First Lure Of The Season

[WI_Angler1989]

Here's a fun hypothetical for everyone: what's the first lure you plan to, expect to, or typically use on your first trip out in spring? 

Here in WI, open water is scarce this time of the year. All we've got is ice fishing (not my thing) and dreaming of spring. 

So....if you had to imagine your first day out, what would you expect to use? I'll leave the weather details up to you. You know what the conditions could be like, based on years past. 

 

Mine will probably be a small tube (Cabin Creek or River Rock) if its pretty early and cold still. I doubt I'll be waiting longer than ice out, that's for sure.

[Raul]

Spinnerbait, I like to "warm up" with a spinnerbait.

[smalljaw67]

Here in PA a lot will depend on the weather, sometimes ice out will occur during a big warming trend and will have the water in the mid 40s by the time you can launch a boat. If that is the case then it depends on water clarity, clear water my first lure will be a suspending jerkbait, if I got stained water to the point a jerkbait isn't any good then it will be a jig, either a dark craft fur hair jig with a chunk trailer or a small finesse jig with a chunk trailer.  If ice out happens normally when the air temps are in the mid 40s during the day and below freezing at night, well the water will be in the mid to upper 30s by the time you can launch a boat. When that happens I'll be throwing a hair jig first, its that simple.

[scaleface]

The river , it will likely be a RoadRunner . A lake , hard telling . Could be a crankbait , spinnerbait , jerkbait jig , Texas rig . Theres a loy of unpredictable variables   . . I have had a lot of luck on crankbaits as early as Feb. I look for steep banks that are getting sunshine parallel cast it and retrieve as slow as I can stand it . Big old females will inhale it .The Arbogast Mudbug  is a favorite .

[MDBowHunter]

I know I'll for sure be throwing a jerkbait, silverbuddy, or a jig. All three will be on deck along with a tube of some sort. 

[Bankbeater]

Most likely a rattle trap.

[A-Jay]

Last season Michigan changed a long standing season on bass fishing to where C & R is perfectly legal the day the ice goes out. 

Accordingly any Bass Head worth his or her salt would just have to be on the water right at ice out or as soon as safely possible there after.

If this years first day is anything like last year, (pictured below) there will probably still be some amount of ice on the water in some spots, water will be clear with temps in the mid thirties.    But the smallies don't seem to care.   A slow & smoothly presented suspending jerkbait  will get  eagerly choked.   So that's what I'll be feeding them.  Over & Over & Over & Over  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..

 

A-Jay

 

[Crestliner2008]

Ice out for me = blade baits.

[Spankey]

Rapala Jerkbait of some type or a Rat-L-Trap. 

 

Cant wait. 

[jr231]

Here in Ohio it has been freakishly warm. I managed to catch two on a cabelas blade bait a couple days ago. Usually we have inches of snow and everything is frozen. Idk what's going on. 

 

Anyway. When "spring " does hit.. I'll be ripping a big wobbling crankbait in the shallows. Probably a DT fat. I'll also be tossing some weightless senkos on spinning gear

 

I guess Ill leave it at that but I could go on for awhile about all the baits I plan on using. 

[roadwarrior]

The Rig

Rage Tail Menace

Jerkbait (Megabass Ito Vision 110, LC Pointer and McStick)

Rage Tail Baby Craw

BPS Tender Tube #71

Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad

Silver Buddy

Rage Blade/ Rage Structure Bug

3/8 oz Siebert Outdoor Jig (PBJ)/ Rage Craw (PBJ)

Rage Swimmer 

 

[lo n slo]

anything crawfish and zoom lizards

[Catt]

Season?  

 

What's that?

 

Do plan on trying some sweet little jigs I got for Christmas along with some RT Structure Bugs in black neon!

[je1946]

Blades, jerks, jigs  I also will try a LC LV500 in Spring Craw color.

[bagofdonuts]

Already started moving shallow here. jig & trailer on wood. 

[primetime]

We have not had much of a seasonal change in Florida this year, only 4-5 Cold days and it is almost February. I usually use a split shot rig or Mojo Rig early on when it gets cold after the Fall ends. I also like to fish either Grub or small Sluggo on a really light 1/16 Darter head and light line.

 

I also use a shad rap to cover water as well as a Red Eye shad to see If I can get some fish to react, but I do well fishing them slow and jigging them like a spoon. The Red Eye Shad falls as good as any bait I have used, The hooks rarely foul which makes it really nice, same with the Spro Aruku Shads which are head weighted so if weeds are an issue the bait sits upright on the bottom if fishing it like a worm.

 

Here is a trick I recently figured out by accident & I just made one of my all time favorite confidence lures better by changing the old trebles to what I thought were the same weight, but the triple grips were heavier and the Sebile Suspending Flat Shadd 77 which is great all year round, happens to work on bedding fish when it slowly glides head first on the pause really slow and it moves forward in a natural gliding action. I rarely target bedding Fish but a friend of mine saw a big fish on a bed and wanted to see who could catch her first. After about 10 minutes I grabbed the Sebile & pitched it about 8' in front of the bed and killed it so it would land in the bed. As soon as it hit the side of the bed the fish blasted it. 

 

The Sebile suspends like a jerkbait, is really flat sided, and I have been using it now all the time so it sinks and I love how well it works just using a lift and fall since it looks like baitfish heading to the bottom wounded I guess, or a bluegill raiding the nest since it falls with the head forward, not too loud, and matches the profile of a panfish perfectly. 

