Early season smallmouth tips

Four baits to fool early season smallmouth once fish are found on his graph, noffsinger will offer them a variety of baits. Another bait that catches early season smallmouth bass wherever they swim is the traditional leadheaded jig and twistertailed grub combo. Thats the best time of year to catch the true giants, says jvd. Lake winnipesaukee is a boaters playground, but it also happens to offer some pretty good fishing for smallmouth bass. The depth of this huge great lakes bay means bass will be in prespawn mode throughout the entire catch and release season. In this tackle tip tuesday video, brandon lester walks through three stages of. Vandam agreed to explain his allpurpose approach to bass fishing in his own words to readers. Jun 03, 2014 6 easy tips for targeting early summer bass by walker smith jun 3, 2014 postspawn bass fishing is widely considered a feastorfamine season for many anglers. Habitat warm streams and rivers with gravel bottoms. Bait crayfish, minnows, hellgrammite fished on a jighead or a light wire hook drifted on the bottom or under a bobber. Top 5 baits for early spring bass fishing tactical. With 99% of my trophy smallmouth fisheries being located in the upper midwest and great lakes region, nearly all of my spring techniques have been honed, modified, and mastered to my specifications and angling style and work on. Another successful michigan tournament pro, jonathan vandam jvd prefers michigans bigger smallmouth bass waters in the spring and his favorite early season bass spot is grand traverse bay. But when bass school up in early spring before the spawn, you will have young buck males swimming alongside big females.

Three tricks to catch early season smallmouth bass. Five best early season smallmouth bass flies murrays fly shop. These are our top 5 lures choices for spring bass fishing. Dec 05, 2016 angelo quickly concurred and gave pete his blessing, knowing just how awesome the area is for smallmouth bass, especially early in the season. Every year anglers get excited at the prospect of early spring bass fishing again. While fishing in 20 40 feet, all i could find were optimistic anglers hoping for a deep water bite.

Whether youre fishing a pond or a giant reservoir, using these baits to locate active fish is a very effective way to catch bigger bass this spring. Look below the surface more than any time of the year, in the spring it is really. Smallmouth bass and rock bass goggleeye anglers often use smaller versions of the same baits and lures used for largemouth bass. If you find the perch, you are close to the smallmouth. Mar 20, 2018 he not only looks for bass on his electronics, but also for schools of yellow perch.

This week i sat down with michigan smallmouth guru mike schultz to learn how to start putting fat bronzebacks in the boat before the trees even start to leaf. The inland smallmouth bass catchandrelease season opens in midmay on the same saturday as the walleye and northern pike season. Now that we have lost an hour of sleep and the days are getting longer, its time to get after some early spring smallmouth bass. Early season smallmouth with mike schultz midcurrent.

We guarantee its a framework you can use to get on bass quickly all year long, regardless of where youre fishing. Three tricks to catch earlyseason smallmouth bass field. Five tactics for early season smallmouth the ultimate. Early spring, right after iceout, is the best time of the year to catch trophy smallmouth bass. This is when most anglers are coming out of their winter hibernation, getting out on the water for the first time. In the warmer months, many big smallmouth will only come shallow to feed in low. Best lures for smallmouth bass best bass fishing lures. These 11 early spring bass fishing tips straight from pro bass anglers never fail to help you win big this season.

Late spring and early summer can be such a tremendous time to target smallmouth because fish are often shallow and relatively easy to catch. Im well aware that many musky anglers do well in the early morning hours, but that tends to occur in summer. Here are mikes top 5 moves for getting your bronze on in the early season, in his own words. Smallmouth fishing tips, articles and videos everyday. Tips, howtos, wheretos, and whattos for river anglers chasing the hardestfighting freshwater fish around. Jigandtwister rigs can be fished on deep, main lake flats, shallow bay flats in the 5 to 15foot range, or anywhere along the breaklines where smallmouths may be staging for the spawn. The spawn was mostly over and, it seemed, the spring flooding had subsided.

Brush off the cold and brush up your skills christopher smith feb 17, 20 0 as february fades and we move toward spring, many anglers come out of hibernation and get trigger happy to be back on the water. Prespawn largemouth and smallmouth will often stage in rocky slopes or flats in relatively deep water 2030 feet. Big smallmouth become stupid once they join a school. My first 20inch smallmouth bass came from such a stream, more years ago than i care to recall.

