Pre-spawn in central IN best soft plastics?

[Csc1331]

Anybody know the best soft plastic/hook combos I should use this spring to target spawning bass on beds? For central Indiana that is. 

[Sphynx]

This time of year as the bass are cruising to feed up just before the spawn I find them to be more or less indiscriminate feeders, craws are always a safe bet, turn over a few rocks along the shore of whatever water body your fishing and you'll get a pretty good idea what's natural for your waters, also anything bluegill this time of year seems to attract special ire, and that grows as they start to bed, speed craws, vile craws, sweet beavers, there aren't many "bad" choices out there for craws, and I really like flukes this time of year, zoom super flukes are a particular favorite, keitechs and exoswims are favorites for me in paddletails, usually some form of shad color and a bluegill/green variant, as long as your fishing wherever the bass are along the prespawn journey, I've always carried green pumpkin of some sort, and black of some sort and I catch fish from pacific to Atlantic coasts, from the Mexican to the Canadian borders.

[Basser2021]

While I don't fish up north, I have family that does in Ohio. Creature baits tend to work pretty well up there from what I hear. And what hook size and what type of gap depends on what bait you'll fish. I will also suggest that if you choose something like a fluke to use a EWG hook. This spring I kept missing smallies on them because I was using a worm hook. Good luck.

[BigAngus752]

Anything with lots of appendages.  Muddy/stained water I use black or blue/black.  The clearer the water the more natural you want the color.  The type and size of hook must be determined by the plastic you are using.  The thicker your plastic the sturdier the hook.  Obviously a larger plastic will need a bigger hook.  Many anglers don't like EWGs and will use only worm hooks and flipping hooks.  I use all three in various situations.  

 

The least expensive but very effective plastic lure around the spawn is, IMHO, two packs (black and green pumpkin) Zoom lizards from Walmart with a 3/0 or 4/0 hook of your choice, T-rigged with a weight selected for the wind or current that day and NOT pegged.  I haved fished that rig all day long with great success.  

[WRB]

The spawn cycle in Indiana isn’t special. We have several threads on bed fishing to read. 

Pre Spawn refers to bass getting ready to spawn.

Spawn is when the bass are in beds laying eggs.

Post Spawn is when the females have laid eggs and left the bed sites.

The periods during the Spawn cycle that bass are hunting prey is Pre and Post Spawn. Pre Spawn want to eat high protein prey that holds over a few weeks of not eating.

Crawdads and larger size bait fish, you want lures that represent those. 

Spawn, female egg laying  and male nest guarding the bass are not feeding, they are guarding the nest from egg eater.

A wide verity of small fish eat eggs, salamanders and crawdads eat eggs and get the bed bass attention to kill it.

Sight bed fishing requires being able to see the bed, the bass and your lure. Remember bed bass just strike so you must hook set immediately.

Tom