Not sure what to expect

[keithdog]

I'm planning to get out this comming saturday. Normally I'd know exactly what I would be planning to do. However this has been a crazy spring. Two weeks ago we were experiencing record highs after a bitter long cold spring set everything back. I'm pretty sure the spawn should have begun but I havn't been on the water here in 3 weeks. I'm guessing the water temps are in the mid sixties. However, the past couple days have been cold and very rainy. We recieved about 2 inches of rain last night alone. Now tonight the temps are dropping into the mid 30's with lots of wind. Tomorrow and saturday are supposed to cloudy and cool with high temps in the low 60's with nightly temps dropping to around 40. I'll be fishing a small naturally formed lake of about 87 acres. There are both shallow flats, and deep water in this lake. No creak beds or anything like that. Last year I found the bass thick in shallow lilly pad fields and did very well with 5" soft bodies swimbaits. I'm still going to try that, but if that fails, what then? Normally the bass are in spawn mode here and it carries over into June. For those who don't know, I'm located up in northern Indiana a stones throw from Lake Michigan. Normally our days have been warm and pleasent for some time now. But with the exception of 5 day, it's been cold and rainy. Even the lilacs are blooming about 2 weeks late.

[IowaBasser]

I feel your pain - all three of my spring fishing weekends this year have seen miserable weather... to make it worse 2 or 3 days before and after each of my trips the weather has been gorgeous.

I too am going out this weekend - the forecast is actually looking up here in Iowa. Our water temps are also in the mid 60's. I plan to hit the shallows where the new weeds are growing - 4 weeks ago when I was on this lake last there were no weeds and I couldn't catch them shallow on cranks and I couldn't catch anything deep. (I never have been able to catch 'em deep, but that's another story.) The fish I did find were holding extremely tight to any dock or stump in 3 to 6 feet of water. I'm expecting/hoping more fish have moved shallow with the new weeds to hide in... it just might be spinner-bait time!

[bamabassman]

i too feel your pain keith. after getting 3 inches of rain here yesterday, winds and lots of clouds. it is now blue bird skies and getting HOT. low tomorrow here is gonna be round 63 with the high reaching 90. but hey.....better than working.

[nobass]

wish i could get out this weekend got to play grandpa this weekend oldest is graguateing from hs sat and youngest is graduateing from elem to jr high. oh well there always next weekend or after work.

[Bassboss]

Sounds like they may have pulled back from spawning locations. Fish deeper structure near the spawning flats. My guess is that they're probably suspending. I'd try a rather aggressively jerked jerkbait, and a crankbait (silent ?).

Good luck hope ya catch a few bud!

[smittyman]

:/ well, im sorry to say that its been the complete opposite here in the northeast. i got out yesterday, not a cloud in the sky, 85 degrees and blindingly sunny. killed it out there too.. 4 nice bass in a 2 1/2 hour span, and my largest to date (about 3 lbs).

but the best part was one was on a topwater frog, one was on a little 3" z-man swimmerz, one was on a shallow crank, and the biggest was on a plain old t-rigged plastic worm, just thrown in the right spot and danced in front of his nose LOL. and the biggest fish was the one hit i BARELY felt. crazy how it works out like that right?

[lilmule]

Same conditions just about everywhere in the middle usa,it lengthened the spawn some yet somewhat less of it,most here pulled back to first ledge,not all but most 10-12 ft area.
Some will absorb their eggs some will come back in,repeat some.
Most of the shallow fish will however will be smaller buck bass protecting fry.
Going and trying beats sitting at home and wondering. 4/21 on ky lake caught a 4.34 that had just started to nest.

[tim4081]

Keith, pretty much the same here in western Michigan. A week ago I got out and did very well throwing senkos in very shallow water as well as a couple on a zell pop. Friday and this morning I got out and the fish were very hard to find. The weeds have just exploded to the point I can't get to the shallows I could a week ago. I was able to get a few fishing an RC crank slowly through the outer edge of the thick weeds as well as a couple on top water but very, very scattered. Water temps here in the low 60s. My take is the spawn has been lengthened out and thus the fish aren't concentrated. That would also explain how spread out the fish were.....some post spawn, some pre and some up on the beds.