Sight Fishing With the Drop-Shot Rig
By Gregg Kizewski

Although it is primarily recognized as a deep water, vertical presentation, the drop-shot has become my go-to technique for sight fishing – especially during the spawn. My boat never hits the water without at least one spinning and one baitcasting setup rigged with a drop-shot.

One of the pitfalls of sight fishing during the spawn is not being able to get a fish to take a bait. The drop-shot rig will give the fish an eye-level look at the bait. The action that you provide to that bait can turn on neutral and even negative fish.

The decision on whether to use baitcasting or spinning equipment hinges solely on the amount of cover between the bed and your boat. If the area you are working has heavy weeds, wood or rock, the best choice is a baitcaster. If I need to use a baitcaster, I will use a flipping stick with no less than 17 lb. Line and often I will opt for a super line. Conversely if the area were free from significant obstructions, a 7 ‘ spinning rod would be my choice.

Let me break down my tactics into two fishing situations. Spawning females and fry protecting males.

Spawning Females

When targeting spawning females, I will first try identifying a quality fish. I try not to spend a significant amount of time on a fish under 2.5 lbs. During the peak of the spawn, rarely will a sack full of 2.5 lb fish cash you a check. When I find that 3 lb or better fish, I know I can concentrate on my attempt to put her in the live well.

Depending on how bulky the bait is, I will use either a number 1 or number 2 Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap hook. Although I leave approximately 8” of leader attached for a potential adjustment, my sinker is typically clipped on the line around 4” below the hook. With spinning tackle I start with a 1/8-ounce sinker and with a baitcaster a ¼ ounce sinker is a good starting point.

Regardless of your choice of plastic, try to keep the length of the bait under 5” for optimum action, and always nose hook the bait – this is critical to your hook set percentage when fishing for bedding bass.

If there is a chop on the water, I will typically start with a white tube or spider grub so it is easier to watch the bait “disappear” on the pick-up. As with any plastic, try to match the hatch, or use your “confidence” colors.

Drop-shotting beds, is all about frustrating a fish into taking the bait – presentation is critical, yet casting for accuracy is more forgiving. I always cast beyond the bed, and then drag the sinker on the bed surface. This whole presentation is about frustrating a fish into biting, so now is the time to carry that task out.

I leave a slight bow in the line and start shaking the rod tip. This will create a trembling action at the bait – it is key to not shake the rod so hard that the sinker moves. Usually it is not long before the fish simply cannot stand it any longer and will pick up the bait. I will work the bait up to 5 minutes – if the fish remains uninterested I will change the plastic to something with more movement or appendages and repeat the process. If I still am struggling with sparking an interest out of the fish I will go to a more subtle bait, such as a 4” Senko. When these three options are exhausted, you have a very negative fish and it would be best to move on. You can always check on her again later.

If you keep your head in the game and remain patient, more often than not you can coerce that fish into biting!

Fry Protecting Males

I am talking about the tail end of the spawn, when most females are tough to catch because the have moved to their “recovery” areas and are somewhat dormant. This 2 to 3 week period is tough on weights at the scales and catching a limit of fish will be a priority without being too choosey.

There are subtle differences when fishing for male bass that are protecting fry, versus the spawning females.

When you see a male on a bed with no females around, his sole purpose is protecting fry.

Bait choices are critical to catch rate. Ninety nine percent of the time when fishing for these males, I will use a 4” Kinami Cut Tail worm. In my opinion, nothing more closely resembles a small fish stalking fry. When river fishing my color choice is “Natural Shad”, while on lakes I typically start with “Baby Bass”.

Using the same technique and leader length as described for spawning females, shake the bait in the bed until you spark the fish’s interest. Depending on the mood of the bass, they may try to fan the bait away from the bed with its tail or body. If this happens, I simply increase the sinker size so they have no choice but to “mouth” the bait to move it away from the bed. Often I will go as heavy as a ½ ounce sinker for this situation.

