Locating spring’s in-between bass

Most describe it as “bass fishing’s toughest two weeks,” but no one knows exactly when they’ll arrive. That can make it even worse.

It’s that in-between time after bass have finished spawning but before they reach true summer structure. Many may still be guarding fry, and there might even be a few late-comers waiting to move shallow to spawn. The fish are spooky, they’re not very hungry and heavy fishing pressure may shut them down entirely.

“Not a good time to fish,” laughs Cody Bird, who as a veteran of both the BASS and FLW wars, has certainly encountered his share of tough fishing conditions. That experience, however, has helped him figure out ways to solve the problem, which can actually occur between mid-April and mid-June, depending on weather and water conditions.

“One of the things I like to do, especially if I’m on a lake I haven’t fished before or don’t know very well, is try to find a big tributary creek, and when I do I just forget about the rest of the lake. Large tributaries will have resident bass, and while those bass will be moving during this post-spawn period, they won’t move that far, so you’ve already eliminated a lot of water.

“The second thing I do is fill my boat with soft plastics or jigs and plan to fish slowly. A major tributary will have more cover and structure to explore, but unless you hit the post-spawn topwater bite, you’re generally going to need to fish slowly.

“On some lakes, this may be a good time to practice your dead-sticking because it can be that slow.”

The Texas pro’s first stop in his chosen tributary is normally a spawning flat, either in the back of the creek, in a shallow cove or on a long secondary point. Because Bird enjoys sight-fishing, he’s always on the lookout for late-spawning fish, but this time of year they’re usually a bonus. His main target will be bass still guarding fry near their spawning beds.

“These will be spooky bass, so move quietly and think about long casts, even if you can’t see specific fish. I often use a small plastic worm, even a drop shot with the lure just three or four inches above the sinker, spinning gear, and light line, depending on water clarity.

“Frequently, this will be an early morning bite, too. Maybe as the sun gets higher the bass become even more spooky, or they start thinking about leaving for deeper water.”

Vegetation, shoreline rocks, stumps, laydowns, and boat docks will hold bass longer in the shallow water, so flipping and pitching may be an option worth trying. It doesn’t mean these bass are any more active, only that they’re more accessible.

Look for spawning shad or bluegill at the same time, Bird advises. Both usually spawn a little later than bass, and their presence will certainly keep bass shallow. He knows of tournaments that have been won simply by fishing near bedding bluegill.

Depending on his shallow-water success looking for beds, Bird gradually works his way out toward deeper water. One of the factors making fishing so tough this time of year is that no clear-cut pattern ever develops. Some bass may be in 15 inches of water, others in 15 feet, and still others anywhere in-between.

“I look for isolated cover a lot during this in-between time, along with shallow ditches and depressions. What really surprises me is how important a depth change of just a foot or two might be to a bass, especially around isolated cover.

“Pre-spawn bass use deeper isolated cover as holding spots while waiting for shallow water to reach the right temperature, but as spring progresses, the deeper water eventually warms too, so bass actually spawn there instead of going further up on a flat. That’s why isolated cover can be your best bet now. We see this every year at Santee Cooper with all the flooded cypress trees. Later in spring the fish are always on the isolated trees further out, even though the water is only a foot or so deeper.”

Depending on how active the bass are, a small swimbait may produce well, but Bird cautions against depending on such lures. A swimbait bite that’s hot one day may disappear the next, which is why he prefers flipping or Carolina rigging.

Carolina rigs are probably the best way to fish long flats and points down to about 15 feet, which is where Bird gradually moves if the isolated cover doesn’t produce. The bass here are likely to be the early spawners a little further along in their transition from spring to summer. They may be the most aggressive fish available at this time, but unless you’re unusually lucky, they’re still going to be individual bass scattered over a large area.

“It’s important to continually watch your electronics as you move deeper, not only to study the bottom for contour changes or cover, but also to look for baitfish. If the bait has already spawned, you’ll see them suspended in deeper water in huge clouds, and again, where there’s bait there are usually bass, too.”

Major secondary points will be worth trying at this time, and if you need to, you can move to the primary points at the mouth of the creek as you follow the migration route. The further along bass are in their migration, the more important channels and breaklines become.

“Hopefully, however, you won’t have to leave the creek, or even worry about the points out near the main lake. During this in-between period, the action may be tough and it will be slower, but if you’ve chosen a good tributary, you ought to be able to stay pretty shallow.”