Situation Report
When the first warmer days roll in and bass are beginning their transitions out of winter holding, look for fish moving up main lake points or high spots near deep water. It’s a great time of year to catch not only your first bass of the season, but also potentially your biggest bass right off the bat.
Conditions & Cues
Water Temps: 40-45 degrees
Depth Zone: 15-25 feet
Primary Forage: Perch, Alewives, Crawfish
Target Zones
Locate main lake points (1) that lead into deep water. These are areas that bass can move up and down from deep to shallow water quickly, as warm and cold temperatures are inconsistent early in the season.
Other prime locations are humps or high spots in the lake (2), areas where deep water comes quickly to shallower water, going from around 30 feet deep to 15 feet. Humps with the deepest areas of the lake nearby can be the best places to look during the first warm days of the year.
Tactics and Presentations
One of the first forages available to bass early in the year are crawfish. Both largemouth and smallmouth will move along rock or hard structure early in the year because it provides not only warmth, but abundant crawfish to feed on. Target these main lake points and humps with jigs.
Heavier sizes like ½ or ¾ ounce will keep you on the bottom in deeper water where bass are moving around. Try a football jig, which is designed to drag along the bottom in and around structure.
TIP: Trim your jig skirt and trailer for more of a finesse presentation. This can help get finicky fish to bite and keep your bait looking natural on the bottom.
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