Tips for Largemouth Bass

• With the opening of the bass season this Saturday, expect to find the largemouth variety in a state of transition between pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn. This will establish their location in the shallow hard-bottomed spawning areas. I’ll direct my lures to water less than six feet deep over the newly emerging vegetation.

• Slide up into the shallow regions where the bass are with your electric motor. Powering up to these spots with a big gas motor will spook those shallow bass and put them on high alert.

 

• On lakes with cabbage and coontail my go-to lure is the spinnerbait. This proven bass lure dodges between the stalks of vegetation and roots out the bass that are lurking behind a branch waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey.

 

• On lakes with milfoil my go-to lure is a one-quarter ounce weedless jig tipped with a six or seven inch plastic worm. Use a worm with an auger tail so you can either drag it over the bottom or swim it on the retrieve.

 

• Never rule out live bait for bass, but if you’re using a live-bait rig with a leech, minnow or nightcrawler set the hook immediately after you feel the bite. Waiting will result in a swallowed hook and a potentially dead fish.