Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3805 Feb 15- Mar 1 | Page 21
Feb 15 - Mar 1, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 5
BASS FISHING SPOTLIGHT
19
By Cal Kellogg
Here Comes The Prespawn, Get Ready For The
Most Exciting Bass Action Of The Year!
I am sure that many of you are familiar with
the expression “I have no idea how I got here?”
This saying may be true of human beings but
certainly does not apply to bass as they migrate
during the prespawn.
Each spring bass respond to their natural
instinct to reproduce and begin the migration
from their winter haunts to their spawning
locations. Bass are driven to spawn my many
factors. As the days get longer the sun begins
to warm the water. In addition, moon phase
play a major role in triggering bass to spawn.
The prespawn is an exciting time to be a bass
fisherman and is eagerly anticipated each year.
For some anglers, the prespawn can be a frus-
trating period as well.
Many years ago, a friend who is a very
accomplished tournament angler helped me
solve this problem. He instructed me to start
my search in a nontraditional manner. He told
me to approach the process as if it was the
post spawn and the fish are beginning their
migration from their spawning banks back to
their summer locations on the main lake. This
methodology has been very successful for me.
I start out by locating spawning flats and
shallow areas near backs of coves. I will work
my boat or kayak out from these areas making
note of creek channels and other migration
paths that intercept secondary points, then
primary points and finally main lake structure.
Along the way, I will search for small cuts
and irregularities that the bass will hold on
and stage along the way. Once I have plotted
out the likely migration path, I will reverse my
route and fish in the traditional manner, starting
from deep water and progressing toward the
shallows.
A common stumbling block that many
anglers including
myself have fallen
victim to is to search
for prespawn bass
based on our own
human thoughts and
emotions rather than
to focus on placing
ourselves in the
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April 6 and 7, 2019
Win cash prizes plus an aluminum boat,
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Vicinity Map
99
Cl
1-5
N
•
Sacramento
80
Twin Cities Rd.
Herald
104
Park
Entrance
Clay
Rancho Seco
Recreational Area
From Sacramento, take Highway 99 South to the Highway 104 exit.
Go East on Highway 104, 15 miles, to the Rancho Seco Park exit.
Rancho Seco is located 25 miles south
of Sacramento at 14960 Twin Cities
Road, Herald, CA.
In partnership with
Park Operator
©SMUD 0005-19
Sacramento Municipal
Utility District
fish’s environment. For example, let me
present a common scenario. Saturday
dawns a beautiful early spring like day
with afternoon air temps projected to reach
into the low 70’s. Immediately our human
instinct convinces us that the fish should be
up shallow and feeding actively.
Unfortunately, in this case this is just
wishful thinking. What I have neglected to
mention is that this is the first true spring
like day in many weeks. For the past several
weeks the lake has been bombarded with
many days of unstable weather character-
ized by cold front after cold front. Water
temperature is only in the low fifties and
there is not a bass to be found shallow
anywhere. It is easy to misread a situation
like this if an angler is not observant.
I like to search for prespawn bass with
reaction baits. Power fishing often works
best when Mother Nature is at her worst.
Stormy weather can bring about some
incredible fishing. Wind and rain can act as
a catalyst to put the fish into an aggressive
feeding mode. I will start by placing my boat
in the 20 foot range out on a primary point
and work my way towards shallower water.
If the water has some color to it, I will
start off by slow rolling a 5/8 oz. chartreuse
and white spinnerbait. Conversely if the
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