| Spring (Pre-Spawn) | Smallmouth Bass | 48-58 | - Transitioning from winter deep holes to pre-spawn staging areas, actively feeding during warming trends
- Relating heavily to current breaks and flowing water areas, particularly near boulder fields and laydowns
| - Current breaks below ripples with boulder structure
- Laydowns and woody cover in flowing water areas
- Secondary points with rock-to-sand transitions
| - Inline Spinners worked steadily through current seams
- Finesse presentations around laydowns
- Tubes worked slowly along boulder fields
| - Crawfish emerging from winter dormancy
- Small baitfish in current areas
| - Natural Craw Colors
- Light Neutral Colors
- Dark Neutrals
|
| Spring (Spawn) | Smallmouth Bass | 52-65 | - Smallmouth bass are transitioning into spawning behavior, moving from deeper wintering areas to shallow spawning flats with hard bottom and cover
- Fish are actively feeding during pre-spawn, utilizing current breaks and structure as staging areas before moving to nesting sites
| - Bridge pilings and rootballs in slower current areas, as confirmed by recent fishing reports
- Rocky flats and boulder fields near spawning areas
- Current breaks and eddies near channel swings
| - Hard Body Swimbaits with twitching retrieve in slow water, as proven effective in recent reports
- Tubes dragged near cover and structure
- Drop Shot with small profile baits for pressured fish
| - Minnows, as confirmed by recent fishing reports
- Crawfish becoming more active in warming water
| - Natural Baitfish Colors
- Natural Craw Colors
|
| Spring (Post-Spawn) | Smallmouth Bass | 58-68 | - Transitioning from spawning areas to early summer patterns, actively feeding to recover energy
- Moving between shallow and mid-depth zones, following baitfish schools and targeting crawfish
| - Secondary points and rocky transitions near spawning bays
- Current breaks near river channel edges with boulder fields
- Bridge pilings and rootballs in 8-15 foot depth range
| - Tubes worked slowly along rocky transitions
- Ned Rigs for pressured fish around hard structure
- Hard Jerkbaits worked with longer pauses near current breaks
| - Crawfish emerging from winter dormancy
- Small shad schools beginning to form
- Young of year baitfish in shallow areas
| - Natural Craw Colors
- Natural Baitfish Colors
- Dark Neutrals
|