 

any Flatt Shad Fans, I would encourage you to add a bigger treble in the front or add heavier hooks then the Owners that come on it and try it like it was a sinking model. Once you put it in the water you realize how awesome it looks and you will have confidence.

[Hog Basser]

Rebel Craw crank in red killed it in January here last year.  I will probably fish that and a Seibert jig and throw in a jerkbait for good measure.  Going duck hunting by my fishing hole this weekend and it's supposed to be 66 degrees, so guess what I'm doing in the afternoons?

[primetime]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

The Rig

Rage Tail Menace

Jerkbait (Megabass Ito Vision 110, LC Pointer and McStick)

Rage Tail Baby Craw

BPS Tender Tube #71

Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad

Silver Buddy

Rage Blade/ Rage Structure Bug

3/8 oz Siebert Outdoor Jig (PBJ)/ Rage Craw (PBJ)

Rage Swimmer 

 

I like the list. I have mentioned this before, as I love fishing the Rage Menace, It works no matter how you fish it and with the tail connected it glides, sideways, topwater, pitched......

 

I have wanted Strike King to Make a Menace Worm with that tail. Maybe in a 5" size, or even make a creature with that tail, I know you have some pull/access with Strike King, could you maybe suggest they make a Menace Worm and or Menace Creature? I know it is wishful thinking as I am sure it is not a novel Idea to them and it probably doesn't make sense for them with the Cut'R worm in the line, but I would think it would work better then the Popular Speed worm series, or Gambler Burner worms which sell like crazy down here.

 

That Thick Tail would be awesome even on a 4". Just curious of your thoughts. I keep waiting for one to come out as they always have a few new baits each year.

 

I need to try the swimming hornet, I keep reading about how well it works, good excuse to buy some tackle. Good list. Thanks. I need to clean up some of my silver Buddies, I forget about blade baits.

[WI_Angler1989]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Last season Michigan changed a long standing season on bass fishing to where C & R is perfectly legal the day the ice goes out. 

Accordingly any Bass Head worth his or her salt would just have to be on the water right at ice out or as soon as safely possible there after.

If this years first day is anything like last year, (pictured below) there will probably still be some amount of floating ice on the water in some spots, water will be clear with temps in the mid thirties.    But the smallies don't seem to care.   A slow & smoothly presented suspending jerkbait  will get  eagerly choked.   So that's what I'll be feeding them.  Over & Over & Over & Over  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..

 

A-Jay

 

 

That must be nice! A little surreal too, avoiding those "icebergs" ;-)

What sorts of places do you look for that early? I've only fished rivers when it's that cold still. Lakes are nearly foreign to me sadly.

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Season?  

 

What's that?

 

Do plan on trying some sweet little jigs I got for Christmas along with some RT Structure Bugs in black neon!

 

You're lucky if your still fishing! Even the rivers have been frozen here the last few weeks. That's pretty rare too. Ugh. 

 

My Christmas and offseason purchases are definitley getting some extra motivation to use too!

[A-Jay]

Just now, WI_Angler1989 said:

 

That must be nice! A little surreal too, avoiding those "icebergs" ;-)

What sorts of places do you look for that early? I've only fished rivers when it's that cold still. Lakes are nearly foreign to me sadly.

 Thanks It was / is very cool.

Here's a little video of that very day. 

 

My best spot are almost always "points"

A-Jay

[WI_Angler1989]

6 hours ago, Raul said:

Spinnerbait, I like to "warm up" with a spinnerbait.

 

That used to be my go-to. A small war eagle finesse Spinnerbait would be the first thing I'd throw, and it'd do pretty well too! 

[Catt]

5 minutes ago, WI_Angler1989 said:

You're lucky if your still fishing! Even the rivers have been frozen here the last few weeks. That's pretty rare too. Ugh!

 

It's 73°, overcast, & the bass are on the move!

[WI_Angler1989]

5 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

It's 73°, overcast, & the bass are on the move!

 

Now?! Where the heck are you?! Mordor??

[ww2farmer]

I will have five rods on the deck the first time I hit the water in 2017, which is usually a day or two after ice out. On those rods will be:

 

1/2 oz. Silver Buddy style blade bait

 

SK KVD 200 suspending jerkbait 

 

1/2 oz SK Red Eye Shad 

 

3/4 oz football wobble head w/ 3" chigger craw

 

 3/8 oz. drop shot rig w/ nose hooked  yum warning shot about a foot above the sinker.

 

The Silver buddy will get used the most, as most of the smallmouth will still be holding in 20-30 feet of water outside their spawning areas, and it's an efficient and effective way to get on top of them and catch them in that cold, off colored water. If I have a stiff wind, I'll drift through those same areas with that 3/4 oz wobble head banging and dragging on the bottom.

 

The jerkbait will probably get used the least, because usually in the first week or so after ice out the water is pretty dirty and cold (like 35-38 degrees) once it clears up a little a week or so later I lean on the jerkbait more, but it's rigged up and ready to go just in case I find a pocket of clear water, or the lake in general is clearer than normal for ice out conditions.

[WI_Angler1989]

9 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

 Thanks It was / is very cool.

Here's a little video of that very day.

 

My best spot are almost always "points"

A-Jay

 

Cool video, A-Jay! That's an awesome little boat you've got there too. Talk about decked out!