| Spring (Pre-Spawn) | Smallmouth Bass | 48-55 | - Smallmouth bass are actively transitioning from winter to pre-spawn patterns, staging near spawning areas but still relating to deeper structure
- Fish are becoming more active and aggressive feeders as water temperatures rise, moving between deep staging areas and shallower pre-spawn locations
| - Deep humps in 15-25 foot range adjacent to spawning flats
- Front 1/3 of points near spawn areas with good drop-offs
- Boulder fields with access to both deep water and spawning flats
| - Drop Shot with finesse baits worked slowly near bottom in deeper water
- Hard Jerkbaits worked with long pauses over transitional areas
- Finesse Hair Jigs worked vertically on deep structure
| - Minnows and small baitfish actively pursued in pre-spawn period
- Crawfish becoming more active as water warms
| - Natural Baitfish Colors
- Natural Craw Colors
|
| Spring (Pre-Spawn) | Largemouth Bass | 51-60 | - Actively transitioning from winter to spring patterns, suspending near points and moving into bays with warming trends
- Feeding opportunistically on baitfish in 5-15 foot depth range, responding well to stop-and-go presentations
| - Main lake points transitioning into bays, focusing on 12-15 foot depths
- Rock flats and boulders near drop-offs
- Bridge pilings and shallow bay entrances
| - Hard Jerkbaits with varied cadence and long pauses
- Ned Rigs worked slowly around structure
- Drop Shot when fish become less active
| - Alewife schooling in pre-spawn areas
- Minnows relating to rocky structure
| - Natural Shad Colors
- Metallic Colors
|
| Spring (Spawn) | Smallmouth Bass | 55-65 | - Smallmouth bass are in active spawning phase, establishing and guarding nests on sand flats near hard cover
- Fish are highly territorial and aggressive in defending nests, making them responsive to both reaction and finesse presentations
| - Sand flats with scattered boulders and wood cover
- Shallow rocky points adjacent to spawning flats
- Protected bays with firm bottom composition
| - Drop Shot with small profile baits for bed fishing
- Hard Jerkbaits worked around visible cover
- Tubes dragged near spawning areas
| - Small baitfish (alewives) in pre-spawn areas
- Juvenile perch around spawning flats
| - Chartreuse Colors
- Natural Baitfish Colors
- Light Neutral Colors
|
| Spring (Spawn) | Largemouth Bass | 58-65 | - Actively seeking spawning areas in protected shallow bays and coves, with males preparing and guarding nests while females stage in slightly deeper water
- Feeding opportunistically during pre-spawn movement, particularly active during warming trends
| - Protected shallow bays and coves with firm bottom composition
- Secondary points leading into spawning bays
- Submerged vegetation edges in 4-8 foot depth range
| - Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip) around shallow cover in spawning areas
- Soft Jerkbaits worked slowly for staging fish
- Shakey Heads for finesse presentation in clear water
| - Perch moving into shallow areas
- Alewives transitioning to shoreline areas
| - Natural Craw Colors
- Green Colors
- Natural Baitfish Colors
|
| Spring (Post-Spawn) | Smallmouth Bass | 65-72 | - Post-spawn smallmouth bass are actively feeding in shallow water (8' or less) around boulder fields, recovering energy after the spawn
- Fish are showing mixed feeding patterns, striking both surface baits and bottom presentations, indicating they're actively patrolling multiple water columns
| - Boulder fields in 8 feet or less of water
- Transition areas between spawning flats and deeper water with rock/boulder structure
- Secondary points with mixed rock and boulder structure
| - Drop Shot with finesse baits worked slowly near bottom structure
- Hard Topwater (Walking) worked over shallow boulder fields in early morning and evening
- Tubes dragged through rocky areas
| - Minnows - primary forage based on recent reports
- Crawfish - becoming more active in warming waters
- Perch - mentioned in lake profile as key forage
| - Green Colors
- Natural Shad Colors
- Natural Craw Colors
|
| Spring (Post-Spawn) | Largemouth Bass | 58-68 | - Post-spawn bass transitioning from spawning bays to early summer patterns, actively feeding to recover energy
- Fish relating heavily to cover and structure, particularly stumps as evidenced by recent reports
| - Stump fields in 8-15 feet of water, especially those near spawning bays
- Secondary points with submerged vegetation
- Rock piles adjacent to spawning bays
| - Drop Shot - confirmed effective in recent reports around stumps
- Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip) - effective for working through stump fields
- Shakey Heads - excellent finesse presentation in clear water conditions
| - Perch - indicated as primary forage in lake profile
- Alewives - noted in lake profile as consistent forage
| - Natural Baitfish Colors
- Green Colors
- Natural Craw Colors
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