I love fishing the prespawn for bass and I will explain my favorite prespawn bass fishing lures and choices.
Favorite Prespawn Bass Lures
To break it down simply my favorite bass lures for the prespawn are crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Texas rigged soft plastics. These three selections will get you started on the right path during the prespawn period.
What is the Prespawn?
The prespawn is the period when the water begins to warm a few degrees. The days are starting to get longer and the bass can feel that the weather is changing. This begins the migration of the bass up towards their shallow water spawning bays and sites.
Why the Prespawn is a Big Deal
The prespawn period is a big deal because the bass are starting to feel the need to feed. They know that the time to spawn is coming up and they need to feed up to be ready for that. During the spawn, the bass stop eating and protect their nests and then fry.
The females are growing to deliver healthy eggs and the males know that there is going to be competition to bring the females in and then they will need to guard those nests.
A few things are happening here. The water is getting a bit warmer and their metabolisms are on the rise, and they have to make their way up to the spawning areas. These are typically shallow areas with protection from the elements and a hard, clean bottom.
This makes it easier to catch them as they need to feed, are moving in a reliable pattern, and they haven’t had nearly as much fishing pressure during the winter periods.
This makes the perfect storm for bass fishing.
Prespawn Bass Lures
Now that we know the basics of why the prespawn is so important to bass fishing we need to discuss the lures that work.
This time of year most lures will work, but there are some key players and some of my favorites.
Best Prespawn Crankbaits for Bass
In the early prespawn the flatside and more finesse crankbaits do the trick for bass. For example, earlier this week we were on a local lake that is usually wide open this time of year, but this year we have had cold fronts move through every 3 or 4 days and it is keeping the bass in a funk.
We didn’t have a lot of time to figure them out, but figured they would be on a chatterbait bite or a squarebill crankbait bite (which are both amazing prespawn baits when they move shallow) but in the last 45 minutes we switched to the Rapala DT6 and the Berkley Frittside and put four bass in the boat.
Get Your Frittside Crankbaits Here
It is important to look at the situation and be flexible until you figure them out, but with a starting point it happens a lot faster.
Another amazing crankbait for the prespawn is the squarebill crankbait. When they are moving up and actively feeding you can really catch them fishing the squarebill shallow and deflecting it off of cover. The squarebill comes through cover so well. It is the 4×4 of crankbaits.
Read About the Best Squarebill Crankbait Rod
Get Your KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait Here
Get Your Rapala Rocco Squarebill Crankbait Here
Last but not least is the lipless crankbait. I like to fish it on hard bottom and yoyo it back. Let it hit bottom and pull up your rod until you feel vibration and let it fall back down. This can really get some reaction stikes.
The other way is to fish it around grass and reel it over the top. When it gets hung on the grass rip your rod tip up to get the grass off of the bait. This also creates a reaction strike and they will hit it when you do this and it hits that moment of pause when it starts falling down.
Get The Best Shallow Lipless Here
Best Prespawn Spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits for Bass
The spinnerbait is so versatile and can be fished deep or shallow, fast or slow, depending on where the fish are and what they are targeting. The spinnerbait is also extremely weedless.
If the water is stained or dirty, I like starting with a Colorado blade which puts off more vibration and makes it easier for the fish to locate. It also creates more resistance and can be fished more slowly. If you have a pond or lake where the forage is mostly bluegill I always reach for the Colorado blade.
If the bass are shallower and the water has better visibility and is warmer, then I turn to the willow leaf blade. This one puts off more flash and can be fished faster. The willow blades put off less vibration but more flash, thus the warmer and cleaner water. They also create less resistance and can be fished a little faster. Sometimes the speed and flash will really create a reaction bite.
Get Your Colorado Blade Spinnerbait Here
Get Your Willow Leaf Blade Spinnerbait Here
Don’t forget the good old chatterbait. Sometimes the different vibration and look of a chatterbait vs a spinnerbait can be the ticket. They really shine around grass and vegetation. They are not as good around wood because they get hung up a lot.
I would suggest starting with a ½ ounce if you are new and getting three patterns. A white skirt that mimics baitfish and shad. A green pumpkin that represents a bluegill or craw. And a red specifically for the prespawn. Sometimes red can be the best color in the prespawn period.
If you have to start with just one go green pumpkin and add different colored trailers to the back.
Get Your Budget Chatterbait Here
Best Prespawn Texas Rigged Soft Pastics for Bass
A lot of people will say a jig instead of a Texas rig and I like the jig too, but as the water warms the Texas rig is more versatile and weedless than a jig.
You can start with a craw or creature starting out and as the water warms you can move to a ribbon tail worm. If you are not sure a Texas rigged Senko or straight tail worm is a good start too.
I like to start with green pumpkins or purples when throwing a Texas rig, but you can also throw a red worm or craw to go after that prespawn bite.
I typically like to throw this rig on a 3/0 EWG hook to cover all of the bait types. I will fish anywhere from a ⅛ ounce with a straigt tail worm or when the fish are funky to a ⅜ ounce when I need to work the bait faster or deeper.
If I just had one weight size it would probably be a 3/16 ounce during the prespawn when they are moving shallow because it has enough weight to fish effectively, but doesn’t snag up nearly as much as the ¼ of ⅜ will.
Get A Texas Rig Casting Rod Here
Get A Texas Rig Baitcaster Here
Get My Favortite Craw Style Bait Here
Final Thoughts On Prespawn Bass Fishing
The prespawn can be the best time of the year for bass fishing. The females are heavy and full of eggs and the fish are feeding up for the spawn.
This makes the fish aggressive and it makes them all start moving from the depths toward the spawning bays. This makes the whole population shallow and predictable.
The prespawn begins as soon as the days start getting longer and the water starts warming just a little. Usually in the 50s and moving up to the spawn in the low to mid 60s.
This is the best time of the year to go throw some of the baits I suggested above and get some bass. You may catch the biggest fish of your life.
To your fishing success,
Jonathan Burke
LiveBassFishing.com