Roger Fitzpatrick has a magic number he pays attention to when bass fishing in the early spring.
“I am not a water temp guy at all,” Fitzpatrick says. "I don't pay much attention to it, but things just start happening once (the water temperature) gets to that 50 degrees. There is a lot more (fish) movement up shallow; you generally catch a lot more bass. You catch a lot of little bass. So the key then is to find what the better bass are holding on."
In early spring, bass are still lethargic and holding in deeper water, but as the weather and water gets warmer, the bass start moving closer to the bank. "The fish move shallow when we have a warming trend and start to position where they are thinking about spawning," Fitzpatrick says.
When the water temperature climbs closer to that magic 50-degree mark, Fitzpatrick relies on the following five patterns to catch early spring bass.
Alabama Rigs On The Rocks
The eight-time Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) winner still relies on this winter pattern to catch early spring bass hugging the rocky bottom along points or flats in coves. Fitzpatrick adorns his Alabama rig with Bojangles Baits Jangle Shad swimbaits in the Tennessee shad hue attached to 1/8-ounce jigheads. He retrieves the rig at a slow, steady pace, making sure it stays close to the bottom to trigger strikes from sluggish bass hugging the rocks.
The Missouri angler suggests the pattern will also produce using a suspending stickbait, but he believes the Alabama rig is more efficient because he can work the rig faster and control it better in windy conditions.
Suspending Stickbaits Over Brush
This early spring pattern produces for Fitzpatrick when bass move into brush piles 4 to 6 feet deep in coves. "I usually pick a small cove and try to fish it all and usually that will tell me what part of the cove the bass are in," Fitzpatrick says. He notices early spring bass in brush in the coves are easier to catch, but if the weather worsens, he can catch bigger bass a week or two later from main lake brush.
A medium-sized stickbait in a bone hue is Fitzpatrick’s choice for working over the top of brush piles in off-colored water. He picks a stickbait with flashy colors for fishing in clear water and sunny weather. The tournament veteran casts his lure past the brush, twitches it slowly up to the cover, and then lets it sit over the brush to trigger a strike.
Cranking Rocky Banks
Fitzpatrick claims this pattern is especially effective for early spring big bass. “It is so effective to catch those bass that maybe are not related to the bottom as much,” he says. “It is an absolute tool, especially up in stained shallower water where you might want to throw a jig or a spinnerbait, but man, that thing will catch them."
The pattern starts producing in early spring for Fitzpatrick when he notices bass ignore his stickbait because the fish are starting to eat more crayfish. So he switches to a crawfish-colored Storm Lures Wiggle Wart of Spro Rk Crawler and cranks the lures along channel banks. As the water continues to warm, Fitzpatrick moves to flatter gravel banks to tempt migrating bass with his crawfish crankbait.
Spinnerbaits In Dirty Water
Fitzpatrick classifies a spinnerbait as “a big fish bait” that he will throw in colored water in early spring no matter what the water temperature is. “I caught 26 1/2 pounds (five-bass limit) on a spinnerbait in February once when the water temperature was 39 degrees,” he says. “The water was dirty and the bass had moved up on the bank.”
The 10-time Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American qualifier slow rolls a 1/2-ounce white-and-chartreuse or coleslaw-colored spinnerbait with double Colorado blades (large gold blade and red small blade) along steep banks and sides of points in early spring. As the water continues to get warmer, Fitzpatrick will switch to a 3/4-ounce spinnerbait with a willowleaf blade for retrieving faster around brush and logs in the shallows.
Jigs Around Docks
A jig produces throughout the year for Fitzpatrick, and pitching a jig in clear or dirty water around boat docks is his favorite early spring pattern. He notices heavyweight prespawn bass are usually drawn to docks in shallow pockets. Early spring bass will seek shelter under the docks along points at the mouths of the pocket, back to the last or second-to-last dock in the pocket, so he fishes the whole pocket to determine the best structures to pitch his jig. Fitzpatrick advises sometimes the presence of baitfish will determine which docks in the pockets are the most productive.
The water level dictates where bass will be positioned around the docks. If the lake level is high Fitzpatrick finds the bass either on the back corners or behind the docks. In low-water situations, he locates the bass along the fronts of docks or in the boat wells.
In the coldest water of early spring, Fitzpatrick opts for a 3/8-ounce Omega Custom Tackle Righteous Finesse Pitching Jig (black and blue in dirty water or brown and green in clear water) and a Bojangles Baits 4-inch Cook Craw (Magic Craw Laminate hue) for pitching around the docks. When the water warms and early spring bass become more active, Fitzpatrick opts for a 1/2-ounce flipping jig for pitching around docks and shallow wood.
By following the progression from the Alabama rig pattern to the jig pattern, you can continue to catch early spring bass throughout their migration to the shallows.