Fishing tubes and jigging spoons around deep rock and gravel points in 30 to 45 foot of water is a reliable approach for hooking smallies just. With that, pete looked at the upcoming weather, which will 100% dictate as to whether or not he or anyone, for that matter, can travel out to the ducks. Early season for big smallmouth bass union sportsmens. Spring smallmouth river fishing tips everything smallmouth. Here are six examples of good smallmouth bass lures and how to fish them. The early part of the year, which includes the prespawn, spawn, and postspawn periods, can be a great time to catch largemouths, as well as some of the biggest bass of the year. Yes, early smallmouths can suspend between winter and spring habitats.

Also on this day an early bass harvest season begins north and east of u. Based on this success i plan to rely strongly on these for my early season smallmouth bass fishing this year. It was early spring, a season when various hungers stir, my favorite season to fish. When we experience a normal to early iceout, i have high hopes for the coming season. Spring smallmouth river fishing tips after a winter of low activity, smallmouth bass in rivers tend to become more active with every increase in water temperature. Early season smallmouth by ajay, april 26, 2015 in fishing reports.

As the water gets colder, bass will start ganging up on steep slopes. Anglers refer to this period as the prespawn or will refer to the bass as staging bass immediately before the spawning season. Feb 25, 2020 best lures for early spring smallmouth bass a suspending jerkbait is a proven lure early season smallmouth bassespecially the bigger onesbut mueller mostly relies on only two lure choices. Every promising sunken log or boulder pile showed life. The opening weekend of largemouth and smallmouth bass season brings a lot of people to the water hoping.

It offers a completely different look than other bottom presentations, and can be effective when many other presentations fail. A huge portion of my biggest smallmouth have come before 7 a. Fish with small jerkbaits to elicit a reaction bite from one member of the school. Ohio has traditionally offered fine fishing for largemouth bass in its many lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Best lures for early spring smallmouth bass a suspending jerkbait is a proven lure early season smallmouth bassespecially the bigger onesbut mueller mostly relies on only two lure choices. In the warmer months, many big smallmouth will only come shallow to feed in lowlight conditions, especially the early morning. In regions where early season bass fishing is allowed following ice out, many anglers find themselves at a standstill on where to fish and the techniques to fish with. Anglers visiting watts bar lake can enjoy a bonus catch of smallmouth and largemouth during spring. Nov 26, 2017 vandam agreed to explain his allpurpose approach to bass fishing in his own words to readers. Learn how to catch smallmouth bass with expert tips from. Equip your boat with the megaware products that protect it, then load up on early season smallmouth bass with these expert tips. Some of us have braved the elements and fished through the winter but with a new season, comes new. Bass fishing tips advice from elite anglers and pros. Theyll move from deep winter holding water to structures close to a potential spawning area. Early season smallmouth fishing reports bass fishing forums. Early season smallmouth on americas first national river. Early season for big smallmouth bass union sportsmens alliance.

Yes, brown bass gather in depths around 20 feet at the base of breaks leading to shallow flats when driven off by cooling water, cold fronts, or intense pressure. The smallmouth were plentiful too, red eyes alight with lust and hunger. How to catch iceout smallmouth bass in early spring field. It wasnt just the first smallmouth of the day, it turned out to be the biggest bass of the day, my biggest in a couple of years and a true trophy in any smallmouth river. Search with reaction baits once those water temps get up to that prespawn temperature. It is also why finesse lures are very popular in smallmouth fishing. During the prespawn and spawning periods when the water is still chilly, success with brown bass has a lot to do with patience, being methodical in your presentation. Just as the early bird gets the worm, the early angler often gets the biggest fish. Weve put together the best drop shot smallmouth tips to help you catch more fish this season. Lake winnipesaukee earlyseason smallmouths new england. In spring 2016, tom richardson and parker kelley sampled some of the local bass fishing with local guide hope eagleson, who runs hobie kayak fishing trips on the big lake. While fishing on lake erie early last season, the water temperatures were getting warmer and naturally i started looking for migrating smallmouth out in deep water. The seasonal guide is a system ive adapted to help find bass on unfamiliar waters.

