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By Shane Beilue
Southern Staff Writer

January 25, 2011

It’s often been said, “For every time, there is a season under the sun.“  For me, pre-spawn is the time for tossing big baits – particularly a big soft plastic offering.  Many of the largest bass of the year are caught during pre-spawn, when big female bass begin transitioning out of their deep water haunts of winter on most reservoirs.  Pre-spawn bass will often be in groups and position themselves along creek mouths, secondary points, creek channel bends, etc., as they make their way to the shallow flats for the spring spawning season.  This movement is usually a process that gradually occurs over several weeks, depending on weather and water conditions; however, all along the way, big soft plastic baits can entice these big bass onto your hook!

Pre-spawn bass are hungry, aggressive and not at all shy about eating big bait.  Here are a couple of ways to maximize your odds for the bass of a lifetime this spring.

Carolina Rig

A Carolina rigged soft plastic bait is a highly effective technique for covering a lot of water from shallow to deep.  It’s also one of the simplest set ups to use, typically consisting of a ¾ to 1 oz. egg sinker followed by a swivel and leader of about 18”.  A myriad of choices are available for plastics on the “business end”, but the go-to plastic for most Carolina rigs is a plastic lizard and the 7” Yamamoto lizard is the perfect fit.  Since the lizard doesn’t have a wide profile, it’s subtle as it glides behind the heavy sinker, yet is also large enough to attract the attention of the biggest bass in the area.  Color selection for the lizard is dependant upon water clarity, but a familiar approach is to choose shades of pumpkin or watermelon in clearer water and darker colors like black with chartreuse tail in stained water.  It’s important to choose a light wire hook when fishing a Carolina rig, as you want the lizard to glide without being weighted down by a heavy flippin’ hook.

Another big fish bait that can be added to the back of a Carolina rig is the versatile Senko.  The Senko has no action when pulled through the water; rather, its appeal is when it is falling during the pause of the retrieve.  Choosing the bigger 6 and 7” Senko will draw bigger strikes when working the bait along tapering points or along creek channel bends near spawning flats.  When you feel any cover with the heavy weight during the retrieve, pause to allow the big Senko to settle slowly.  This is a killer method for catching multiple big bass from the same area, as the fish will often gang up on this type of structure prior to the spawn!

Shallow Flippin’ with the Texas Rig

At some point during the pre-spawn, big bass will move into shallow, visible cover.  This is the time for flipping a big, bulky bait directly into the heaviest cover you can find along the backs of creeks and pockets.  GYCB released the perfect soft plastic for this application in 2010: the 4.5” Large Flappin’ Hog, a little beefier version than the previous 3.75” offering.  This bait is made for close-quarter combat, easily slipping through tight cover, its increased size appealing to big fish.  Set up for flippin’ this bait should consist of 50-65# braid and a heavy action, 7’6” rod.  Try the Yamamoto medium heavy action rod (model # 23-66-MHF) - this is a well balanced rod with more than enough power to horse a bass out of thick cover, while the softer tip allows for precise placement of the bait when pitching to targets.  Presenting the Large Flappin’ Hog directly into the cover will put it right in the bass’ kitchen, which is often necessary when the fish aren’t aggressively feeding.

Texas rigged Senko

Finally, another option for targeting big bass in shallows during the pre-spawn is the weightless, Texas rigged Senko in 6-7” sizes.  There is no “wrong way” to fish this setup; however, focus on tossing these jumbo baits around or beside shallow bushes, logs, boat docks or any other shallow cover along protected shorelines.  As opposed to flippin’, this weightless technique usually draws bass out of the cover to strike the bait on the fall.  Again, the action on the Senko is derived from the wiggle during the bait’s descent, so lift and drop the Senko to every piece of cover you see on the retrieve.  In order to fish the larger Senkos effectively, you really need to increase your hook size to 4/0 for the 6” bait and 5/0 – 6/0 for the big 7” Senko.

Pre-spawn fishing is my favorite time to be on the water, as the fish are hungry and continue to move shallow with the passing of each warm spell.  It’s also the time to get aggressive and go after the biggest bass of the year by fishing a big, bulky soft plastic to entice those big girls to strike.  Downsizing baits can certainly be effective at various times of the season, but when going after hungry, pre-spawn bass: go big or go home!