Bank fishing approaches for early spring?

[Nepatizz]

Hello, 

 

I have always struggled to catch bass this time of year and haven't understood why. With Coronavirus going around, seems like the bank is one safe place I can actually spend some time! I'd like to maximize my chances on catching bass, however. 

 

Recently the temperature has been in the low to mid 50s with barely any rain and winds in the teens. I bank fish and don't have an idea of the water temperature, but I'm assuming that since the weather is still slightly cooler, the bass are still holding up in the middle of the lake close to the bottom as most of them do all winter. I've always assumed that bass don't become more active until 60 degree weather or so, where the warmer weather requires them to need more food. I mostly bank fish small to mid-size ponds and my general approach this time of year is to position my lures deep/towards the bottom of the pond and fish very slowly because the bass probably aren't active. I'll usually Texas rig a soft plastic and hop it off the bottom slowly. 

 

Is this always the correct approach in weather like this, or am I missing anything? Could the bass be migrating between deep waters and the inner banks in these temperatures? How can I increase my chances and find the bass? 

 

Any advice is appreciated, thanks for reading! 

 

Stay healthy! 

 

 

 

 

[scaleface]

One of my favorite early season baits for bank fishing ponds and stuff is the  Beetle Spin . I like the larger , easier to cast sizes .

[JediAmoeba]

If they are going shallow, they are looking for places that are warmest.  Look for those legs sticking out of the water, places out of the wind, muddy bottoms - places hit with sun, somewhere that may have warmercwater flowing in...  I always took a castable thermometer because it's hard to tell what the temps are below the surface.  

 

Also, until the water hits 50 it can be a tough bite on the best days. The windows of opportunity seem to be short.  I always had luck with slow 1/4 oz spinnerbaits with a willow/colorado combination going slow.  Grubs on a jighead or a nedhead work well too for me.  

[DitchPanda]

For me id say 50 is the turning point for temp in the spring..of course I'm in North Iowa and we are just coming out of winter the ice just came off our ponds a week or so ago so depending where you are your fish may never experience water that cold...that said I'd definitely focus along shore some as well especially on warm windy days or particularly bright sunny days...North banks are best since the sun is on them the longest...Also rock is great it really soaks up heat from the sun and holds it...for baits my two favorites this early are jerkbait and lipless cranks but I'll also throw a finesse jig with a small chunk or double tail grub trailer

[Fishes in trees]

Back when I was a bank fisherman, my favorite spring technique was a 1/8 or 3/16 oz Brewer Slider head with the 4' Brewer Slider worm.  Cast it all over, paying more attention to paralleling the bank as much as possible, then polish the bottom with the bait.  By this I mean going as slow as possible without hanging up or actually dragging on the bottom, trying to stay 2 to 6 inches above the bottom.    On the good farm ponds that I frequented at the time, this resulted in a fish every 10 minutes or so.   I'd try a little spinner bait or a jerk bait or a buzz bait if the slider technique didn't work.

A variant of the slider technique was using a 1/8 oz crappie jig with a #11 pork frog hung on the hook.  (These days, there are a number of plastic jig chunks that could substitute for the pork frog).   I'd try to swim this a little higher off the bottom, mainly because of the open hook.

 

Very occasionally, I'd run into a situation where bigger fish were suspended, a foot or two down over the deepest water in the pond.  Nearly every trip I would check to see if this situation existed.   I'd check by throwing a Heddon Sonic or a Cordell Spot, straight out from the bank as far as I could and bring it in pretty quick.  You'd find out in 10 or 12 casts if that pattern was on for the day.   Actually it was this pattern that first motivated me to bring multiple rods for various patterns that might exist.  Eventually I was bringing more rods than I could easily carry and that is when I found a boat.   Never really went back to bank fishing after that.

[MGF]

I wouldn't stick my nose up at moving baits. I too have trouble finding fish this time of year but I have at times had good results on spinner baits and cranks.

 

While the fish might be harder to find in the cold I've caught largemouth through the ICE. I think the cold slows me down more than the fish.

[rtwvumtneer6]

Based on your description I'm going to respond regarding ponds/lakes I fish that are <100 acres with good shoreline access.  I've caught the majority of my fish this winter on moving baits.  A squarebill (great time for a flat side) and finesse spinnerbait have been key players.  I also wouldn't rule out a drop shot.  My theory is a reaction strike will produce a bite even if the fish don't want to eat.  And the dropshot just works, if you have the patience for it.  

 

Your weather sounds a lot like mine.  Assuming we are in a similar climate, I pay more attention to the overnight lows.  It seems like once we are consistently above freezing at night, the bass start to show up shallow.  Just an observation.  I try and find the warmest water I can.  Stained water, nothern banks, rocks that hold heat.  A degree or two can go a long way.  

 

Good luck!  

[scaleface]

3 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

a 1/8 oz crappie jig with a #11 pork frog hung on the hook.

One of the biggest bass I ever caught was ice out using a yellow marabou crappie jig . No pork frog though .

[Koz]

As mentioned above, the Beetle Spin is a good choice during the transition from winter to spring. As far as bass activity, with their slower metabolism their feeding windows are shorter but when it's time to eat they will still chase a bait.

 

I've also done well with white spinnerbaits with white paddletails during that transition period.

 

From the bank I have also found that I'm still catching fish near shore. Without the use of electronics it's not always easy to tell where the dropoffs or channels are that the base use as their highways to get to feeding areas so I tend to cover a lot of ground. That may entail moving back and forth around the basin or hopping from lagoon to lagoon.

 

Lastly, I'm looking for anywhere I see even small minnows gathering. That's usually around even the smallest bits of vegetation along the shore and you can be sure that eventually a bass will come cruising there looking for a snack.

[Uncle_MC]

Baits and techniques have already been covered by the other guys. I just wanted to add that I’d suggest picking up a cheap thermometer. I got an aquarium thermometer from Walmart for under $2. I keep it in my box and drop it in near the shore just to get a sense of things.