Early smallmouth fishing starts when water temperatures rise to the low to mid 50s. If youre like me, you want to start fast to make up for slow, lateiceout years. Mar 30, 2019 as iceout arrives, here are six spring bass fishing tips to help you catch more smallmouth and largemouth bass early in the season. For two weeks this is the only part of the state where you can keep bass. As iceout arrives, here are six spring bass fishing tips to help you catch more smallmouth and largemouth bass early in the season. Ultimate guide 39 best tips to catch big smallmouth bass. Pas best fishing waters biologist reports summary of pa regulations opening days and seasons fishing license agents charter boats fishing guides pa. On the plus side, the bass are hungry and at their heaviest and on the negative side, the conditions change quickly and can be downright brutal. They are missing out on some fine sport, particularly early in the spring when the biggest fish are often taken. And the best bites for earlyseason smallmouths tend to occur shallow. Bass fishing tips from bassmaster elite anglers and other bass fishing experts. Learn how to catch smallmouth bass with expert tips from the. The most common fishing method is casting and retrieving artificial or live baits into places where you suspect smallmouth bass are hanging out. Here are the best tips, baits, and tackle for catching big spring bass.

For more information on early season smallmouth fishing. Not only are they up shallow, but they will be feeding aggressively at this time. The union sportsmens alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to unite the union community through conservation to preserve north americas outdoor heritage. After two days of fishing for walleyes and pike during a spring warm trend, the water temperature finally hit the magic 55 mark in the shallow bay near camp. Big smallmouth bass are very smart and hard to trick. Five tactics for early season smallmouth the ultimate bass. How mike mcclelland turns cold water fish into a hot bite. Smallmouth bass can be caught on any type of baitcasting or spinning equipment, and some folks feel that a smallmouth. The list is in order by season, basically in order of what lures work best from early spring to late fall. Prespawn bass smallmouth or largemouth frequent rocky flats or slopes not too far from their spawning hubs. Dropshotting early season smallies northern ontario travel. This of course is directly related to water temperature.

Check out more from andy buss on his youtube channel. Its early springthat funky time of year when the smallmouth bite isnt dead but isnt exactly on fire either. We ended up with a dozen or more over 17 inches, a great day considering it was midmarch, the water was in the mid40s and the air only slightly warmer. Focus on water temp one of the great things about bass is that they are predictable creatures of habit. Includes articles, videos, news, and forums for beginning to advanced anglers. Five best early season smallmouth bass flies murrays fly. Apr 26, 2015 bass fishing tips, tricks, and tactics.

Garrett paquette explains his three favorite baits for early season smallmouth fishing just as the ice melts off of northern lakes. Storm fronts are another great time to catch big fish. Early season smallmouth at last the water temperature was right for smallmouths. Photo by kip vieth winter is the time to dream of warm summer days spent drifting down midwestern rivers and watching the countrys largest smallmouth bass attack poppers. Early season stream smallmouth early season stream smallmouth. For bass fishermen, early spring is the most wonderful time of the year. Five tactics for early season smallmouth from ice out until post spawn these five techniques are deadly on smallmouths. By mike gnatkowski bass guide gerry gostenik knows exactly when smallmouth are going to invade the shallows and be susceptible to suspending jerk baits. The best baits for prespawn smallies include mediumdiving crankbaits in crawfish or fire tiger hues, jigs tipped with plastic chunks and plastic grubs. Water temperatures edged into the 60s, and the fish were feeding, as everything edible began to movecrayfish molting, fry escaping shrinking marginal pools.

Late fall and early winter are some of the best times to catch giant smallmouth bass from lake erie. To get you started off this fishing season the right way, here are three tips to locating and catching early spring bass. Longeared sunfish, better dressed for autumn than spring, zipped in angry flashes, often attacking lures that wouldnt fit in their mouths. From the first signs of spring all the way up to the spawn, these baits will produce. Smallmouth bass will typically spawn when the water temperatures reach the low 60s but fish will move shallow long before. Murrays heavy black hellgrammite size 4 shenks white streamer.