Pics overload from opener weekend. Had a good time with family knocking out the other species first. Once bass trips start next week on Monday midday, it’ll be SMB’s for my boat and guests every day.

I began my fishing year on Friday, April 30th, and only went thru Monday of this week. Fishing has been very good depending on lake choice and species. Pike, walleyes and largemouth most aggressive.

Pike and walleyes up in shallow weeds and grass (if you can find it). 5-8ft. Plastics and minnows.

Largemouth especially are and lake specific. Go find your warm water. Shallow bays, backwaters, drainages. Warmest I’ve found at a few lakes is 55-56. Elsewhere 49-51, dead with no activity. All fish being caught in depths of 3ft and shallower.

Enjoyed a 45 fish outing with Keith on Monday, in which all fishes were caught during a 10am-2pm window. Nearly all bites happening in 3ft or less. Mud bays with lots of wood and emerging pads/ root systems and other cover sources. Couple fish at 20.5 and 21”. Otherwise lots of 2-3 pounders. If I can talk some of you into LMB’s this month in between SMB trips, let’s do it. Their bites are best in crap cold overcast conditions like we’ve had all this week.

The new Freedom Tackle Corp. FT series swim jigs and structure jigs catching nearly all largemouths. Black and blue only color you’ll need. Jig trailer of choice is a 4.8” bluegill pattern paddletail. Freedom Chatterbaits also catching many too.

Scroll down to this month’s BASS BLING segment to learn more about how I’m going about my early season bass this week.

All the smallmouth we’ve contacted up to this point were accidental. I’ll start targeting them after this weekend. Some fish shallow, others deep.

Cold weather all week will keep patterns, lake locations, and current conditions steady into next week along with water temps 48-52. Don’t expect any drastic changes to occur.

Looking forward to hosting everyone this month.

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Bass Bling

Undoubtedly they’re the best bite happening right now. Prioritize location over BLING, because where you fish and the warmest water temperatures you find will be the difference between good fishing versus bad.

This time of year, I’m only fishing waters that are notorious for good early season fishing. These waters will feature shallow bays, backwaters, and drainages. You can expect to find water temps in these locations between 53-56 and congregating bass, whereas the main lake will be 48-51.

Over the weekend and early this week, I’ve been finding all of my fish in 3ft depths and less. Some bites occurring in a foot or less, that are impenetrable by boat. On Monday midday we had a 3 hour window in which 45 largemouth bass up to 20.5” were caught and released. Over the weekend, I also caught a 21 incher from 1 ft of water.

Shallow emergent lily pads and their intricate root systems, wood, bogs, and other forms of non-plant cover types are bass magnets now. Windblown areas will help trigger bites too. Not finding any weeds, check every available alternative forms of cover and habitats –

No Weeds? No Problem Largemouth Bass

Catching the LMB’s has been very easy. All I’ve needed is one rod, spooled up with 20 lb. Cortland Line Masterbraid.

My St. Croix rod of choice for this target shooting is the Legend Tournament Dock Sniper. At 7 foot length and heavy power, it handles pitching, flipping, skipping, and long distance casting duties. The Legend Tournament Dock Sniper and its SCIV blank provides outstanding sensitivity, feel, and bite detection for this style of shallow water combat casting. A faster gear ratio reel such as a 7:3.1 will help with line pick-up and speed fishing.

BUY – https://stcroixrods.com/collections/freshwater-legend/products/legend-tournament-bass-casting

For the bling itself, all you need is a handful of NEW Freedom Tackle FS Series Swim Jigs, with a selection of trailers.

Black and Blue is the only color needed. I pair my 3/8 oz. FS Swim Jig with either a 4.8” GrandeBass paddletail, or Bass Assassin 4.8 Boss Shiner.

BUY – https://americanbaitworks.com/collections/freedom-tackle/products/ft-swim-jig

Meanwhile, alternative jig styles are working too. When targeting isolated cover, I’ve working a Freedom Tackle FS Structure Jig, 3/8 oz. with Missile Baits D-Bomb through timber and bog edges. This is a great jig not only for casting, but pitching and flipping too. Likewise fished as a search lure, Freedom Tackle Chatterbait, ½ oz. with exposed Trokar 4/0 flipping hook, paired with either 4.8” paddletail trailer, or Bizz Baits Bizz Bug.

Carry a variety of swim jig trailers. Mix and match, then determine best course of action through trial and error.

The fish are all hungry, and they haven’t seen other lures since last year. Experience my style of early season combat fishing for largemouths before the annual spring smallmouth bite takes over for the remainder of May.

What’s Happening Now

By the time water temperatures get to 48 degrees, smallmouths will be activated for feeding, though a slow approach will be needed. Begin your preliminary search along known staging locations around depths of 8 to 12 feet. Fish will be setting up adjacent to their spawning sites, but holding and schooling in deeper water waiting for temperatures to warm. As weather warms and water temperatures climb into the low 50’s, smallmouths will be fired up and heavily feeding. By the time water temperatures reach 56 to 58 degrees, spawn time is upon us. Put the jerkbaits and hardbaits away in favor of soft plastics, finesse worms, jigworms, drop shotting, hair jigs, and topwaters.

During spawn, I do my best to avoid this period by fishing colder, deeper lakes that typically don’t see spawning until June. So, when the little lakes are nesting, go fish the biggest waters that are colder and still in a pre-spawn phase. By the time water temps are in the low 60’s and the big waters are in midst of spawn, revert back to fishing the smaller lakes where post-spawn feeding and movements have begun. I will even turn to largemouth bass fishing as they tend to spawn much earlier on some waters. In regards to fishing for spawners, I have no fun and personal glory in sight fishing bedding bass. I won’t tell folks how they should fish at this time. Just please minimize overhandling, overplaying, and return fish to their nests immediately. I want no part of this and won’t host smallmouth trips until they’re finished.

Book Your Summer & Fall Trips

May is full. June is full. Second half of July is now getting filled, and so too are mid September through mid October. I still have the following dates available for full or half day trips during my next block. I am willing to double book myself on dates with half day trips, assuming weather is awesome, and will notify when those times are open.

Here’s what I got left for summer 2021.

• June 29-30
• July 22 thru August 10th

While I could open up some more for August, this is my vacation and travel month. Schedule subject to change and other weeks could become available last minute.

All fall trips will begin after September 15th. Fall trips are full day only, and we target big fish exclusively (not the season for numbers & action, sorry). Everything in September thru October is open.

https://www.northwoodsbass.com/availability-calendar/

To help with everyone’s scheduling and summer vacations I’ve updated my availability calendar to help with selecting. Give me a call or send an email if interested in a trip. Next block of trips are being scheduled from July 22nd thru August 10th.

Andrew Ragas
Northwoods Bass Fishing Adventures, LLC
Licensed and Insured
Specializing in Northern Wisconsin inland bass fishing

tel: 708-256-2201
email: andrew@northwoodsbass.com
web: www.northwoodsbass.com