Frogs are fantastic baits in heavy vegetation. Utilizing a surface-running soft plastic frog around lily pads and atop mats of slop is exhilarating as bass come out of the water to engulf the lure. The distinctive feature of frogs is that their hooks and riggings are weedless and there are no protrusions or sharp
When it comes to jerkbait fishing, smallmouth anglers should always bring a handful of soft bait minnows for the party. Equally effective for smallmouths, and sometimes even better depending on fish activity levels, soft jerkbaits in the fluke style can be fished with the same cadence as a hard jerkbait to draw strikes. It
Each spring, I preach fishing waters that warm fastest. To catch potentially the most active fish, and to tap into premier smallmouth fisheries whose populations are further and deeper established into the spawning season, I always fish and guide on the larger river systems and their flowages to begin the season.
After ice-out, smallmouth undertake structural migrations from wintering sites to their staging locations, utilizing the lake’s contours and breaklines as their trail in order to reach these temporary destinations. Where they stage and hold until water temperature becomes ideal for invading the shallows will often be situated within a close range from their spawning
Specific lake locations that conduct heat are instrumental in scoring early season bass fishing success. The areas that warm quickest are determined by underwater structure and the lake’s geography. Typically, shallow muddy bays with exposure to the southern skies, and have inflows, will warm the fastest.
