Early season bass
Published 6:16 am Monday, June 8, 2009
By By Bob Jensen
Midwest anglers have so many fishing options early in the fishing season. Walleyes are very popular throughout the Midwest, and as soon as season is open, lots of the folks that are fishing are fishing for walleyes.
Crappies and bluegills are also popular with both boat anglers and folks who fish from shore.
Early BassLargemouth and smallmouth bass don’t get as much attention as other Midwest species, and that’s fine with bass anglers. They appreciate the fact that, much of the time, they have the best bass areas to themselves. And, much of the time, they’ll be experiencing some excellent fishing success. Here’s how you can take advantage of the tremendous largemouth bass action that can be found right now throughout the Midwest.
Most of the best bass action will be in shallow water, less than five feet. It is very important to be quiet. Shut the outboard motor off before you enter the shallows and use your electric motor to get into a fishing position. The Minn Kota Terrova that I use is super quiet and lets me sneak up on the shallow bass. I set the motor on a low speed and move along slowly. I prefer not to keep speeding up and slowing down, as it is believed by many anglers that the change of speeds sends out different vibrations and alerts the bass.
Spinnerbaits are great for shallow water bass. When they’re shallow, the bass will usually be in areas of vegetation or some sort of cover, and spinnerbaits come through this cover easily and without hanging up. A Pro-Series Reed-Runner spinnerbait is the way to go. The blades on these baits turn at the slowest of speeds, and sometimes a slow retrieve will be what it takes. Add a Power Minnow as a trailer.
When the bass are showing a preference for a slow presentation, try throwing a Jerk Shad. These baits are available in Gulp!, Gulp! Alive, and PowerBait versions. Throw them in the same areas that you’d throw the spinnerbait: Around reeds, pads, timber, anything that provides cover will hold fish.
Rig the Jerk Shad on a Lip-Stick Worm Hook or Lip-Stick Wacky-Worm Hook. Some of these hooks are weighted, some aren’t. Go with the lightest weight if you go with a weighted hook.Work the Jerk Shad with slow, gliding strokes. It often works well to let the bait rest a second or two between strokes. White or some other color that’s easy to see will often be preferred. If you can’t see your bait, a bass has probably eaten it and you should set the hook.
Rig the Jerk Shad on FireLine or Trilene Fluorocarbon. The minimal stretch of these lines allows for good hooksets and immediate control of the fish. Seventeen to twenty pound test is about right.
It’s really fun and productive to poke around in the shallows for bass early in the season. If you’re just looking for fishing action, give this shallow water technique a try soon.
Bob Jensen is a syndicated fishing columnist and host of Fishing the Midwest.