Wow! Spring is finally upon us. Flowers are blooming, Spring Training bats are cracking and anglers are taking their kayaks out of storage and heading to the favorite honey holes. Life is good.
To help get you prepared for the kayak fishing spring frenzy, I have recruited several of my Hobie teammates to provide a brief overview of their springtime tactics that have made them some of the most successful kayak anglers in the country. This grouping of helpful hints is brief, so if you have a topic that you would like to see expanded on please do not hesitate to let us know.
Morgan Promnitz the Hobie Fishing Product Manager; provided this Southern California rundown:
Spring is upon us, the water is warming up, the fin bait is moving in, and so are the predators. White seabass spend a lot of time in our local kelp beds from late February through summer spawning and feeding on baitfish. They move around looking for schools of mackerel and sardines they can feast upon. The yellowtail are moving up higher in the water column making it a perfect time to dust off your jig stick and favorite surface irons. Look out in deeper water for roaming schools of fish and fire, crank, and hold on tight! Ever fished big weedless plastics over the kelp canopy for hungry calico bass? Itâs a blast, and nowâs the time to start trying it.
John âChappyâ Chapman, âenough said,â gives us a look in to how to make the best of your time in the Carolinas:
Our winter was fairly mild with freezes followed by quick warm ups. This means that the fish are all over the place and scattered and just as confused as we are. When the winter is mild and erratic, spring time means going back to the basics and using the tried and proven tactics of late summer. You can never go wrong working a soft plastic with a lot of action around the creek mouths when the water is rolling out. Then depending on the size of your jig head and the quickness of your retrieve will produce all three of the favorite game species. Slow roll it on the bottom and wait for that tell tale thump of a flounder or bring it through the water column and entice a trout or a spot tail. Lots of times you can find the trout in the creeks by trolling your plastics. If youâre into bait fishing then it won’t be long before a live mud minnow slowly dragged along the bottom will be lethal for both spot tail and flounder. Live shrimp under a popping cork will almost always produce a spot tail or trout this time of year.
2012 IFA Champion, Benton Parrott, fills us is on the way to succeed in Louisiana:
Watch the weather patterns for your style of fishing. With the heavy rains we have been having fish should be moving down from the rivers to their spring patterns. Throw top waters early and late in the day when the water temperature is above 60. If the water temperature is below 60 go to plastics and twitch baits and slow down your retrieve until you find what is working. Contrasting colors should work best in dirty or stained waters and natural colors for when you can find cleaner water. I like areas with deeper pockets near shallows that fish will congregate in. Finding bait is a must that is what the reds, speckled trout, and flounder will be keying in on.
Brad Kirn of Hobies Worlds Team gives a look at what it takes to land a trophy bucketmouth:
It is springtime and that means Post-Spawn largemouth bass fishing! During the post spawn, the bulk of largemouth bass, both male and female, will return to active feeding and will also be less particular in what they will eat. With that in mind, here are some tips that can make your time on the water more productive. Cover as much water as possible until you find the fish. Continue to vary the type, size, lure color, and presentation until a successful pattern is established. Match the Hatch. Most baitfish this time of year will be smaller, so try downsizing your lure.
As for lure selection, here are some that I consider must haves for shallow ponds/lakes of the South East during the post-spawn:
- Frogs (explosive action in heavy cover, try a Spro or Stanley Ribbit.)
- Poppers (a personal favorite; The Rebel Pop-R is a great choice).
- Jerk baits (both soft and hard plastic).
- Walk-the dog type top water. (Spook jrâs and skitterwalks consistently produce).
Many other lures will catch fish this time of year including Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and a variety of plastic worm designs. But the bottom line is, use what works for you.
Your pal JDÂ wants to let you know that spring fishing in the backwaters of Florida is all about transition. Snook, redfish and tarpon move out of the creeks and rivers ready to gorge themselves until they are ready to pop. These fish will be combing the flats consuming everything that gets in their path before heading out through the passes to spawn. The best way to target spring trophies is to locate the sizzle bait. This tiny bait will be on the surface and sizzling like bacon and we know everyone loves bacon. Game fish will lie beneath these pods of fry bait and aggressively chow down on an easy meal. My favorite way to entice these ravenous predators is to bomb long cast with a small topwater plug like the Spook jr. all around any bait you see bubbling on the surface. By walking the dog with my plug across the flats, I can quickly locate and entice my target species. If you have not used a topwater plug as search bait before give it a try, the results are explosive.
Pedal On!