Shallow spring bass

[basslover12345]

Ok, What are the chances of bass going shallow in 3-5 feet of water around old stumps and bridge pilings with a mud/sand bottom befire they spawn. This area loads with bass in the fall and looks like bass could stage in the creek channel by the stumps. i was thinking of going int there and throwing a football jig to catch bass feeding on crawfish and there are thousands of crawfish in the mud bottom and in the submerged wood.

[Jigfishn10]

IMHO, I would think your chances are very good, considering you mention that there is a creek channel.

If there is an incoming current (I'm not sure if that's the case, but it's worth mentioning) which is warmer than the rest of the lake, then you should be able to get em pretty good. If the incoming water is colder, then I wouldn't spend a great deal of time there. One other thing, if the incoming water is bringing in a lot of silt and is temporarily muddying the water, then the bite could really slow down.

Good luck either way.

[patbfishing123]

When I head out for a pre spawn fishing trip I only bring a couple of lures with me.  One is a football head jug, preferably a lighter one, 1/4 oz is usually perfect.  The other lure i bring with me is a red crawfish colored lipless crankbait, my favorite is the xcalibur knocker series.  I like red this time of the year because the water is generally a little more murky.  I also like a very loud bait that you can bring through the water as fast or as slow as you want. 

If there is any area of that the depth goes from relatively deep to shallow rather quickly I would focus on that area with the crankbait.  This is known as a transition area where the big females will spend a lot of time in the deeper water but then come up into the shallower waters to feed as the sun warms those areas.  One of my favorite technniques this time of the year is to "burn" a lipless crankbait through those transition areas.  These fish are looking to eat and will smash that crankbait as it flys by them, this is called a reaction bite.  I like to poisition my boat to where i can reach most of the area with a cast and begin to fancast over the entire area.  This is an efficient way to cover the strike zone. 

If this doesn't result in fish, then I would flip the football head jig as close to the stumps and pilings as possible. Let the jig fall as slow as possible keeping it in that strike zone. Once the jig hits the bottom, let it sit for a few seconds then lift it off the bottom by a foot or two.  This time of the year the fish will either hit it on the fall or after the first or second time you lift it off the bottom.

Happy Fishing!

[roadwarrior]

For most people, Spring is their favorite/ most productive

season. Why? Tons of bass are up shallow and active.

For most guys it's easy pickin's!

Lures? Pick your favorites, almost anything works.

Some of the best are soft plastics, topwater, jerkbaits,

buzzbaits, shallow crankbaits, spinnerbaits and

jigs.