With the Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) Pro/Am trail coming to Don Pedro March 2nd many eyes will be focused on the Mother Lode lake. John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service fishes Don Pedro often and shares a preview of how the fishing is setting up and what techniques he predicts will play into the winning pattern.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Liechty keeps close track of all of the lakes in the area as he is fishing them often.
“It has been good fishing and sort of an odd year because of the lack of rain. It feels like we jumped right into spring and are about a month ahead of schedule,” he begins. “The good news is the lake is still high from all the rain we had last year and we have a lot of flooded vegetation in the water.”
Current Water Storage Levels Don Pedro (Interactive)
When the tournament starts, he believes that both pre-spawn and spawning fish will be a factor.
“Unless we get a cold snap right before the tournament that sets us back into winter, it should be typical spring fishing,” he says.
SENKOS ARE THE FIRST PICK FOR PEDRO
When asked what baits will produce fish, the Yamamoto Senko was his first pick.
“It is a bait that catches numbers; but it is also catches big ones. It is not complex at all; but every spring it catches more giant bass on Don Pedro than all the other lures combined,” he believes.
He fishes it both Texas-rigged and wacky-rigged on Pedro.
“Ninety percent, I fish the 5-inch and the other times it is either the four or six-inch. I also keep it simple and go with the natural colors, anything with a little red flake like Watermelon Red Flake is great in the spring here,” says Liechty.
GIANT PEDRO BASS EAT TOPWATER
This is dependent on the weather during the event, but topwater is one of the best ways to catch a spring giant on Don Pedro.
“It is a gamble; but if the water is right around 60-degrees, a big walking topwater is a great big fish technique here. I’ll either use a walking bait like a River2Sea Rover or I’ll fish a Whopper Plopper,” he says.
CRANKIN’ AND JERKBAITS
For covering water, a squarebill or mid-range crankbait would be another recommendation from Liechty.
“I look for staging areas that are close to where they are going to make beds and crank those transition areas.”
The jerkbait is another suggestion from Liechty.
“It is great on Pedro when the fish are not super-active and you need to let it suspend to get a bite,” he says and adds that he likes bigger profile jerkbaits like the Lucky Craft Pointer 128 on this lake.
EARLY SPRING BASS AT PEDRO CAN STILL LIKE A SLOW APPROACH
Liechty likes to approach Pedro this time of year with a 1-2 punch that includes a mix of reaction baits and slower presentations.
“This time of year here, I’ll usually have at least eight rods on the deck trying to find a pattern and also to cover water. Once I find some fish I pick it apart with the Senko and always have a jig and dropshot tied on,” he says.
SWIMBAITS FOR PEDRO
Don Pedro is known for having a good swimbait bite and Liechty thinks it is a legitimate pattern for the upcoming tournament.
“Once you have a limit in the boat it is the best way to get a giant bait. Those big glide baits and Huddlestons can produce some giants,” he shares.
HIGH PERCENTAGE AREAS FOR WINNING BASS
“The thing about Pedro is the winning bag can come from anywhere. The whole lake has a tournament winning bag in it, it is a very healthy lake,” he begins. “From Moccasin to Big Creek all the way to the dam, the tournament can really be won anywhere.”
What he looks for this time of year are typical productive spring areas.
“You want to look for anything with a hard bottom; so, they can spawn. I also look for areas with some rock or wood, or preferably both mixed in,” he says. “If you can find some vegetation mixed in that is even better. I also try to find areas that are more protected since that is what they are looking for when they start to spawn.”
PREDICTIONS
Liechty says that the tournament is setting up to be a good one and thinks there is a chance for multiple double-digit bass being brought to the scales.
“This time of year is the time to get those big ones. I think overall we will see some big weights and it will take an average of at least 20-pounds a day to win,” he predicts.
Advertising