Lures For Flats

A variety of lures work well for fishing flats. The trick is adapting your choice to fish position and prevailing conditions. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits are excellent for covering large areas quickly, and a top choice when you're not sure yet exactly where the fish are holding. They work best when fish are neutral to aggressive in pre- or post-spawn conditions. In a tournament this last weekend in April, all our fish but two came on crankbaits at the edge of spawning flats. The crankbait bass were all smallmouth at Banks Lake, Washington, with water temperatures between 48 and 52 degrees. And the other two? Largemouth, caught on a spinnerbait.
   For neutral to negative bass, or those deeper than the range of crankbaits and spinnerbaits, Carolina rigged or split shot soft plastics, as well as jigs are a top choice. Jerk baits and topwaters are excellent when fish are shallow enough to react. And for shallow, finicky bass, small plastics and precise presentations are the ticket to success.
   It's more than coincidence what Mark Davis did to finish second at the Russell Lake tournament which Denny won. According to the press release, Mark started the tournament catching fish on spinnerbaits and floating worms. As conditions deteriorated with dropping water temperatures, he switched to a jerk bait on the final day. And when the sun shut down the jerk bait bite, he relied on spinning tackle, 8 pound test, and a watermelon French Fry to fill his limit.
   That's a convenient example of what it takes, and how to adapt to catch bass on the flats. It works in Georgia, New Mexico, Washington, and your home state. Fishing the flats is not just for bone fishermen. It's where you need to be this spring. Hope to see you out there.

Prespawn Bassin'
Fishing The Flats
Fishing The Trends
Spring For Big Bass
Quick Change Artist
Spinnerbaits in Spring
Springing For Big Bass
Catching Spring Lunkers
Quickly Locating Pre-Spawn Bass