fishing in the REALLY early spring

[rowyourboat]

I'm going out for the first time tomorrow. Ive never really went out this early in the year. im fairly certain the water is still going to be pretty cold and i doubt the fish have gone into any prespawn pattern, so my question is... what sort of spots do you target? what depth? and what lures?

thanks!

[saint romain]

There are around 10 articles about pre-spawn on this site alone (top left). I would start out looking for coves that offer spawning flats, then fish the drop offs or shelves nearest to it. I just got into throwing jigs a lot, so its pretty much what I throw. Pay attention to your lake or body of water though, offer something/colors that the lake holds and the fish eat such as bluegill, shad, and crawfish. General weather + pressure could affect where you fish as well.

Heres one of the articles:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fishing_the_pre-spawn.html

[NorcalBassin]

Main lake points (may be staging) or the back of coves (warm up faster). I've had decent success with drop shotting small plastics as well as jigs with the key being going slow. Other times I've had success with a jerkbait or crankbait. Just have a handful of rigs ready to go and you should find something that will get their interest.

[InLikeFinz]

I like using a lipless crankbait as a search tool/reaction bait. Crawfish or Chrome fished erratically.

[B A S S E R]

I like using a lipless crankbait as a search tool/reaction bait. Crawfish or Chrome fished erratically.

Thats my favorite early spring time way to fish. along with slow rolling spinnerbaits.

[BadBassWV]

So far fishing in WV has been tough. I've been 3 times and nothing. Water Temps. have been in the 45 to 48 degree range. One day we have snow then the next day its 60 degrees. I think with the fluctuating water temps its just a matter of finding active fish, its just going to take some experimenting with different techniques to find them. Good luck and post some pics of the big ones, or for that matter the small ones as well.

[Fat-G]

Fishing for me so far has been really slow. I think I put too much pressure on my ponds last year.

Maybe they'll start getting active soon, who knows.

[Fishes in trees]

Go back to your basics.  According to Buck Perry:  "The fish are deep, or they are shallow or they are somewhere in-between."

Here are a few patterns that have worked for me this time of year. (March through April)

Keep in mind I fish in Missouri, mostly smaller 100-300 acre Dept. of Conservation lakes.

Early in the year I've caught a few (2 or 3 per year) really big fish casting a rattle bait in really shallow (1-4 ft) flats.  Afternoon is better than morning for this pattern, wind blowing into the bank or at least paralleling the bank is better than wind blowing away from the bank.  Water Temps 41 to 48 or so degrees.

I've had more luck with with numbers of keepers, not necessarily monster keepers throwing jerkbaits off points.  Things to look for include 45 degree or so banks.  Creek rock or chunk rock as opposed to boulders.

I've also had some luck throwing jerkbaits in mid-cove channel swings, where the channel in the cove took a swing and it is a hundred yards or more from the bank on either side.

Fish hanging 3 to 5 feet down in 10 to 18 feet of water.

Thowing a shakey head in similar spots is a slower option that sometimes works better.

Basically just start looking and keep looking.  I seldom stick with one technique for more than 10  minutes unless it is working.   I will stick around and try multiple tactics on a spot, should it, for some reason, appeal to me.  For instance, I'll throw a jerkbait for a short while, and then try a shakey head in the same spot.

Should you have standing timber (many of the lakes I fish have an abundance of standing timber) you can always consider dropping a wacky rigged senko next to a tree.

I've gotten bit doing this every season of the year, it isn't always the best option, but it is always an option.

There's a few patterns to get you stated, but basically, you just keep looking.  If you've been out all day, fished multiple areas and patterns and have few fish to show for it, basically you just haven't looked hard enough.  The fish are in the water and if you find them, some of them will hit something.

[Fishmaster10]

Generally I have the best luck with lipless cranks, any type of crawdad or shad colored crank that runs 5-10ft, slow rolling spinnerbaits, and if you find an area where you catch a few fish try slowing down and fishing it with a soft plastic of some type (I prefer a wacky rig) or a jig. Most of the time the fish I catch are off main points in about 10-12ft of water. I hope this helps.

[big_dipper1900]

rattle traps have been working for me. or i like to let a worm sit on the bottom in hope of cats or drum, i even caught a smallie that way!