Tough Spring..

jasonfish320 · 04-29-08, 10:40 AM

I've been struggling finding fish this spring...first tourney was last weekend and did not have time to pre-fish and the spot (A large inlet) I wanted to hit in the morning was loaded with boats by the time we took off...water temp was 44-46 over most of the lake, interestingly enough the southern area of the lake was a bit warmer at 48-49 and that's were I caught the only two fish of the day for me & my partner

..one was a tad too small & had to go back, the other weighed 3lbs 10 oz...and that's how it finished...a bunch of boats didn't catch anything, but the winning weight was a bit over 18 lbs...I hate the feeling of coming in without 5 fish...uggghh

Have another this weekend and went to pre-fish around 2pm yesterday and right when I got out the temp dropped down to 44 and the rain & wind started...swells were 2-3ft and I was the only MORON out there...didn't catch a damn thing..water temp was a lot warmer at the north end..51, so I think I'll start there on Saturday...any thoughts would be greatly appreciated..here's the lake I will be fishing

doc · 04-29-08, 11:14 AM

Northwest protected coves in my opinion.

Fish2win · 04-29-08, 11:16 AM

Early spring the areas on the north end of the lake warm faster. the fish will not be in the same stage of prespawn all over the lake at the same time. Areas with water run in may be even warmer. The fish will go to the warmer water much faster than you imagine.
Fish the 8 to 15 foot range for smallmouth . Fish much shallower fior largemouth. Jigs, shallow running cranks or suspended jerkbaits can be key in that 50 to 55 degree water. If there are craws in this lake a craw pattern crank may be hot stuff.
Fish2win

Buzz Wing · 04-29-08, 03:47 PM

Don't worry, Jason. I didn't start catching fish until the water warmed up to 54-56 F or so. Keep at it and you'll get 'em buddy!

-Buzz

fishingguy · 04-30-08, 11:13 AM

Jason,

My father-in-law had a camp in Pembroke, ME and I did quite a bit of smallie fishing in the early spring.

I had my best luck in the extreme northwestern sections....very shallow! May sound crazy, but I got some incredible 'reaction' hits using a baby chugbug in water that was no more than 50 degrees. Cast to the shoreline cover, let the bait sit for 30-45 seconds, work it about 8-10 feet back towards the boat. If no luck, reel in and try the next piece of cover.

This seemed to work better when the sun was shining, but if it was cloudy, had better luck going to the first drop and using rat-l-traps. Once I got a fish, or a few hits, I would then work a spider jig (light as possible), in the same areas. Good luck!

Fishingguy

Bob Smith · 04-30-08, 01:37 PM

The map appears to show a natural lake (rather than manmade)? I presume it's very clear and the most abundant species is smallmouth. If that's the case then the water temps are probably still a little shy of pre-spawn temps. I would concentrate on the points leading into the spawning coves with natural colored jigs (peanut butter and jelly with a green pumpkin twin tail trailer, or green pumpkin Hula Grubs (Yamamoto) on football head jigs, tube baits, shakey head/worms, and even ball jigs with 3-4" curl tail grubs in chartreuse, smoke, pumpkin, geen pumpkin, brown, or root beer. work them slow, try hopping, and try a slow bottom bouncing swimming retrieve.
If the wind is blowing and it's cold, find a long sloping gravel covered point and sling lipless rattling crankbaits in crawfish, red or firetiger colors and work them as fast as you can without breaking the surface (run the bait in 5' or less).

jasonfish320 · 05-03-08, 05:29 PM

Well, the tourney didn't start off too well, didn't catch our first fish until 11

..but things changed quickly, just not enough time left...we ended in 5th and found the majority of the fish in super-shallow water at the very south end of the lake...we recently got 3 inches of rain and the warmest water temps were 52...amazingly all of our fish came from a flooded campground/trailer park...I was throwing jerkbait at BBQ grills and tire swings that were all under water..it was a pretty cool sight to see, but I feel bad for all those folks who had water up to their front door...The lake only has small mouths and my best fish weighed 3.78..I was second for lunker...lost by less than a quarter pound..It was a cold 31 degrees this morning and didn't get much past 50 by midday...all in all it was a fun day and I got to see my lil' bro catch his first bass of the season.

Bob Smith · 05-03-08, 05:59 PM

Congrats, Jason! Sometimes it's better to just "man-UP" and follow your instincts! Sounds like you guys did just that and it turned out pretty well after all!

bamabassman · 05-03-08, 08:59 PM

sounds fantastic to me jason!! 5th is still a winner. congrats on the tourny. hope you keep on doing good friend.

