Best Prespawn Baits

[Alex Phillips]

I live in Wisconsin and There is still some ice out there but game fishing doesn't open until May 1st. 

By then the water is still going to be very cold. What are some good baits for water that just had ice? Also, are the fish going to be out deep or up shallow? 

 

Thanks guys,

 

-Alex

[CJV]

What kind of water clarity do you have? I would start deep with a jig or drop shot progress to a jerkbait on warming trends. Goodluck

[Sam]

Wisconsin, depends on the water temperatures.

 

Bass will start to head for the shallows seeking places to make their beds and they start to feed for the spawn.

 

Since bass eat crawfish, shad, shiners, bluegills and sunfish, it will help to know at what water temperatures the forage starts to move around.

 

Bass will usually hit the crawfish if the water is cold and the mudbugs are available. However, they will eat what ever is available including minnows and shad.

 

In the spring when the water temps hit the 50's the crawfish come out and start to move around.

 

60 to 70 degrees is when the bass start to spawn and will eat what ever threatens their nests. 

 

After the spawn they will start to feed on shad and bluegills.

 

So in Wisconsin it is very important for you to purchase a swimming pool thermometer or use your electronics to check the water temps and then decide where the bass are in their spawning cycle based on water temps.  Knowing what food sources are in the area you are fishing will then help you decide what to throw.

 

I sincerely wish we could name a bait that would clobber the bass. But we can't. So if you think the bass are feeding on the bottom use plastics. If the bass are moving up to the shallows you can use a moving bait and plastics and fish the shallows.

 

Keep the colors simple.  For clear water go natural and for stained or dirty water use some bait with rattles along with a yellow or orange color.

 

Some guys preach using tight wobbling baits in cold water.  Others will say to throw a square bill crankbait or a spinnerbait.  You will have to take a number of baits along and try ou luck with each until you can find the pattern for that day.

 

Try to find a book or articles on bass behavior and read up on what the bass do at different water temps. You will then have a better handle on what to throw and when.

 

Check out the articles section at the top of this page; check out YouTube; see if Bassresource on YouTube has any bass behavior videos; join BASS and get Bassmasters Magazine; and check out the other magazines that are on the market, including Bass Times for only $12 a year.

 

Good luck and let us know how you do this year.

[WRB]

The northern water are different than waterways below the Mason-Dixon Line where water doesn't freeze in bass lakes. Your area the bass have a much shorter growing cycle and pre spawn to spawn period is a shorter time frame, the seasonal transitions happen faster. The water gets colder quicker (fall-winter) and warms slower (winter-spring).

Other differences are smallmouth bass are more common than largemouth bass, different bass with different prey and location needs. You don't have any shad, you may have herring and gobies depending on the lakes,

Young of last years bluegill, crappie, perch, suckers, catfish and various minnow types like chubs make up the baitfish, crawdads are nearly everywhere and available year around. Terrestrial critters may not be a prey source for pre spawn, most all prey types are near the lake bottom and that is where you should focus your attention.

Warm calm days bass will move up in the water column, cold windy days the stay deeper and this will continue for a few months until the bass start the spawning process when the warms to about 58 degrees for smallies and 62 degrees for largemouth.

All the various bottom bumping lures work in cold water, slower moving mid water lures like jerk baits and smaller size crank baits work as the fish move up, the hard lures are better in light wind.

Tom

[bigbill]

I just purchased some river2sea nest robbers(mudbugs). I'm hoping using these will increase my pre spawn, spawn and possibly my post spawn action. I think I kind of hit a wall in recent years were my bass fishing tactics may have peaked or leveled off. It could be my certain spots are pressured more too. It's time to take a different approach, skill up more and plan an attack. I'll keep my ritual of lures I throw but I'll use more New ones and go with more plastics than I normally use.

Sometimes we need to kick it up a notch, go to a higher level.

Use stuff we don't throw that much. We all hit a wall or a rut at times. This is a time I get stronger and come out of the gate with a plan. Choosing the correct lure, to match the water and lightening conditions and matching it all with the correct presentation to mood of the bass is the key to resume the success or improve on our success we once had.

Sometimes I go back to the simple basics and resume. I think we can over think things too. Take the pressure off and just have fun like we were little kids fishing again.

[Scott F]

Other differences are smallmouth bass are more common than largemouth bass, ......

You don't have any shad, you may have herring and gobies depending on the lakes,....

Tom

 

I just had to mention this misconception. Of the approximately 1,500 larger lakes in Wisconsin, over 1,400 of them contain largemouth.  Only around 300 have smallmouth in them.

There are no threadfin shad in Wisconsin but there are gizzard shad.

[WRB]

I just had to mention this misconception. Of the approximately 1,500 larger lakes in Wisconsin, over 1,400 of them contain largemouth. Only around 300 have smallmouth in them.

There are no threadfin shad in Wisconsin but there are gizzard shad.

I see that Gizzard shad survive in Southern Wisconsin, the extreme northern edge of their range so you are correct. Young Gizzard shad are bass forage, adults are too big. Largemouth being more prevalent than smallmouth in Wisconsin does surprise me!

Tom

[Scott F]

The number of largemouth in Wisconsin is a secret that those of us who fish for them wish to keep secret!

[WRB]

The number of largemouth in Wisconsin is a secret that those of us who fish for them wish to keep secret!

Like the bass you holding in the avatar!

[Scott F]

No, that's from a small river in Illinois.

[WRB]

Let's focus on the guy in MI with his pre spawn?

Tom

[Stingray23]

Today was my first day out fishing. Up until a day or two ago, the waters by me were frozen. We had 60* air temps with sunny, clear skys. Its was beautiful. I decided to get out and fish for a few hrs. Water temps were a little higher then I thought. I saw temps in the 46*-47*. I was expecting low 40's. I caught 3 nice LM in 3-5ft of water ranging from 2lbs, up to over 4lbs. The first 2(biggest) were caught on a jerkbait. The last one was caught on a weightless fluke. I tried a spinnerbait and jig too and nothing yet on them. The water was stained. Like I mentioned, this was only days after ice out. Try the baits I tried and also a grub on a jig head.