[VIDEO] Best Baits to Find Spring Spawning Bass Fast

Spring is one of the best times of the year to fish. Bass move out of their winter patterns and start pushing shallow. The challenge is figuring out how far along they are in the spawn. That situation happens often in tournament fishing. Josh Bertrand runs into this scenario regularly. In this video, Bertrand explains how he quickly figures out the stage of the spawn by rotating through key baits and covering water.

Featured Product

REACTION

• VIBRATING JIG – Berkley Slobberknocker Jig: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
• JERKBAIT – Berkley Stunna 112: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
• SWIMBAIT – Berkley PowerBait Cullshad: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA

FINESSE

• STICKBAIT – Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General Worm 5″: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
• DROP SHOT – Berkley PowerBait Bottom Hopper: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
• CREATURE BAIT – Berkley PowerBait Pit Boss: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse

MISC.

• ROD – Abu Garcia Veritas Casting Rod: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
• REEL – Abu Garcia Zenon MG-LTX BFS Casting Reel: Buy at Tackle Warehouse

Baits That Help Locate Spring Bass

Bertrand keeps several rods on the deck to help locate fish quickly. A vibrating jig is one of his main search baits during the spring. It covers water fast and often produces both numbers and bigger bites. A jerkbait also stays in rotation, especially if wind picks up. In clear water, it can be effective when bass are staging. For a bigger bite, Bertrand throws a harness-style swimbait. That bait often reveals where better fish are holding. Some bass follow reaction baits but won’t commit. When that happenes, Bertrand slows down with a stick bait and a power-shot drop-shot rig.

Boat Setup

• GRAPHS – Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 Fish Finder/Chartplotter: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
• FORWARD-FACING SONAR – Garmin LVS34 LiveScope Plus: Buy at Bass Pro Shops
• TROLLING MOTOR – Garmin Force Trolling Motor: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at FishUSA
• OUTBOARD – Mercury Pro XS 250hp: Check out at Mercury
• BOAT – Nitro Z21 XL: Check out at Nitro