and plastics. These baits can be rigged weedless and fished shallow or deep.
I recently stumbled upon a unique soft plastic bait manufactured by Stinky Fingers, that offers fresh and saltwater profiles. These baits are not only packed with either a special salt or freshwater scent formula, but have a small sponge insert that absorbs the scent (stinkyfingersbaico.com). I am fairly stubborn and pretty much stick to the fluke style profile (often referred to as a soft plastic jerk bait). I rig this bait weedless on a weighted or plain 4/0 or 5/0 EWG worm hook. When fishing deeper I’ll switch this same bait to a jig head. Work this rig with small twitches and hops (don’t forget the pause!). Set the hook immediately when you feel anything.
Finally, I’ll add the spoon for the ability to crank or burn with flash, but without vibration, thump, bulk, or noise—and stay weedless. Many spoons are readily available on the market, but I have switched over to the Aqua Dream spoon as it offers a variety of sharp and vivid colors with a realistic, life like profile (www.aquadreamliving.com). A simple slow to medium retrieve is all that is needed.