Where do I start

[Keiran Beam]

Hello, I have run into a serious problem. It's ice out and I just took out the boat today and plan to do the same yesterday. I fished some small weedy ponds today but tomorrow I'm doing the same. I couldn't put together a bite what so ever all I caught was a couple pickerel. Water temp was in the high 40's and I can't figure out what to throw to entice these fish. Give me some ideas how to locate and entice these bass to kick the season off with a good start.

[Gundog]

Dynamite??? Seriously at a water temp of high 40's you would be better off sitting back and watchin' tv. But if ya have to get out fish really slow. Jerk baits with very long pauses, jigs (I like arkie jigs with a twin tailed skirted grub) and worms dragged on the bottom. Find warmer water than most of the lake and you should find fish. Good luck

[A-Jay]

Below is an excerpt from the Bass Resource articles section.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/spring_big_bass.html

"To catch big bass in spring, think shallow water close to deep water, from mouths of major creeks all the way to the back ends of creeks. Points, coves, and banks with deep cuts or breaklines, and creeks running close to shallow water will also produce. During cold fronts, fish the deep breaklines in the 10- to 15-foot of water range. During warming trends or consistent weather patterns, work both the shallow, four- to eight- foot and deeper breaklines, 10- to 15- foot. The closer together these breaklines are the better.
   Cover a lot of water, but stay on or near a breakline. When you connect with a good fish, slow down and work the area thoroughly. There will be small and large schools of deep-water bass staging somewhere from the mouth of a creek to the back end. When you locate these staging fish you are in for some awesome bass action. Don't count on these fish being in the same spot the next day. They might be there, but most likely they will have moved to another location.
   To catch these bass throw deep diving crankbaits on the deeper breaklines, 10 to 15 feet, and lipless crankbaits on shallow breaklines. These two reaction baits are great for covering a lot of water. When you locate some staging females, after throwing crankbaits, switch to a jig- and-craw or  A hard or soft jerkbait.  At times, a Zoom's Super Fluke fish low & slow is hard to beat.  It is very effective on staging females.  And just about everyone loves throwing spinnerbaits. Now is the time to start throwing them in earnest, especially when fishing shallow. One of the best spinnerbaits on the market is the Terminator 3/8-ounce in chartreuse, white shad and silver shiner will catch a lot of big fish.   Remember cover a lot of water but stay on or near a break-line and when you hook up, work the area slowly."

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

2 minutes ago, Gundog said:

Dynamite??? Seriously at a water temp of high 40's you would be better off sitting back and watchin' tv. But if ya have to get out fish really slow. Jerk baits with very long pauses, jigs (I like arkie jigs with a twin tailed skirted grub) and worms dragged on the bottom. Find warmer water than most of the lake and you should find fish. Good luck

  If the waters fished produce good fish other times of the year, then NOT going out early in the season, means missing out on a very good opportunity to catch some real trophy bass.

 A-Jay

[Gundog]

Bass are cold blooded which means the water temp determines if they are going to be active or not. When water temps are in the high 40's bass are lethargic and don't feed as much. Not the best time to pond fish (I know, I started fishing for bass in a pond). Just saying.

[A-Jay]

23 minutes ago, Gundog said:

Bass are cold blooded which means the water temp determines if they are going to be active or not. When water temps are in the high 40's bass are lethargic and don't feed as much. Not the best time to pond fish (I know, I started fishing for bass in a pond). Just saying.

I'm sure you know that bass are caught through the ice all winter long.  The Ice is going to be out here in a week or two.  I will be on the water As Soon As I can when it does.  I'll even be willing to crack a little ice up at the ramp if I need to.  Water temps will be in the high 30's & low 40's. I'm pretty sure there will still be some snow on the ground.  However, I'm not measuring the basses activity level.  Cold Blooded or not they still have to eat and I want to be there when they do.   I fully expect to catch some above average bass - especially smallmouth.  There will be pictures & maybe some video. 

A-Jay

[K_Mac]

I agree with A-Jay. I would add one thing: Pay close attention to water temperature. Stained/muddy water warms faster. Banks with exposure to afternoon sun will warm faster. Shallow water will warm faster. Warmer, shallow water close to deep water is where I would start. A couple of degree difference this time of year is important. Good luck and enjoy the day. Fish are a bonus!

[senile1]

When water temperatures are in the upper 40s and on down to the 30s, bass activity does decrease but good bite windows still occur.  They may only last 30 minutes to an hour but during that time you have the chance to catch good fish.  I want to be out there when that window occurs.

[K_Mac]

I will add one more thing to my one thing! A-Jay and Senile1 both mention good fish for good reason. The big girls are more vulnerable to being caught between now and the end of the spawn than any other time of year. You may not catch a boat full (you might) but the odds of catching the biggest bass around are in your favor.

 

Now I am fired up! I have a trip scheduled for Kentucky Lake in two weeks. I think I'll go organize some tackle...

