Late Spring Bass Fishing

Feb 12 2009

Published by Brent at 12:01 pm under Bass, Fishing

Pro bass angler Randy Howell explains why many bassers have trouble putting together a viable pattern in late spring and offers some sage advice.

Late Spring BassTo many bass anglers, late spring, a.k.a. post-spawn, is one of the toughest times of the year to fish. Even many of the top pro anglers I’ve shared a boat with dread post-spawn fishing because it defies their attempts at putting together a cohesive bass-catching pattern.

But to my mind, that’s what makes late spring bassin’ so darn much fun. Trussville, Ala. pro Randy Howell agrees. “Late spring is a crazy time to fish for bass,” he told Bass Pro Shops OutdoorSite. “I’ve fished tournaments during this period when the top 10 finishers used 10 different lures and approaches.”

Busting Bedding Myths
“One of the most pervasive myths in bass fishing is that all bass spawn at the same time,” Howell said. “In reality, spawning occurs in waves. On my home lakes, I’ve seen largemouth bass on their beds in early March when the water temperature was barely 60 degrees and in mid-May in 75-degree water. One population of bass usually spawns early, then several waves may spawn when the water temp ranges from 65 to 70 degrees, and then yet another group of fish may not go on their beds until the water tops 70 degrees.”

Howell understands why many bassers have trouble putting together a viable pattern in late spring, but offers some sage advice: “Because you’re likely to encounter bass in pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn modes now in the same areas, you’re penalizing yourself by focusing solely on fish that have completed the bedding process.”

Howell’s Approach
Randy favors reservoir tributary arms during late spring. “You’ll find staging, bedding and post-spawn bass close together in secondary feeder creeks and sheltered cuts off major creek arms when the water hits around 70 degrees,” he noted. “These places are favored for bedding because they’re shallow and often protected from cold north winds. Prior to spawning, bass follow the creek channel back into these pockets, then return to the main lake the same way they came in once spawning is over. This is shallow, close-in fishing — sometimes you’re actually sight fishing for late-bedding bass.”

In late spring, Howell usually begins at daybreak with a buzz bait, working it close to cover with underhand pitches. “I’ve caught many bass in the 8-pound range on buzzers this time of year,” he said. “For some reason, it’s especially effective on bass that have already spawned but are still hanging around the nest.”

A floating minnow bait like a Bang-O-Lure is Howell’s next choice. “I like a quieter surface lure once the sun gets a little higher. Cast the minnow close to cover, let it sit for several seconds, then retrieve it with short twitches so it plips a little on the surface. Floating minnows aren’t that popular these days, but they’re absolutely deadly this time of year when bass are stressed out after spawning and want a slow-moving bait.”

Once the sun tops the treeline, Howell breaks out his favorite artificial, a floating worm. “I call this my confidence lure. It’s very exciting to fish ’cause you can see the bass swim out and eat it. It’s an awesome big-bass bait; I’ve caught 10-pounders on it in late spring. I’m convinced the floating worm creates the impression of a baby water snake to bass.” Randy prefers a straight-tail worm in a bright color such as white or pink, rigged with a light wire hook. He fishes it on a medium-action 6 1/2-foot spinning rod and skips it under shoreline tree branches to fish lurking there. “Skipping the worm is the secret to its success. Bass often hang very tight to the bank in late spring; these fish are virtually unreachable by overhand casting. Skip the worm to them by standing and casting the lure forcefully 10 to 15 feet in front of your target. Once you get the hang of it, you can skip it into the tightest places.”

Howell always uses a fallback lure with the floating worm, usually a Texas-rigged tube bait or 5-inch finesse worm. “Sometimes bass will swim out and bump the worm without taking it; I’ll immediately drop the floating worm rod and pitch a tube or finesse worm to them. After it hits bottom, I’ll shake the rod tip gently so the lure quivers in place. This usually hits their hot button.”

In the rare event that Howell can’t get on fish with his shallow tributary pattern, he moves out to points at the mouths of creek arms and fishes a Carolina-rigged lizard or worm. “After spawning, bass will eventually work their way back out to the main lake via these points,” he explained. “They’ll hang around these structures until they gradually disperse to channel dropoffs, humps and other summer hangouts.”

Speaking of summer, its heat, humidity and jet skis will be here soon enough, so take my advice and enjoy the many pleasures of late spring fishing: blossoming trees, balmy temperatures, and maybe even a lunker bass or two.

written by Don Wirth

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