Scott Petersen

When we start to hit this time of the fishing season many are chomping at the bit to get back onto the water. Many of the fishing activities that were put on hold for the coldest winter days are now back in the forefront of the bass fishermen’s mind; it’s time to hit the water again. So knowing the fact that we have not been on the water for awhile where do we start? For me I spend some of my day looking at my Humminbird 1198 looking for signs of mid-winter bass. One of the areas that I will start my search are main lake deepwater areas. Prime areas to look for are sharp drops that lead from deepwater to shallower feeding areas. River channels are a key main lake attraction that should get a lot your attention.

With Side Imaging you will able to see the structure that the bass are using to get up and down the break. Side Imaging will also allow you to see shallower isolated structure and cover that the bass may be using as feeding stations. When looking for suspended bait fish that the bass may be following I also depend on my Humminbird 1198. I set the Side Imaging range to 200ft on each side and start to target bait suspended over the channel bends or back in the warming bays. By taking advantage of what my electronics has to offer I can cut my fish locating time in half.

Once I have located some fish it is time to start fishing. Let’s take a main lake river channel bend that has bass located in about 12ft to 15ft of water suspending below some bait fish that have moved out over the deeper channel bend. My goal will be to get my bait to work above or at the same depth of the bass in this situation and mimic the bait that they are feeding on. For this tactic I will turn to a Spro McRip 85 as my first bait of choice and will try to match the color of the bait fish when I start. If I am faced with low light, cloudy conditions I may lean towards brighter colors like the Old Glory or Chrome Shad, or if faced with brighter light conditions I will choose Blue Bandit or Spooky Shad as my color choices.

When stickbait fishing; it is important that you are armed with the right gear. I use a 7ft medium action baitcaster rod that is teamed with a matching reel. Reel speed will help in the fishing factor if you are going to be stickbait fishing all day. I use a 6:4 to 1 or 7:1 retrieve speed reel. When it comes to line you have a couple of choices. If you ask fellow Spro Pro Staff member Mike McClelland his first choice is Sunline Natural Mono. The main reason for this choice, mono line is buoyant. It will not cause the bait to rise or sink; it will seek the same depth that the bait does.

But if you are looking to put a little more action into your bait or need to get the bait a foot or so deeper you may want to turn to Sunline Super Fluorocarbon or Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon. This line choice will help get your McRip a little deeper in the water column and will help give the bait a little more action.

Other trick’s that you can do to get your bait deeper is to upsize your hooks. The McRip comes with #4 Gamakatsu trebles if you upsize to #2’s you can get a little more depth out of your bait. If this adjustment is not enough to get to the depth that you need to reach, try adding a second split ring to the front and middle hooks. The added weight of the split rings may be enough to get the bait down to the depth needed.

Another adjustment that you can try is to add adhesive lead dots or strips. Adjust the weight of the strip by the depth that you need to reach. If you need to add just a little weight add a dot, but if you need to get down deeper add a strip. When adding weight with the strips or dots try to keep the weight in the middle of the bait (look how your bait sits in the water alongside your boat). That will allow the bait to fall in a straight position. Falling in this manner the bait will have better hooking power then it will if it falls nose first or tail first.

Once you have your bait adjustments set make your cast and reel the bait down to the level that you want to fish the bait a lot of this information will come from how the bass are staged on your electronics. Work your bait into the area and start to use a stop and go retrieve. Vary your cadence when you start to work the bait to see how the bass react to your presentation.

When fishing make the proper line and bait adjustments to keep your McRip in the bass zone once you start to catch bass. I have found what worked in one area may not exactly work in the next area so do not be afraid to make changes and try different set ups. The best bass fishermen always pay attention to the details and this is one time when the smallest detail will pay big dividends.

So if you are looking to get into some early season bass action grab a few Spro McRips and head towards your favorite waters. Electronics will help you put some of the pieces of the puzzle together faster so pay close attention to your electronics. Bait action and depth will be key so keep a close eye as to what your bait is doing.

Create some memories please remember to practice CPR (Catch, Photo and Release). The future of fishing is in your hands. For more timely bass tips and tactics and to read more from Scott Petersen, visit his web site Fishing Insider