[Gundog]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I'm sure you know that bass are caught through the ice all winter long.  The Ice is going to be out here in a week or two.  I will be on the water As Soon As I can when it does.  I'll even be willing to crack a little ice up at the ramp if I need to.  Water temps will be in the high 30's & low 40's. I'm pretty sure there will still be some snow on the ground.  However, I'm not measuring the basses activity level.  Cold Blooded or not they still have to eat and I want to be there when they do.   I fully expect to catch some above average bass - especially smallmouth.  There will be pictures & maybe some video. 

A-Jay

I know bass are caught thru the ice (although the 2x I went ice fishing I never caught anything but a cold) and smallmouths have a lower threshold for water temps. They spawn and become more active at lower water temps than largemouth bass. If I was fishing in high 40's water temp I would be fishing slow and expecting the bite to be soft. I think Senile has a point in that the window of active feeding is gonna be small. Ice out is a tough time. 

[Sam]

Keiren, great question but it evokes so many answers.

For starters, think of the lake as a big block of ice. Now, how does a big block of ice melt? Yes! From the outside in. So you will now start looking at your maps for shoreline areas that look promising.

Second, what is the water temperature? 50* is the dividing line from cold to just warming up. If the water temp is under 50* the bass will be deep and you have to fish slow. The bass will swim to shallower water to find food and some warmer water. So look for shoreline coves, pockets, creeks, primary and secondary points that hold a little warmer water.

Third, as the water warms above 50* the bass start to think of spawning and will feed to fatten up so they will be strong for the spawn. Look for underwater structure coming out of deep water into shallower water that can be used as a spawning area and fish those areas. I personally don't believe bass follow a specific "migration path" to their spawning grounds. I think the bass go from structure to structure on their way to the spawning grounds which can differ each year. But that's just me.

When the water temperature hits 60* it is a green light for the bass to gorge themselves and to get ready to spawn. Lots of good fishing when this happens. All we ask you to do is to release the bass back when you catch them so you don't relocate them to unfamiliar places and mess up their spawning activities.

Living in New Hampshire you have to wait longer for the waters to start to warm into the 60's as  compared to us down south or out west. So start to read about the spawn, how temperature affects the bass' behavior, study your maps of your lakes to know them inside and out, think about their forage, be it bluegills, crawfish, minnows, etc., and what baits and techniques will work best as the water warms and we enter early spring.

As to what to throw? Who knows? You can try crankbaits, Shad Raps and spinnerbaits with a follow up jig and pig. What colors? What forage is in the water? From sliver to red they will all work sooner or later. Just remember that even though the grass may be dead, the bass are still in the area, probably deeper out about 50 feet off the bank from the grass line. So fish deeper out from those weeds you found in the ponds.

Be patient. Monitor the water temperature with your electronics or a swimming pool thermometer always seeking some warmer water.

And remember the old "North and West" theory: the water warms each day on the northern and western edges of any lake or pond as the sun rises in the east.

Take care and be sure to keep us posted on your success as spring arrives in the Northeast.

[ClackerBuzz]

6 hours ago, K_Mac said:

I will add one more thing to my one thing! A-Jay and Senile1 both mention good fish for good reason. The big girls are more vulnerable to being caught between now and the end of the spawn than any other time of year. You may not catch a boat full (you might) but the odds of catching the biggest bass around are in your favor.

 

Now I am fired up! I have a trip scheduled for Kentucky Lake in two weeks. I think I'll go organize some tackle...

I'm with these guys.  last year i struggled to connect with any big mama's.  bass fishing is definitely harder in cold water so I find myself appreciating nature more while trying to catch the occasional fish.  by the end of spring i found I liked rattletraps and a good ole jig w/ grub b/c they fall straight down in the water column and cover lots of water.  staying deep and on the bottom is so much easier with them which helps the cause.

[Fishes in trees]

Here is a pattern that worked for me back in the day when I was a bank fishing, meat hog, bush hippie.   Early spring - kinda windy, but a warmish wind.   8 or 9 acre pond - decent sized, but not huge.    All the ice wasn't off the lake yet, but there was a 35 to 40 foot band of open water all around the perimeter of the pond.   Go to the NW corner.    I had a 1/8 oz crappie jig with a smaller Uncle Josh pork frog on the back.   Throw up on to the ice - as far as possible and methodically drag it back and let it drop off.   The sound of it dragging on the ice attracted fish and nearly every time they hit it on the initial drop.   I probably put 60 fish on a stringer in a couple of hours.   Catching the right day and being out on that day was the key.

[MainelyBASS]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on ice out fishing, however my feelings on it arent based on opinion, they are based on facts and past performance. ICE OUT IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR TO FISH. Even if the ice isn't out and I have to make it go out, I can't get enough of it. If you adjust to the conditions, you will catch fish. FISH ARENT ALWAYS CAUGHT BECAUSE THEY WERE HUNGRY. Even the most lethargic, non-hungry fish will strike a reaction bait. This is why such a big deal is always made when a fish chokes a bait, or you land a fish on a trailer hook. The difference usually is one fish was eating, and one fish was reacting. I just posted a photo collage in the local fishing forum from this Saturday. Water was 41 in the state of Maine and I caught 22 fish, 3 of which around the 4lb mark. Its easy to say that fishing is tougher during ice out, but ive never let that stop me. They still live there even when its cold, they can still be caught.