I look forward to spring and in particular fishing largemouth bass in the spring. In years gone by you had to go out of state to fish bass in May. But not anymore. You can fish for bass starting on Minnesota opener but you must catch and release. And in Wisconsin the opener is the first Saturday in May. So if you’re a Twin Cities bass  angler get ready.

I’ve been a shallow water guy for years especially during the Months of May and June because there’s usually many fish to be caught shallow. Lots 12-17 inch bass with shots at bigger fish. During May I typically focus on the north side of lakes, windy shorelines and back bays with weeds or lily pad roots. These areas have warmer water and the bass are attracted to warm water in spring. Depth range I’d say is 1 to 8 feet of water.

I keep spring fishing very simple. Casting jig worms on the inside edge of emerging weed lines is productive for me. I look for changes in the weed line. In many lakes these inside weed lines often have small sand points or the weed line ends in sand. I like these areas. I fish them slowly. I’ll even soak (let the worm sit in a spot without moving it) my jig in a likely place for 20-30 seconds. Many times in clear lakes bass will see your worm from a distance and come and get it. If I catch one bass in a sand pocket my next cast will be right there again and I will soak that bait. The other key area is the back of pad bays. Pad bays may require a bit heavier gear, but you can still get a worm into these areas. You may need to rig your worm weedless or use one of those weedless jigs. Pad bays tend to be more of a search and destroy mission. I fish these fast covering water quickly to find active biting fish.

Choose a jig that matches your wind conditions and depth. In general the slower it falls the better. I typically have a rod with a 1/16 ounce jig head and 1/0 hook. The 1/0 is easier to work through the weeds. I also rig a rod with a 4/0 wide gap hook, no weight, and rig the plastic Texas style. You can cast a sinking worm a mile with this set up and you’re weedless. I always use this rig in pad bays. Now for your lures of choice. I tend to like sinking worms like Senkos, Yum Dingers and Culprit worms too. Size can vary from 4″ to 7.5″. Blue and colors that look like a crawler, tan, natural, browns and off-yellow work well. I also like the Lake Fork ring bait 5′” and I believe that Big Bite also makes a ring type worm.

Check out the videos that accompany this article. The videos are examples of these methods.

Thanks for reading. Now bring on some spring bassing!