f ishing spawn thE
SPaWN tips
by tami Curtis
O
from the back deck
and on the tops of stumps. When looking for beds in shallow water be observant and look for the slight color changes in bottom composition.
Be on the lookout at all times. There are several times when the guy in the front of the boat finds a bed and camps on it. Sometimes it’s a situation when you can both fish the same bed; but if not, it can create a challenge, or even an opportunity! i have found that most of the time if there is one bed, there could be others around in casting distance. if you cannot see any other beds, make casts to places where you would think a bass would make a bed, such as the sunny side of an object. it could be a brush, man-made structure, grass or other.
Slow and quiet movements are necessary. When a fish is “locked” onto a bed, it is considered “hot”, aggressive and usually will not leave the bed, thus making it much easier to catch; however, if the bass is not locked on the bed they can spook easily. Keep movements to a minimum and be very quiet trying not to disturb or spook the bass.
Cast to the breaks. The breaks can hold a lot of bass and also some monsters! When the guy in the front of the boat is camped out on beds, my first response is to look for other beds to cast to. When i don’t see any beds or structure within range, i will look for a break to cast to. during the spawn the fish will move back and forth between the beds and the closest deep water. a lot of times they sit out on the break. if you can find them, hang on because it is possible to catch a big mamma!
Try different baits. When i fish beds during a pre fish, i really like to try different baits to see how the fish
n some lakes across the country, fisher- men are not allowed to fish for spawn- ing bass; fortunately, the tournament lakes we fish out here on the west allow us to fish for spawning bass. Through the years, i have had the opportunity to fish for spawning bass with several pros, and have learned a tremendous amount from them. during the spawn when a pro is fishing a bed, we could be sitting on a particular spot for several minutes or even hours. at first this was quite troublesome to me thinking i would have nil-to-no chance at catching a fish from the back deck; especially because, i felt limited in the places i could cast. Now, i have a different perspective. Fishing the spawn can create some challenges at times; but it also creates some awesome opportunities and here are some things that i have found can make the most of those opportunities.
Polarized glasses are a must. during the spawn bass will clear off a spot with their tails to create a bed for spawning. Many times these beds become your targets to catch the spawning bass. There is a huge difference between a good pair of polarized glasses and a “gas station” pair of polarized glasses. Your odds of catching fish will go up, if you have a good pair of polarized glasses that allow you to see your targets much more clearly.
Identify the beds. determining what a bed looks like depends on which lake you’re fishing. on some lakes you will look for dark spots, others you might keep a keen eye for shells, others you are seeking out light spots, or even cleared off spots with a small piece of wood. There are times you can even find beds in odd places such as scags and ladders in marinas
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