Last Chance Tackle

Pre Spawn Location

Posted by Matt Magnone , February 22, 2016, 11:41 AM

In the tackle shop this time of year it sounds like a broken record:

"What's wrong with the weather?"

"Give it two more weeks and the fish will be up on the beds!"

"I'm taking up golf.... fishin sucks!"

Instead of playing the waiting game, take advantage of the prime feeding opportunity that's going on right now! On any given body of water in Southern California, there are 3 groups of Winter bass. Those that stay shallow, those that relate to deep structure and those that open water suspend and school. Nothing really more or less. As the air temperature begins to rise and starts warming the surface, bass will sense this change of conditions and begin to work their way up towards pre and post spawn staging spots via points, channel draws or ridgelines. Once these fish flood these staging spots, they will wait for their individual clock to tell them "its time to go look!" At this given time, an angler can experience some of the most wide open fishing on quantity and quality. First and foremost, on any given body of water, the first part of the puzzle is to locate your fish. Being that fish are in transition, this time of the year can be both the best or the worst fishing of the season. Here are a few things that will help break down the learning curve:

Who- What are you fishing for?

What- What are they holding on NOW?

When- When will they begin to make their move? (Weather dependent?, Time of year?)

Where- Where will they relocate to?

Why- Why are they making the transition? (pre spawn? , post spawn?, Summer?)

How- What structure or cover will they utilize to move from Point A to Point B

Once you have figured out where they are and why they're positioned on that given spot, next thing you will need to to is use the same 5 W's and an H to break the individual fish down. FIgure out what they're feeding on or how they are feeding in general.

Who- What type of fish are you fishing for?

What- What are your fish feeding on? (crawdads? shad? sculpin?)

When- When is the active feeding time? (Early? Late?)

Where- Where are the fish positioned on that given spot?

Why- Why are they feeding on that given spot, at that given time?

How- How will you present a bait to these fish in as few of casts as possible on that area?

While this all seems like a lot to swallow and to be thinking about while you're on the water, but I promise you, the more you try and think like a fish and eliminate the "just casting" thing from your day, the more consistent you'll be as an angler. LIke I said before, this winter to pre spawn transition can be one of the best in the season. Big fish have a tendency to begin their shallow move a lot sooner than the bulk of the fish. While the majority of the anglers are waiting for that magic 70 degree + water temperature, The majority of the true giants have already come and gone. Never let conditions dicttate if you plan on fishing that given day. Fish hard, Think harder and try to think like a fish!

As always, we thank you for your business and look forward to helping you become better anglers.

-Matt

Category: Fishing Blog