Next time you find yourself getting frustrated while sight fishing, throw a drop-shot rig at that fish. You will quickly realize you have a new weapon in your arsenal!

Seasonal Patterns of the Largemouth Bass in Northern Lakes
By Gregg Kizewski

Two of the keys to success when fishing for largemouth bass in any lake, are:

A. Determining what seasonal pattern you will be faced with.
B. The location of the highest percentage spots to fish during that seasonal
pattern.

 I want to try to break these patterns down over the course of the next several months, beginning with pre-spawn.

In the upper Midwest, on both natural lakes and reservoirs, the largemouth bass will begin their migration toward shallow water almost immediately after ice out. The purpose of this migration is twofold - feeding and eventually spawning. If you can locate the best shallow areas, you will be able to follow the fish throughout the spring, and into post-spawn. 

My usual research routine starts in the off-season. I like to purchase no less than two different brands of lake maps for each body of water on my tournament schedule. You will find that the detail of maps vary from manufacturer to manufacturer depending on their mapping source, but most information is good information and I will take all I can get! Typically any tournament I have from ice out through the end of May, I can classify as pre-spawn. 

I will carefully study these maps, paying particular attention to bays that have shallow flats (under 8’ of water) in the northern section of the lake. Ideally, bays with an expansive flat in the northwest portion of the lake will captivate my interest. These bays will see more sunlight and are at least somewhat protected from prevailing winds. I will highlight as many of these flats as possible on my maps, and will check most of them when pre-fishing. 

Some of the characteristics that will make a flat special, include:

Defined point/points at the mouth of the bay.
Secondary points within the bay.
A creek channel.
Deep drop-offs or ledges outside the flat.
Inside turns.
Submergent or emergent vegetation.
Stumps or brush-piles.
Rocks or riprap.

When actually on the lake, a surface temperature gauge is a must for determining not a particular temperature, but some of the warmest water you can find. Often you will find the main lake more than 5 degrees colder than a bay. When I start checking the bays I had highlighted on the maps during pre-work, I will start fishing in the warmest areas first and these will most often be dark bottom bays. 

Nine times out of ten I will circle the flat within the bay to see the actual layout in comparison to the maps. Then I will zigzag through the flat with the trolling motor on high and throw a swim jig or a spinner-bait. I am doing two things in this process - trying to get bit, and scanning the water looking for baitfish, pan fish and bass. 

If I start getting hits or catching fish on the flat, I will begin to refine the pattern. Is the activity I am experiencing coming off of stumps, brush piles, new weed growth or perhaps rocks? When I determine if there is some specific cover or structure on the flat that is producing fish, I slow down and work every similar spot on the flat thoroughly. 

If I cannot get the fish to bite, and the flat is void of any visible baitfish or game fish, I will not abandon the area. It is very possible that by late morning or early afternoon this flat could be loaded with fish due to warming water throughout the day. To quantify the productivity of an area you need to move deeper by working your way out of the bay, fishing the secondary points, creek channels, inside turns, ledges and drop-offs (indicated in the map where several contour lines get very close to each other or touch), and then finally the main lake points at the mouth of the bay. A largemouth bass will use all of these types of structure as “stopping points” on their path to and from the flat. 

Baits that work well for me for these pre-spawn deeper presentations, are weighted suspending jerk baits, a Super K football jig with a twin tail grub, a 3/4 or 1 ounce Super K Plunking jig, Carolina rigs, shakey head worms, a drop-shot rigs, or spider-grubs. 

Fishing in this manner allows me to find where the fish are in terms of their migration to the flat. When you begin catching fish, be sure to document, at least mentally, the time of day, weather condition and surface temperature because this may be replicated in similar areas of the lake. 

The important part of spring and pre-spawn fishing is your adaptability. If you are catching fish and they turn off, it is time to adapt to the situation. If you are catching fish on the flat and the bite slows, think about your surroundings. Did cloud cover take the heat of the sun out of the equation? Did the wind pick up or shift and push cold main lake water into the flat? If that is the case, these fish are not necessarily negative, but may have moved closer to the deeper water or structure that they use on their migration highways within the bay. 