04-29-08, 10:40 AM	#1
jasonfish320 BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: MAINEIAC Posts: 585	Tough Spring.. I've been struggling finding fish this spring...first tourney was last weekend and did not have time to pre-fish and the spot (A large inlet) I wanted to hit in the morning was loaded with boats by the time we took off...water temp was 44-46 over most of the lake, interestingly enough the southern area of the lake was a bit warmer at 48-49 and that's were I caught the only two fish of the day for me & my partner..one was a tad too small & had to go back, the other weighed 3lbs 10 oz...and that's how it finished...a bunch of boats didn't catch anything, but the winning weight was a bit over 18 lbs...I hate the feeling of coming in without 5 fish...uggghh Have another this weekend and went to pre-fish around 2pm yesterday and right when I got out the temp dropped down to 44 and the rain & wind started...swells were 2-3ft and I was the only MORON out there...didn't catch a damn thing..water temp was a lot warmer at the north end..51, so I think I'll start there on Saturday...any thoughts would be greatly appreciated..here's the lake I will be fishing __________________ "If at first you don't succeed; have another beer"

04-29-08, 11:16 AM	#3
Fish2win BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Norris Tennessee Posts: 469	Early spring the areas on the north end of the lake warm faster. the fish will not be in the same stage of prespawn all over the lake at the same time. Areas with water run in may be even warmer. The fish will go to the warmer water much faster than you imagine. Fish the 8 to 15 foot range for smallmouth . Fish much shallower fior largemouth. Jigs, shallow running cranks or suspended jerkbaits can be key in that 50 to 55 degree water. If there are craws in this lake a craw pattern crank may be hot stuff. Fish2win __________________ Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands.

04-30-08, 11:13 AM	#5
fishingguy BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3	smallies Jason, My father-in-law had a camp in Pembroke, ME and I did quite a bit of smallie fishing in the early spring. I had my best luck in the extreme northwestern sections....very shallow! May sound crazy, but I got some incredible 'reaction' hits using a baby chugbug in water that was no more than 50 degrees. Cast to the shoreline cover, let the bait sit for 30-45 seconds, work it about 8-10 feet back towards the boat. If no luck, reel in and try the next piece of cover. This seemed to work better when the sun was shining, but if it was cloudy, had better luck going to the first drop and using rat-l-traps. Once I got a fish, or a few hits, I would then work a spider jig (light as possible), in the same areas. Good luck! Fishingguy

04-30-08, 01:37 PM	#6
Bob Smith BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Cartersville, Georgia Posts: 1,472	The map appears to show a natural lake (rather than manmade)? I presume it's very clear and the most abundant species is smallmouth. If that's the case then the water temps are probably still a little shy of pre-spawn temps. I would concentrate on the points leading into the spawning coves with natural colored jigs (peanut butter and jelly with a green pumpkin twin tail trailer, or green pumpkin Hula Grubs (Yamamoto) on football head jigs, tube baits, shakey head/worms, and even ball jigs with 3-4" curl tail grubs in chartreuse, smoke, pumpkin, geen pumpkin, brown, or root beer. work them slow, try hopping, and try a slow bottom bouncing swimming retrieve. If the wind is blowing and it's cold, find a long sloping gravel covered point and sling lipless rattling crankbaits in crawfish, red or firetiger colors and work them as fast as you can without breaking the surface (run the bait in 5' or less). __________________ Bob Smith a.k.a. "Porko" (vintage Strike King variety!)

05-03-08, 05:29 PM	#7
jasonfish320 BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: MAINEIAC Posts: 585	The results... Well, the tourney didn't start off too well, didn't catch our first fish until 11..but things changed quickly, just not enough time left...we ended in 5th and found the majority of the fish in super-shallow water at the very south end of the lake...we recently got 3 inches of rain and the warmest water temps were 52...amazingly all of our fish came from a flooded campground/trailer park...I was throwing jerkbait at BBQ grills and tire swings that were all under water..it was a pretty cool sight to see, but I feel bad for all those folks who had water up to their front door...The lake only has small mouths and my best fish weighed 3.78..I was second for lunker...lost by less than a quarter pound..It was a cold 31 degrees this morning and didn't get much past 50 by midday...all in all it was a fun day and I got to see my lil' bro catch his first bass of the season. __________________ "If at first you don't succeed; have another beer"

04-29-08, 11:14 AM	#2
doc BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,134	Northwest protected coves in my opinion.

04-29-08, 03:47 PM	#4
Buzz Wing BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hudson, MI Posts: 1,219	Don't worry, Jason. I didn't start catching fish until the water warmed up to 54-56 F or so. Keep at it and you'll get 'em buddy! -Buzz

05-03-08, 05:59 PM	#8
Bob Smith BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Cartersville, Georgia Posts: 1,472	Congrats, Jason! Sometimes it's better to just "man-UP" and follow your instincts! Sounds like you guys did just that and it turned out pretty well after all! __________________ Bob Smith a.k.a. "Porko" (vintage Strike King variety!)

05-03-08, 08:59 PM	#9
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	sounds fantastic to me jason!! 5th is still a winner. congrats on the tourny. hope you keep on doing good friend.

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