Spring is when I always run and gun

[Dwbassin]

I been fishing fast this spring, mostly throwing moving baits all spring. Can’t buy a flipping bite and only can catch them on a Ned rig besides said moving baits. Most of the water around me is 3ft, with the rivers having some holes. I also have mainly tidal fisheries as well. My favorite technique is pitching a jig and I guess I just gotta plug away with it. Anyone else have this same dilemma with a shallow area? Also I have to beat pickerel off with a broom to try and get a bass. Got one by surprise that was bedding off the bank. Now water temps are pushing 62-65 at night and shoot to 70 by 3 or so. Haven’t seen bedding bass shallow. Things are just different this spring. Will say my best results have come with a jackhammer

[Glaucus]

It's been almost all moving baits for me too so far. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and now paddle tails. Can hardly buy a soft plastic bite (excluding the paddle tails of course). 

[TOXIC]

Odd, the Potomac has been high and muddy most of this spring and the bite for us has been best on s-l-o-w plastics dragged on the bottom.  The fast moving baits have been very effective on Mr. Whiskers.....

[Dwbassin]

12 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

It's been almost all moving baits for me too so far. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and now paddle tails. Can hardly buy a soft plastic bite (excluding the paddle tails of course). 

The only soft plastic bite over had is paddle tails lol. Skinny dippers and sick fish. Lipless was my jam early spring. Now I got too much muck in most spots

3 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Odd, the Potomac has been high and muddy most of this spring and the bite for us has been best on s-l-o-w plastics dragged on the bottom.  The fast moving baits have been very effective on Mr. Whiskers.....

Man last year I would smallmouth fish the upper and everytike I made that hour drive it was high and muddy. Weird how the bite is slow in spring lol. Good luck though maybe it will get better with the clarity

[TOXIC]

9 minutes ago, Dwbassin said:

Man last year I would smallmouth fish the upper and everytike I made that hour drive it was high and muddy. Weird how the bite is slow in spring lol. Good luck though maybe it will get better with the clarity

Oh, we've been doing ok but I'm totally baffled why the spawn is so late from what we've seen.  This is from last Saturday, one on a shakeyhead with a Pro Senko and one on a nose weighted Senko.

 

[Dwbassin]

10 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Oh, we've been doing ok but I'm totally baffled why the spawn is so late from what we've seen.  This is from last Saturday, one on a shakeyhead with a Pro Senko and one on a nose weighted Senko.

 

Yea she’s got some spawn wounds. I can’t figure out why either. Did you spot her on the bed or happen into it by luck??? Got my spawned this past Sunday on a glidebait fishing for snakeheads near blackwater 

[TOXIC]

We were fishing a known spawning area but we caught no bucks up shallow and both of these fish were caught on the first drop just outside the spawning flat.  No sight fishing, the water was like creamed coffee.  IMHO, neither had spawned but you are correct the second fish looked like she was trying.  Notice the tails.....

[Dwbassin]

18 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

We were fishing a known spawning area but we caught no bucks up shallow and both of these fish were caught on the first drop just outside the spawning flat.  No sight fishing, the water was like creamed coffee.  IMHO, neither had spawned but you are correct the second fish looked like she was trying.  Notice the tails.....

Very interesting, I didn’t catch a male either off that bed and typically they get to protecting first. She definitely looks like she was fanning, who knows. How deep was it you caught the second one in? She for sure looks more in the action

[TOXIC]

The flat is usually 2-3ft with a couple of channels that run through and to the outside of it.  Normally there is grass.  No grass yet this year we both of these fish were caught in 4ft+.  May not seem like a lot but in this area, it is.  

[Bankbeater]

I’ve caught a few bass this year on jigs, but nothing on plastics yet. Most of my bass have been caught on crankbaits and paddle tail swimbaits this spring. Maybe the vegetation hasn’t grown enough yet, but it seems

the bass are closer to structure. 

[MIbassyaker]

I have been fishing exactly twice this year, and caught fish on exactly two lures: a hard jerkbait, and a 4" paddletail swimbait.  Waters are still in the low 50s in my area.

[Dwbassin]

God that’s crazy, I’ve seen water at 72 already, my honey hole is flooded with pads. I honestly feel bad for you guys in the cold, I hated the winter

[MIbassyaker]

4 minutes ago, Dwbassin said:

God that’s crazy, I’ve seen water at 72 already, my honey hole is flooded with pads. I honestly feel bad for you guys in the cold, I hated the winter

There are some shallow places here that are bound to be warmer, but I nowhere that I've been to yet this year -- going to check out two possibilities tomorrow and Thursday.

 

The earliest pads I've seen are still only halfway to the surface. 

[Dwbassin]

7 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

There are some shallow places here that are bound to be warmer, but I nowhere that I've been to yet this year -- going to check out two possibilities tomorrow and Thursday.

 

The earliest pads I've seen are still only halfway to the surface. 

Very true most of the water I fish around my area is 3 feet to 6. Gonna fish the rivers this weekend that are substantially deeper and see how that area is. He grass is up on low tides though but the pads aren’t as prevalent. Gotta fix my trolling motor first though