As a true power fisherman, my favorite way to catch spring smallmouths is with a jerk bait. During spring when bass are in the pre-spawn phase, cruising the shallows and staging outside of spawning areas, this technique allows me to cover maximum amounts of water in any conditions, and allows me to elicit the

  Since lakes vary so widely with depth, clarity and cover options for bass during the pre-spawn period, it’s difficult to anticipate or define exactly what bass may do under post-frontal conditions. However, if smallmouths are stacked and staging outside of spawning sites, then you’ve got a chance. The odds of catching them will be

    Have you ever wondered why spring smallmouth fishing can be frustrating and challenging? On good weather days, fish are caught. On bad weather days, very little gets caught. It’s no secret that fish activity this time of year is all relative to sunlight!

  Lipless crankbaits are one of the best solutions for conquering coldfronts and successful early spring bass fishing. With many lipless crankbaits featuring lifelike patterns and baitfish finishing, they are some of the most effective lures on the market to entice ferocious strikes.

  Early spring beckons jerkbaits from tackle trays on lakes all over the country. Smallmouth bass find suspending jerkbaits difficult to resist as they stage to spawn.

  The best bites for early spring smallmouths tend to occur in shallow, warming bays. But fish can also suspend and be in transit between wintering areas and spring locations. Typical of early spring, they will also concentrate along the base of breaks in deeper water leading up to shallow flats and spawning grounds that

  Springtime brings warming weather and water temperatures. In return, abundant schools of pre-spawn bass invade the shallows to stage for spawn. 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 bays located