By Chris Erwin
In the last few weeks, I have got a few letters and a couple of phone calls asking me what are the best baits to be using as we head into spring. It’s a common question this time of the year, while many of you have your favorite baits many new anglers learning this sport are still building their confidence in what lures to use at what time of the year.
When spring starts to warm our lakes, rivers and streams and water temperatures top the 50 degree mark; bass, muskie, white bass and crappie will all begin to become active. For this article, I want to talk about bass and muskie and the five baits you want to have in your box.
The term “rattle-trappin season” is one you might hear this time of the year if you happen to be in muskie fishing circles. This is the time lipless crankbaits earn their fame in your tackle box the term comes from one of the most famous lipless crankbait the Rat-L Trap.
The fact that this bait catches a ton of muskie while the water is still cold almost defies logic. They are a lot of lipless crankbait and all of them produce this time of the year the one ounce is the most popular, however, baits from 1/2oz to two ounces will produce on any given day. Colors should be selected according to light penetration on bright sunny days the chrome and white colors are good choices on dark days or stained water brighter colors like orange or fire-tiger may be better colors to try.
The second lure you should have in your box, and this bait will catch both muskie, and bass is the jerkbait. They are three types to consider, the floater; the suspend model and the count-down or sinking jerkbait. The best-known floaters are the Rapala or AC Shiner, suspend models would be the Rouge or the Mega-Bass 110, and the sinking model would be the Rapala Countdown. All of these baits will catch fish in water as cold as 48 degrees the suspend models really shine when the water is still cold.
The third bait would be the crawdad colored crankbait, for about three weeks after the water temperatures break into the 55 to 60 degrees range bass will be feeding right against the bank looking for crayfish, the heads of creeks and flats should not be overlooked during the period.
The jig is a bait that has its place in your early season tackle especially when you are facing stain or dirty water, you can swim a jig or bounce it on the bottom this is a bait that can punch through heavy cover or be pitched or flipped into areas where other baits can’t be fished. This group of baits includes baits like the A-rig or umbrella rig this group of baits will catch fish in some of the coldest water you will encounter.
The last bait I want to talk about is baits known as blade baits some well-known ones are the Sliver Buddy, the Sonic and the Heddon Sonar. They are plenty to choose from and all of them catch bass, white bass, crappie and even trout. They can be vertically jigged in the spring, or they can be cranked passed any structure much the same as lipless crankbaits.
I want to invite you to send me your pictures and give me your fishing reports as spring gets under way. So far, spring has been dragging its feet in getting here. However, once the better weather arrives the fishing will start to pick up fast so let me know how you’re doing until next time Good Fishing. Chris Erwin is the founder and publisher of Kentucky Angling News an on-line magazine available at www.kentuckyangling.com/magazine Chris can be reached by email chris@ashlandbeacon.com
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