Jim Gronaw: Jump the gun for spring bass | OUTDOORS COMMENTARY

March can be a great month for fishing. Trout streams are being stocked, crappies and bluegills are firing up and even on some nasty days some bass are starting to roam and feed. A lot is going on and there is always abundant pickerel in the tidal flows and throw in the annual white perch and shad runs.

For me, March has more traditionally meant the catch and release of some of the largest bass of the season. Over the past two decades I have enjoyed ice-out and early spring casting for hungry largemouth bass and have learned to take what is given to you. Some days the fishing is excellent, even in 45-degree water. Other days it’s very, very slow with one or two strikes per hour, even less.

The late-winter/early spring bass gig is never easy, even on good days. The winds can be strong and cold, fingers get numb and strikes can be few and far between. Big, 5-pound class fish strike sluggishly at times and come unbuttoned right at the bank while those dinky 12-inchers remain solidly hooked. A “good” day can be a half-dozen strikes in four to five hours with a lunker being the prize. A great day is 10 strikes and landing six or seven bass in the same time period, plus a giant. More often, it is less than either of these results. But the realistic shot at a big fish is what makes me keep coming back to the early season bass game.

This past February was perhaps my best “second month” ever for largemouth bass in local waters. Folks on the Eastern Shore have been pounding quality bass in both mill ponds and tidal flows for several weeks as the brunt of winter is not as severe as it is here along the Mason-Dixon area. Guys are kayaking and getting good catches of crappie, bass and pickerel along with the occasional lethargic snakehead. Locally, March is almost, year after year, the initial month for consistent bass activity in regional lakes and ponds.

Some anglers will tell you that bass will not actively chase a moving bait when the water is in the low to mid 40-degree range. However, I have found that active fish will hit lipless crank baits like the classic Rat-L-Trap and the Googan Klutch in water even below 40 degrees. Years ago, my “go to” lure was a slowly retrieved No. 5 Mepps Aglia through shallow, sun-warmed areas with lots of wind. More recently we have encountered quality fish that take the Damiki Vault blade bait in a variety of fashions. Some fish pound the lure with authority while other strikes are soft and subtle. Still other fish hit the lure strongly from behind, throwing several inches of slack line into your retrieve. Amazingly, you can encounter all of these strike patterns in the same day, same body of water.

We like the Vault, Klutch and Traps in half-ounce sizes and in gold or silver patterns. I am sure that many different colors will work, and there is currently a legion of bass anglers who swear by the color of red for spring time success, claiming that the emerging crayfish populations with their reddish coloration, are key to triggering aggressive strikes during the early spring. Other options work as well as the Z-Man Ned Rig finesse baits surely take their fair share of bass throughout the progression of spring. Our recent winter success with this classic presentation has led to a number of 20-inch plus specimens that couldn’t resist the subtle movements of the buoyant plastic/jig combination.

The blade baits and lipless crank baits can be fished two basic ways. One is to cast far, allow the bait to settle on a tight line and then rip the lure up off the bottom in short, abrupt “snaps” of the forearm. You can also initially rip the bait up off the bottom and then maintain a continuous steady retrieve. The reason we keep a tight line on the lures’ initial fall is due to the fact that you will occasionally have a bass strike the lure as it descends toward the bottom. By keeping a tight line, and subsequent contact with the lure, you will feel this strike and be able to set the hook.

Slow-rolling spinnerbaits and in-line spinners will entice fish as well, especially shallow fish that are favoring slightly warmer water on sunny, windy days. At times it may be best to down-size to quarter-ounce lures or spinners with No. 3 blades.

Although baitcasting tackle is the bass anglers’ tool of choice, we prefer to chuck these baits with medium spinning gear and 20-pound braided lines with 12 to 15-pound clear monofilament leaders. Since most fish will be transitioning to the shorelines long casts may not be needed. We have caught fish as shallow as 18-inches during warm, windy March days in the past. Also, don’t be afraid to fish “mud lines” which are distinct edges where wind churns the bottom, creating a clear edge of stained water where baitfish or bluegills can be easily ambushed.

This year you might want to jump the gun for spring time bass fishing — it could lead to the biggest fish of the season.