Spring is in sight, and most of us bass anglers in the North East have cabin fever. As it starts to warm up, lakes and ponds are starting to become fishable. The first chance I get, I will be casting at the open spots. The fish are biting, so it’s time to re-spool your fishing reels, inventory your tackle, bundle up and head out to your favorite pond or lake.

Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when fishing this time of the year:

• Bass are looking for warmth, try fishing spots that are fully exposed to the sun.
• Make your casts count. Bass will be easily spooked this time of year.
• Rely on natural colors for your bait.
• Fish the Northern waters, these will be the warmest.

Bait

If you have never fished this time of the year in New England, you may be wondering what types of bait to throw in early spring. Obviously it depends on what you are going to target. Smallmouth bass tend to be more active this time of year than Largemouth bass. Try to stay with natural colors, the fish also know what time of year it is. They may not be interested in a bright orange lure they are seeing for the first year, but may entertain a green pumpkin color lure, for example. If I don’t get any action on the natural color, my plan b color is always white.

Some of the most effective baits for this time of year are Jerk Baits, Plastic Stick Baits, and an extremely effective lure is the Rapala X-Rap Walk Bait.

The Jerk Bait is a practical lure that has been around for a long time. Fish this lure slow, and be patient with multiple pauses on your retrieve. The water is cold, and the fish are still sluggish. You can pick up these Jerk Bait lures for under six dollars.

Plastic Stick Baits in a natural color should produce well. Plastic Stick Baits have a more natural action than a Jerk Bait. Wacky Rig will provide plenty of action, and if you find some deeper vegetation left over from last year, I highly suggest throwing a Texas Rigged Stick Bait into the weeds.

Rapala X-Rap Walk Bait

Rapala Husky Jerk Bait

The Rapala X-Rap Walk Bait is also a good choice for the ice-out. With the fish being so sluggish, they want to make their meal worth their while. These lures are very flashy, and when “walked” can strike the attention of the fish in an instant. Check out this video by Cabelas about the Rapala X-Rap Walk Bait.

These are just a few of my favorite ice out lures.

Techniques

Like I’ve said, fishing this time of the year is very tricky. It will take some practice and patience to hunt down these cold weather hawgs. Don’t give up if you struggle at first, there are some big fish to be caught.

The best technique is to focus on the Northern part of the body of water. This will be the warmest part, and that’s what the bass are looking for. Be stealthy, and seek up on prospective spots. If it’s a really warm day, you will find bass on the flats. Regardless of the time of year, everyone knows that bass like cover. This is always a fail safe. If you aren’t getting any bites in the open, find some old weeds from last year and go with a weedless lure.

If you are from New England, you can deal with any weather, snow, sleet, hail, 100+ degree days. You should be able to bear the weather to get a few casts in!