When Do You Start Bass Fishing??

[MikeOGNR]

Hey guys just seeing if your from a northern state when there's ice you obviously cant fish year round, but I always wonder when do you guys start fishing and in what month and if so present your tactics for catching the early season bass.

[Felix77]

It's all about the ice ... Once the ice is gone you can catch me trying to catch fish from shore at my local ponds.  My tournaments don't start until May for Pike and June for Bass.

 

Had a good day last weekend.  Fished for a few hours and caught 2.  My friends each caught 2 - 3 each as well.

[nascar2428]

Here in Michigan, Bass season starts April 27th,

[BrianinMD]

As soon as the ice is off the water.

[fl_bass]

Here in Michigan, Bass season starts April 27th,

I'm in florida so forgive me, but is that a law? Like deer season?

[Sun Fish]

As soon as the ice is off the water.  Don't see any reason to wait other than inability to dress warm.

[tugsandpulls]

ice is gone im fishing

[A-Jay]

Here in Michigan, Bass season starts April 27th,

 

Aside from being just plain painful to have to wait that long; no one can tell us WHY the big delay.  Fish are not spawning now.

 

So it make no difference when the ice is out, we're still just sitting here not bass fishing ~ It's foolish.

 

I should just go back to Mexico . . . . . . . . . . .

 

 

A-Jay

[tomustang]

I don't stop. If there's ice on the lake then I go to the rivers

[nascar2428]

I'm in florida so forgive me, but is that a law? Like deer season?

That is the law here in Michigan for most of the state. The first month is actually catch and immediate release. Some parts of the state bass season starts the end of May or sometime in June.

[MikeOGNR]

Do you think its harder to catch bass right after ice out or is it just about as productive???

[wademaster1]

I fish year round....

[fl_bass]

That is the law here in Michigan for most of the state. The first month is actually catch and immediate release. Some parts of the state bass season starts the end of May or sometime in June.

Oh that's rough. I can see why it would drive you nuts and that opening day has got to be insane with all the people getting it out of their system. I feel for you man.

[bullett 21]

365   24/7 here in Ga.

[ww2farmer]

As soon as the ice is gone. It's feast or famine that early for me. I usually target smallmouth first, as they are a little more active in cold water. I won't even wet a line until I see signs of life on the graph. I start looking in deep water close to spawning areas. If it's windy, and I mark fish on or close to the bottom, I'll drift and drag a tube, football jig or drop shot through the areas I marked fish, if it's calm, I will dead stick a drop shot, often dropping to marks I see on the graph, or painstakingly slow fish a small finesse jig. If they are suspended over deep water, a light wacky jig if it's calm, or suspending jerkbait  if there is a little wind gets the nod. If I just can't get the smallmouth to play, I pull up on the edges of large weed flats and toss lipless cranks, and jerkbaits around for what ever will chase them..........usually things with teeth, but often a bass or two. Or I go looking for panfish. I don't even bother with largemouth until the water gets into the high 40's, which usually is about a week or two after ice out in the back water area's if we have had steady warming weather and night time temps that don't keep falling well below freezing, and up to a month on the main lake. And even then that mid to upper 40's temps are hit and miss..........timing is everything. Once it gets to, and holds in the low 50's is when I can almost call my shots, and just keeps getting better from there.

[Nashua Nev]

anytime the ice is gone enough to fish

[MikeOGNR]

Now once ice goes out is your first areas to fish where the water is warmest??

[NEjitterbugger]

Just a thought... Usually the ice melts on the perimeter of the pond/lake first so I would assume that it would be warmer in the shallower areas... Yet when it gets colder in the fall bass will go deep so im not to sure...

[BassThumb]

The bass opener is on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend in Minnesota.

[MikeOGNR]

May is usually when I start and I usually end September cause I start bowhunting for whitetails then I went out today and its still way to cold for bass activity. 

[lou304]

Ice out, like everyone else. This Friday me and a buddy are gonna fish Lake Trout at sunrise and then bass afterwards. Got a local spot where you can catch 15 to 20 Lakers in an hour or so, but they shut down as soon as the sun gets high. Then we go bass fishing.

[BrianSnat]

I'm a year round fisherman. If there is ice I catch bass through the ice. No ice,I'm in my boat, though I usually concentrate on trout in the later winter/spring I still bag a few bass. About late April I start concentrating more on bass and by May I'm nearly 100% going after bass