Bass Fishing Tip of the Week 02/15/2010: Topwaters for Early Spring Bass

Early spring bass can either be on the pre spawn or spawning pattern and can be found on shallow flats. The warming temperatures in the low to mid 60's can often signal bass to move shallow for their annual mating ritual. These shallow fish can be caught with topwater lures.

My choices for topwaters are the Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy in silver black back or a Crazy Shad also by Cordell. These lures have front and rear propellers and are deadly for big fish. The key to using these baits is to cast them near visible cover such as pads, reed lines or timber stands.

Once a cast is made work the lure with a twitch pause twitch retrieve and let the fish tell you how fast you should work it. In other words vary the retrieve either fast or slow until a fish strikes. Once you have figured out the retrieve speed, stick to this pattern unless the weather changes significantly during the day.

I've found that a long pause after the initial cast followed by a very small twitch to slightly rotate the blades can invoke a vicious strike. Be sure to let the fish take the lure down until weight is felt and then pull back to set the hooks into the fishes jaw. If you set the hook to early you'll often miss the fish or barely hook it.

Always have a Texas rig handy when using topwaters. After a missed strike, follow up the topwater with a Texas rigged worm and cast beyond the missed strike area. Work your worm slowly towards the area and you'll often get that fish to hit.

So nest time you are out for early spring bass, tie on a topwater and you maybe pleasantly surprised at what you catch!

Until Next Week, Tight Lines!

The Largemouth Herald