15 Reasons an Early Spring Makes Fishing More Difficult (And How To Catch Fish Anyway)
April 14, 2012; 9:10 AM
FieldandStream.com
Spring has sprung. Actually, it sprang a month ago in much of the country. With the unusual weather pattern setting record-high temperatures on a near-weekly basis, many of you are no doubt scratching your heads and asking, what's this going to do to the fishing?
By some accounts, it seems to be helping. I've had my best spring ever for crappie fishing already. Several state-record bass, largemouth and smallmouth alike, have been caught this spring, as reported right here on Field and Stream.
But not all the news is rosy. Ponds could be turning over sooner, causing fish kills. The spawn for walleyes, crappies, and other species could be adversely affected. And there's still a long summer ahead. So what's on the fishing horizon? Read on to find out.
Earlier Largemouth Spawn
Since bucketmouths typically begin spawning when the water temperature hits 65 degrees, expect an earlier spawn than normal this year. Across much the South, it's happening right now-and done with in the Deep South.
The solution? Plan on sight-fishing-it's the ticket during the spawn when water clarity allows. Largemouths can require a little finesse when they're on the bed, especially on pressured waters. A Texas-rigged lizard is the classic bait, but many sight-fishermen opt for pink, white, and other gaudy-colored tubes and creature baits. You're not necessarily trying to get them to eat; instead, you're trying to p*** them off. Repeated casts to a bed and bumping the fish with your bait to get it riled up will often provoke a strike.
The Water's Still Low
Because many of the best bass lakes are flood-control reservoirs, they're maintained at low winter pool levels until later in the spring. Many years, the water hits the magic spawning temperature just about the time the lakes are filled to summer pool. Shallow bushes and laydowns are inundated with the rising water and become choice nesting areas for bass and prime targets for fishermen.
This year things are different. Much of the traditional shallow-water cover that's productive in the early spring is high and dry, as many lakes remain at winter pool.
The solution? Low water won't stop bass from spawning. Look for the right bottom consistency-pea gravel, sand, etc-in the shallows with deep-water access nearby. Anywhere you can find that combination, you're apt to find a concentration of bedding bass.
Smallmouths Are Spawning Now
Smallmouths spawn in cooler, deeper water than largemouths (60 degrees), so in many lakes, you can expect the spawn to be taking place right now, and no doubt winding down in others. Of course lakes don't warm up uniformly, especially big, deep lakes in the northern United States. The northwest portion of a lake typically receives the most sunlight and therefore warms the fastest. Smallies may be finishing their spawning chores in one area of the lake, but just rounding second base in another.
The solution? Sight-fishing works as well on smallmouths during the spawn as it does on largemouths, provided the water's clear enough to see them on their deeper beds. Toss out a tube with an insert jighead, drag it through the bed and hang on. Bedding smallies that haven't been pressured are aggressive. Don't be surprised if one rises several feet to hit a falling tube, long before it ever reaches the nest.