Conversely, if you are catching fish in the deeper structure areas and they turn off, it is just as likely that the flat is warming enough that it has become inviting to the whole food chain, bass included, and you need to follow those fish shallower. 

A lot is said about “fishing the moment”. Never is this phrase more obvious as in the springtime during the pre-spawn on our northern lakes. Your success hinges on your versatility in fishing techniques and your ability to think through the situations that may arise. 

If you follow the premise outlined above, I am 100% confident you WILL find pre-spawn fish. If you learn to adapt to the movementand mood of these fish, you can catch them all day long!

Deep Water Jig Fishing
By Gregg Kizewski

I have never been totally happy with my performance when using a Carolina rig. I have tried an immense variety of lines on both the main line as well as the leader. I experimented with leader lengths, sinker weights, a multitude of different plastics and even hooks. In the end I always was left with the impression that there was many more fish down there than I was catching, or even feeling! Hence if a person were to ask me if the Carolina rig was one of my confidence baits, the answer would be a resounding no.

Although a rod or 2 with Carolina rigs can always be found in my rod locker, I will throw a jig at off shore structure 9 times out of 10.

The Jig Alternative:
When fishing deep inside or outside turns, a creek channel, deep wood, or tight contour lines adjacent to an expansive flat, more often than not my weapon of choice is a 1 ounce Super-K, K-Plunk jig in either “BYA” or “Black/Blue Baitfish” colors. Typically I will start the presentation using a 5” Yamamoto grub in color # 157, which is smoke/black/purple fleck. I always dip the last 3/8” or so of the tail in chartreuse “Spike-it”. If I am marking suspended fish I will rig the grub tail down, where as if the fish are tight to the bottom I will rig the grub tail up – the latter is the only time I EVER rig a grub tail up.

Suspended Fish:
If you are fishing for bass suspended within 3 feet of the bottom, use long casts and let the jig fall on a tight line (always be prepared for a hit on the fall) – when the line develops slack, you are on the bottom. At this point sweep the rod tip up at a 45-degree angle rather sharply to “twitch” the jig off the bottom, then immediately begin a steady retrieve and position your rod parallel to the water. This will keep the in the water column within a few feet of the bottom. You are in essence swimming the jig in deep water. 

When you are marking fish suspended more than 3 feet off the bottom, simply make a long cast and count the jig down upon its water entry. A 1 ounce jig with a 5” grub will fall at a rate of approximately 18” per second. When you count the jig down to the depth that the fish you are marking on your depth finder are at, begin your retrieve. You will bring your jig right through the strike zone.

Bottom Dwelling Fish:
For fish that are clinging tight to the bottom, once again make a long cast and when the jig hits the bottom pick up your slack with the reel. When the line is once again tight, move the jig only with your rod tip. This method is basically dragging the jig – pause, pick up slack with the reel and repeat the process. It always amazes me how many people will only fish a jig by “hopping” it. How many creatures in the natural environment of a lake or river will swim up then straight back down. If you watch a crawfish or any baitfish they swim or scoot horizontally. The dragging presentation is much more convincing to the fish.

If you feel anything “different”, set the hook! Often though, it will feel like the bass is pecking at it, similar to a bluegill bite.

Deep Rock or Sand Points:
When I fish these types of points I use the same tactics as noted above if the fish are suspended. If the fish are tight to the bottom however, my choice of jig changes. I like to use a ¾ ounce to 1-ounce Super-K football head jig. The trailer I use will typically be a 5” twin tail grub, Chomper’s grub, or a spider grub. A good choice of color would be Lil' Olive, craw shades, or Purple Craw. This jig is also dragged along the bottom by using the rod tip.

Summary:
If you feel there is more fish on deep-water structure than you are catching with a Carolina rig or a crankbait, try a jig. You can quickly and easily adjust depths, trailer colors and retrieves. It may become your new way to pluck more fish off the structure you have been fishing.