| Spring (Pre-Spawn) | Spotted Bass | 55-64 | - Fish transitioning to pre-spawn staging areas, actively feeding to build energy reserves with water temperatures between 55-64°F
- Holding tight to structure in 12-15 foot zones, particularly around hard cover and transition areas
| - Boat docks and concrete walls in pre-spawn staging areas
- Secondary points with chunk rock in 12-15 foot depth range
- Brush piles in 0-9 foot depth range near spawning areas
| - Ned Rigs worked slowly along dock edges and walls
- Shakey Heads worked on points and around brush
- Finesse Jigs targeting dock pilings and hard cover
| - Crawfish emerging as primary forage in spring
- Shad present in and around brush piles
- Minnows around dock areas
| - Natural Craw Colors
- Dark Neutrals
- Chartreuse Colors
|
| Spring (Pre-Spawn) | Largemouth Bass | 52-62 | - Pre-spawn largemouth are transitioning from winter patterns to spawning areas, actively feeding while staging near creek arms and shallow rock structures
- Fish are making deliberate movements from deeper winter haunts to shallower pre-spawn staging areas, especially around rock piles that warm quickly
| - Shallow rock piles in the backs of creek arms
- Secondary points leading into spawning pockets
- Protected coves with hard bottom composition
| - Shallow Diving Crankbaits (0-6') worked slowly with bottom contact
- Bladed Jigs around shallow cover
- Carolina Rigs dragged across transitional areas
| - Shad moving into creek arms
- Crawfish becoming active on rocky areas
| - Natural Craw Colors
- Vibrant Craw Colors
|
| Spring (Spawn) | Spotted Bass | 55-65 | - Pre-spawn staging behavior with fish transitioning between deeper water and spawning areas, actively feeding during warming trends
- Most active during mid-morning as water temperatures rise, seeking shaded areas near spawning flats
| - Laydowns in small to medium cuts, halfway back in pockets
- Docks adjacent to spawning flats
- Secondary points leading into spawning pockets
| - Drop Shot with finesse presentations around laydowns and dock posts
- Soft Body Swimbaits (Small/Medium) worked slowly along dock lines
- Shakey Heads worked methodically around shallow cover
| - Shad moving into spawning pockets
- Crawfish becoming active in warming shallows
| - Pink Colors
- Natural Shad Colors
- Natural Craw Colors
|
| Spring (Spawn) | Largemouth Bass | 58-68 | - Bass are moving into spawning areas in creek arms, particularly focusing on warmer water zones
- Fish are staging between shallow and deeper water, making feeding movements into the shallows
| - Back sections of creek arms with warmer water
- Protected pockets with mixed cover
- Shallow flats adjacent to deeper water
| - Neko Rigs worked from shallow to deeper water
- Wacky Rigs for sight fishing and working shallow cover
- Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip) for targeting visible cover
| - Crawfish becoming active in rocky areas
- Blueback Herring starting to spawn in shallows
| - Dark Neutrals
- Natural Craw Colors
- Green Colors
|
| Spring (Post-Spawn) | Spotted Bass | 63-73 | - Fish actively feeding in post-spawn recovery phase, focusing on rocky points and rock piles in 6-15 foot depth range
- Showing preference for slower presentations as they recover from spawn, with consistent bites on bottom-contact baits
- Moving between shallow and mid-depth zones throughout the day, using rock structure as primary holding areas
| - Rocky points in 6-15 foot depth range
- Rock piles with adjacent deeper water
- Secondary points with hard bottom composition
| - Shakey Heads worked slowly along bottom on rocky points
- Drop Shot with finesse presentations around rock piles
- Bladed Jigs with medium speed intermittent retrieve
| - Crawfish - primary forage evidenced in fishing reports
- Small baitfish transitioning to summer patterns
| - Green Pumpkin
- Watermelon
- White
|
| Spring (Post-Spawn) | Largemouth Bass | 65-75 | - Post-spawn largemouth are transitioning from spawning areas to early summer patterns, actively feeding to recover energy
- Fish are moving between shallow and intermediate depths, utilizing various types of cover throughout the day
| - Secondary points and channel swings near spawning pockets
- Boat docks with deep water access
- Brush piles in 8-15 feet of water near creek channels
| - Shakey Heads worked slowly around docks and brush
- Soft Body Swimbaits (Small/Medium) for actively feeding fish
- Texas Rigs (Worming) through brushpiles and along points
| - Blueback Herring schooling in creek mouths
- Crawfish active on rocky points and hard bottom areas
- Shad moving into creek arms
| - Natural Craw Colors
- Natural Shad Colors
- Dark Neutrals
|
