With spring weather finally starting to thaw us out here in the Northeast, we’re entering the best time of year to target big largemouth bass. With a long, lean winter behind them and the spawn in front of them, the big female largemouths will be gorging right now, and over the next few weeks, fishermen will have their best shot at a new personal best bass.
In 2012 during the late March/early April prespawn period, in the OTW office we recorded four new personal bests. Three of the fish came out of fallen trees on jigs while one came on a spinnerbait slow-rolled across a flat. In 2013, I beat my personal best bass for the second year in a row with a monster fish that hit a spinnerbait on April 18th.
Bass and their food congregate in the warmer shallow water this time of year, providing excellent topwater and sight-fishing opportunities. OTW’s Andy Nabreski pulled a 6-pounder from inches of water on a lunch-break fishing trip in March 2012 using a leopard frog pattern Rapala Skitterwalk.
It will definitely be worth hitting the sweetwater this weekend to see if the Easter Bunny left any lunker largemouths in your local pond. Pack along some jigs, spinnerbaits, and shallow-diving crankbaits. In trout-stocked waters, a big swimbait could be the best option for tempting a monster bass.
What size bass do you need to catch to top your personal best? What technique are you going to use to do it?
Nice fish!
nice cheech!
Agreed. Late March-Mid April is unquestionably prime time to nab your personal best.
Don’t know but it was bigger then the 6.6 i caught at the same pond last year!
6.6 caught in sept! Bigger one came 6 months earlier in march! Damn scale was broken
I got my P.B. The first week of March on Skirmish Crankbait Lipless!7.6.Its gonna have to be a 8Lber.