Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Card likes to think of pre-spawn as two separate segments.
Card believes this because a month before bass spawn and the time immediately before they spawn are completely different. He approaches his lure selection and location for each of these two phases that separate the pre-spawn by determining how close they are to their actual spawn. He also considers the species of bass he is targeting.
Here, he breaks down what he looks for and how he fishes for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass before they complete their annual ritual.
Pre Pre-Spawn
The timing between winter and the spawn is often full of movement for bass as they begin to slowly make their move from wintering areas to their eventual spawning areas.
Card has learned that each lake is different and there are many factors contributing to their movement. Everything from water temperature, length of day and moon phase: they all play a role.
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Targeting Pre-Spawn Largemouth Before They’re Pre-Spawn
One of his go-to techniques for this time of year is a Neko Rig.
“I fish it almost like a shaky head, but it is a great technique for lure weary fish. I’ll focus on north facing rocky banks. It could be riprap, bridges, causeways or anything with rock because those areas warm up faster,” he says.
His bait of choice is a 5” Yamamoto Kut Tail worm and he rigs it on a 1/0 or 2/0 Gamakatsu Split Shot/Drop Shot hook and varies his weight size.
“It is all dependent on the depth and wind, but most importantly the wind because you want to have contact with the bait at all times,” he says and adds that a 3/32 oz. tungsten nail weight is one of his favorites.
Smallmouth Before They Are Pre-Spawn
When smallmouth just begin to move out of their wintering areas, Card is ready with a Yamamoto Hula Grub.
“I like to find those long tapering points or isolated rock and boulders. I stay off of the bank, but not super deep,” he says. “Usually I am targeting water that is 10, 15 or 20-feet deep but still offshore a ways.”
He fishes the Hula Grub rigged on a ¼ oz. or 3/8 oz. football head and switches between the two based on wind and depth.
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Fishing for Pre-Pre-Spawn Spotted Bass
Spots act similar to smallmouth this time of year according to Card, but their location is slightly different.
“Instead of sitting right on the point, I find that a lot of times they are suspended over deeper water. Usually, it is right over a creek channel, ditch or mouth of a pocket on one side of the point,” he shares.
When faced with suspending spots, he reaches for a dropshot with a Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm. “Spots are really aggressive usually so they will either hit it as it is falling or you can see them on your graph following it down to the bottom right before they bite it.”
Pre-Spawn
Right before the bass bed, Card changes his approach and fishes much shallower for each of the three species.
Pre-Spawn Largemouth Bass
“Right before they spawn, the big females are usually up very shallow getting sun and warming up before they spawn,” he says. With this in mind, he focuses on shallow, isolated cover close to spawning pockets.
He likes to pitch to this isolated cover and his top bait is the Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog. His approach to color selection is simple: natural colors like green pumpkin and watermelon in clear water and black and blue in the stained and dirty water.
As another tip, Card says to use a light tungsten weight, as light as ¼-ounce. when pitching the Flappin' Hog.
“This time of year, I like to fish that bait with a lighter weight; so, you get that really slow fall because that seems to be what they want before they spawn,” he says.
Targeting Pre-Spawn Smallmouth
As smallmouth move closer to spawning areas, Card finds that a 4” Yamamoto Single Tail Grub is hard to beat.
“It is always a good bait for smallmouth, but it excels right before they spawn. I like to fish in between how I fish a swimbait and how I fish a jig,” he says. “I reel it back and it is ticking the bottom every once in a while.”
He will fish it around pea gravel, rounded points and water that is typically between five and 15-feet deep.
Ned Rigging Pre-Spawn Spotted Bass
Card says spotted bass are suckers for a Ned Rig this time of year and he prefers to use a 3” or 4” Yamamoto Senko.
“One place I always look for is deeper docks because they really like to stage under them. If you can find some with black dock floats it is even better because they warm up the water a little faster,” he says. “I’ll skip the Ned Rig under docks and also look for rocky banks leading to the pockets where they will eventually spawn.”
Knowing the tendencies of each of the different species helps to find where they stage as they prepare for the spawn. Having an understanding of their preferred baits also makes it easier to load the boat with pre-spawn bass.
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