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A Different Look for Prespawn Bass
Historically there are few techniques that work for prespawn bass in 40-50 degree water temperatures. Prior to water temperatures reaching the mid-50's when bass begin to clobber spinnerbaits, traditional wisdom calls for using suspending jerkbaits, jigs, or tight-wobbling crankbaits. Live bait presentations often shine in these cold, clear water situations, but artificial baits can get the job done when used with an open mind. I have always had difficulty catching bass with any presentation in water temperatures below 50 degrees, until I participated in a local fishing tournament during the mid-1990's. My fishing partner and I entered a team tournament during early spring that was held at Spring Lake near Pekin . We were paired with a team that eventually won the tournament by swimming black and blue jigs just under the surface and just above the shallow weed growth. The water temperature was in the upper 40's and my partner and I couldn't buy a strike on any plugs or spinnerbaits, but the team we were paired with showed us this unusual technique of swimming jigs. We reeled the jigs as fast as any spinnerbait retrieve and got jarring strikes from cold water bass that wouldn't respond to a traditional spinnerbait, crankbait, or bottom- bumping technique. We had to retrieve the jigs fast to keep them out of the thick weed growth that was within 1- 1 ½ feet of the surface, but the bass didn't seem to mind the fast retrieve in cold water. My first trip to Banner Marsh's main lake this spring was March 26 with one of my fishing partners. A similar technique was successful in water temperatures that were between 47- 50 degrees.
Shallow weed growth was our target after trying jerkbaits, crankbaits, and jigs on weedy areas with wood. We didn't get a single strike by pitching jigs into brush and logs or by throwing hard baits around weeds and steep drop-offs. I am a sucker for new baits, having become addicted to buying fishing lures several decades ago. This time, one of them actually worked. The Chatterbait is a new lure being raved about after pro anglers used it to catch big stringers early this year during a tournament. In fact, the lure is featured in an article in this month's Bassmaster Magazine. I had bought a couple of them last month and decided to give them a try after nothing else would work on these stubborn prespawn bass. We had fished some deep water and steep drop-off areas earlier in the day and had moved to flatter, shallower areas along the north bank where bass traditionally make their first movements to spawn. Again we struck out, until we tied on a Chatterbait. Two nice fish later and we were both throwing the bait in different colors and catching two and three-pound fish with a fast retrieve over shallow weed growth. All the fish were caught along shallow north banks with weed growth. Pockets where temperatures neared 50 degrees produced better than straight bank areas and the most productive time was mid-day. We caught fish on white/chartreuse and black/blue colors. The day was mostly sunny with numerous periods of clouds that completely covered the sun. Air temperatures ranged from 45 degrees during mid-morning to nearly 55 degrees in the afternoon. I could see my black/blue Chatterbait at least two feet deep so the water was pretty clear. The Chatterbait is unusual in that it combines a jig, a spinnerbait trailer, and a thin, odd-shaped blade that is attached directly to the eye of the jig.
It looks like a spinnerbait coming through the water, but with a small blade that revolves around the jig head rather than from a spinnerbait arm. It has a very tight wobble that makes your rod vibrate like a big-bladed, single-spin spinnerbait. In short, it is a different look and provokes strikes similar to the swimming jig we had success with at Spring Lake . Bass were provoked into striking this fast presentation in cold water even though they were unwilling to bite a traditional jig presentation from hunger. Our success with the Chatterbait reinforced the idea that, after a long Illinois winter, bass are ready to eat and they will run down a fast-moving bait at times, despite cold water temperatures. The day also reinforced the idea that once in a blue moon, something I buy actually produces fish. That makes me want to run out and buy some new lures. Chatterbaits are made by Rad Lure Company and can be seen on their web site at: www.radlures.com |
