How many times have you gone to Lake Don Pedro, New Malones, Lake Comanche, New Hogan, McClure, even Lake Amador and caught good ones one week and couldn’t buy a fish the next? This is especially true in the spring when you have so many changing conditions. There are so many important factors to making your day successful on these lakes and lining up all of these things up to make for a perfect day is hard. Especially if all you have is just the weekend to fish. One of the most important factors for being successful in the spring on any of these bodies of water is the weather. If the barometer is moving up and down, one storm after another, you are going to experience wind, cloud cover, sun, heat, cold and this can be all in the same day.
To start with, wear you life jacket while fishing. You will be wearing a lot of clothes and if you were to fall into the water you’re going to sink like a rock. Be smart about this especially if you are fishing alone. The other thing is all lakes in the spring will have some kinds of trash, wood, and other objects floating so think twice about running the lake wide open until you know that you can travel safe.
The next decision you should make is where to start fishing. If you are seeing blossoms on the trees, and green grass on the banks, make your first stop in a cove and fish shallow. My first thought will be “Big Fish Eat Shallow”. My second thought is “Big Fish Eat Big Baits”. Your search should start where the sun warms up the bank first. You should be looking for areas that are protected from the wind. Start your fishing on the inside of the points leading into the coves then fish all the way to the back.
In the spring you could be fishing for pre spawn, spawning, and post spawn fish. I always think of lizards, crawdads, trout, and frogs in the spring. I start with a Lizard or creature type bait, then a jig, working the bottom like a surgeon; you can still drop shot, pitch Senkos, use a dart head, and even throw a spook. Reaction baits are always a good thing at first light too. But in the spring I like to slow down and fish thorough. I like to drag big lures on the bottom.
If you have Spotted bass, or Small Mouth bass in the lake, they will usually spawn before the large mouth bass. None the less in the spring you want to be thinking big fish no matter what type of bass. A lure that can be an easy kill for any bass is slow moving creature bait. I don’t know what it is, bass hate lizards type baits. Bass just want to kill a creature or lizard type bait in the spring, that is why it is my first choice.
You can fish any of the creatures or lizard type baits by either a Texas or Carolina rig. You can cast, flip, or pitch any of these baits depending on the cover you are fishing and the distance you are from the bank. My favorite rod for this type of fishing would be the Okuma Guide Select seven foot medium heavy rod. This rod has the power you need to move a big fish if you are fishing deep or shallow. I would use an Okuma V System 200a low profile reel for a fast retrieve with the 6.2:I gear ratio when you need to pull a fish out of cover or to get your fish under control. I prefer P Line Halo Fluorocarbon in ten to twenty pound test depending on the cover and the water color. Remember once you get a big fish out of cover and away from trouble take your time. Check your knots and your line often when fishing in the rocks or trash. Being lazy could cost you a fish of a life time.
If you have trash piles and a gently sloping bank with green grass and wood all around throw your Snag Proof frog on the bank and bring it onto the trash pile or water real slow. The slow moving frog presents a very easy meal and it looks life like coming off the bank. Bright sunny days will drive shallow fish under trash piles. Keep saying to yourself big fish eat shallow. Use P Lines Spectrex braid in fifty pound test to get those big fish out of the trash. If you are throwing a frog or flipping trash piles use the braid and color your line with a black marker up to about six feet. This will help the line disappear in the trash.
If you are having trouble finding the bass in the back of the coves move out to the first or second point near the cove. I like fishing the slow tapered banks this time of year more than the steeper banks. At least I like starting there and if that doesn’t work then I move to a steep bank to see if the bass are suspended. If the wind is blowing try to locate the eddy on the back side of the point. The wind creates current and the bass will stack up in these areas for feeding opportunities. Like I mentioned earlier you have to fish slow. One of my favorite techniques is putting a football head jig inside tube bait and fishing it just like a jig. I like to match my bait color as close to the bottom colors of the lake as I can. Some times any brown color with some added colors like purple, blue, or even some flake will work just fine. I even like to dip my tube ends in a chartreuse dye. Check your hooks and make sure they are sharp all the time. This is where being lazy can cost you big time.
Swim baits come in all different styles and sizes. Some are fished on top and some sink to different levels. In the mother lode lakes trout colors will work just fine. If you are new to swim baits throw the smaller size baits or the floaters first to get use to them. I like to use my Lowrance 520 C depth finder and GPS for finding swim bait fish. I will drive all over shallow and deep points looking for fish on my graph the mark them with my GPS. I will also move in and out of coves driving all over looking for bait and fish. I will then mark their location and then based on their depth start throwing my swim baits. I like throwing small swim baits with an Okuma Guide Select seven foot six inch swim bait rod in a medium heavy action. I pair that rod up with an Okuma Induron idx 250a with a 5.1:1 gear ratio. When I am throwing my larger swim baits or heavier swim baits I will throw them on the Okuma Guide Select seven foot eleven inch heavy swim bait rod. I pair this rod up with the Okuma Induron idx400a with the 5.1:1 gear ratio. P line CXX is hard to beat in fifteen to twenty pound test. The lighter and smaller the bait the lighter the line is my rule of thumb. If fishing deep use the P line Halo for deep water sensitivity and hook sets. Remember you have to work any of these baits slow.
When you are fishing in the spring remember to slow down. Remember that the lake level is usually rising and lots of feed is being introduced to the fish. Remember Big Fish eat shallow. I hope this small amount of information I shared with you will get you started in the right direction for your spring visit to the mother lode lakes.
If you would like more information, you can visit my website www.jerryfournier.com.
Jerry Fournier started in club tournaments in 1969. He is one of the founders of the Santa Clara Bass Busters, He has worked the Honor Bound Tournament for over ten years, was on the board of directors for Christian Bass Angler Fellowship, Participates in Pro Am and team events all over Northern California. Team member winning the Won Bass Tri State TOC at Clear Lake in 2002, 3rd Place Citgo Bass Masters Tour am in 2003 Clear Lake. Jerry is a Life member of B.A.S.S.
Jerry Fournier is sponsored by P-Line, Rodstrainer, Promar, Save Phace, Maui Jim, Western Wildlife Adventures, Prop Cover and Coyote Bait and Tackle.
