If there is anyone left who has not taken advantage of this warm weather to make that first fishing trip of the season, you need to go now. Bass have moved shallow and are becoming very active as the water continues to warm.

  This week while fishing in my first pond I was fortunate to catch sixteen bass. The second pond I fished in I managed ten and yet a third pond produced seven. That last pond the bass were actually biting very well but I was pressed for time and had to leave rather quickly. I feel like that should have been my best trip and could have possibly landed twenty or more…oh well there’s always next time. In my own pond I have seen a couple of bass crusing around as they prepare to spawn. I have purposely left these big females alone in hopes that they will have a good spawn and pass all their good traits on down the line. This will help my bass population remain strong for years to come.

  Most of the bass caught this week were taken on a small shallow diving crankbait. This bait caught fish for me in two different ways. The first way was to fish the lure like a jerkbait, after a long cast give the bait a couple of twitches and then let it rest. The other way I used this bait was to simply cast it out and reel it in like any other conventional crankbait. Another bait I caught a good deal of fish on this week was a 3/8th ounce white spinnerbait. Only a few weeks ago when the water was much colder this same spinnerbait caught me a few fish but it had to be fished very slowly. This week you could chunk and wind this bait pretty fast and use it to cover a lot of water quickly.

  Sometimes when fishing a fast moving bait like the spinnerbait a bass will often strike at the bait but not get hooked. Many times when this happens if you make a quick cast back into the area of the miss the bass will hit it again. If the bass does not take the bait on the second cast I like to pitch a jig or a plastic worm back where I think the miss took place and just let it sink slowly down. I can’t count how many times that third attempt has produced a fish for me.

  I hope your next trip will be as productive and enjoyable as mine has been. Until next time, be safe on the water and hey…take a kid fishing…Lowell Henderson