Northern Michigan Smallies ~ The Pre-Spawn
My personal quest for plus sized brown was starts the very minute there's open water.
And well in advance of any behavior by the bass that would cause any of that bloody tail stuff.
Where to start ?
Right off the bat, Pre-Spawn is a time and a term that gets most all of us bassheads pretty pumped up. It can be and often is one of the best times to catch plenty of solid fish, including some real giants.
The Pre-spawn as it relates to my quest for big brown bass, is super important. Mostly because it can offer me shallow water access to some True Trophies. Something that only happens again in the late summer / fall.
I simply must start this somewhat deep dive into the northern Michigan pre-spawn smallmouth bass fishing with “The Weather”. As mentioned in this deal previously, it has & always will play such a HUGE role in any & all success I may or may not have. And early spring is no different, perhaps even more so. Many of us are feeling it's somewhat negative effects this season. #coldandwindy
So let’s talk about ‘The When’ –when is ‘the pre-spawn’.
For the purposes of this writing, pre-spawn starts the very second there is open water. And one of the aspects of this deal that adds quite a bit on intensity to it all, is just how brief the best big fish bite can be. It’s also why every trip I can make is such a special time.
Open water dates can vary wildly year to year; this season was an excellent example; 28 March is super early. Looking back on the past 14 seasons here, on the ‘average’ (which is like a lottery ticket trying to predict), open water has fallen somewhere between the second or third week in April and the first week in May.
I do not fish for bass on beds, not judging, I just choose not to do it. Pretty sure I’ve hooked plenty that were on beds (usually deeper, non-visible fish), but I’m not ‘bed fishing’ per se.
That said, once these big smallies get down to the business of making babies, my personal ‘pre-spawn’ fishing is done for that lake for the season. This is often somewhere around the last week of May & the first week of June. So I thought . . . . There’s more to that, at least for me.
So if for instance, the open water happens 01 May, and the actually spawning is starting the first week of June, there’s something like 4 or 5 weeks for ‘pre-spawn’. Not a ton of time for them or me. So I Fish Hard during this time, trying to be on the water at every weather safe opportunity. Some years are better than others in both weather & fish catches.
However, as the 2021 pre-spawn continues, and I looked back though this and past years reports & results, a very noticeable tend appeared. Something that I hadn’t recognized before, but should have I suppose. Perhaps I was in denial.
It revolves around the very first two or three weeks of open water. And it seems to happen on both the smaller lakes I fish(ed) with the Old Town Canoe AND the bigger bodies of water I’m on in the Pro-V Bass.
And it is that - Year to Year, my biggest bags and largest average fish days seem to have virtually NO correlation to the actual water temperature.
So when ice out is in mid-April and the good days happen near that last week in April or that first week of May, water temps are often in the low to mid 40’s. But when the ice hangs on and open water happens the first week of May, this is usually followed by some much warmer weather (excluding this years of course) so by the 2nd or 3rd week of May the water temps can be and often are, a full 8 to 10 degrees warmer. Yet, my reports seem to indicate that the shallow water big bass bite time frame, remains to be the same.
Now for the ‘where’.
I am looking for these fatties in what I would deem “shallow” water; especially when I consider the depths these mutants live out the rest of their lives. I want them coming to me.
My main reason for selecting this program revolves around a ready food source. Yellow perch come shallow to spawn once the water temps get into the low to mid-40’s. This is KEY. And while many of the fatties I net will regurgitate crayfish during this time, there’s almost always at least as many up-chucked perch on deck as well. Either way, it makes my jerkbait bite pretty good, especially when I’m snagging a few perch in the process.
“Male perch usually are mature at age 3 and females at age 4. In the spring, when water temperatures reach 44°F to 54°F, perch spawn in lake shallows or rivers which drain into lakes. Spawning usually occurs near aquatic plants or other cover. Perch spawn at night or in the morning, but don't make nests. Females lay an average of 23,000 eggs in a jellylike mass up to 7 feet long, and the eggs usually hatch in 8 to 10 days. The young are inactive for the first 5 days while they absorb their yolk. After that, they grow rapidly, although the rate varies with habitat and population size.
Perch feed from morning to evening throughout the year. Their diet depends on the season and their size. Their main foods are aquatic insects, other invertebrates and the eggs and young of other fish. They themselves are eaten by almost all predatory fishes found in the same waters, including other perch. Many species of water birds also prey upon perch.”
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/yellow_perch_michigans_favorite_fish_any_time_of_year_part_2_stewart15
BTW – besides brown bass, this ‘cold water food chain’ attracts several other species to it. Some are there to eat the perch, others are there to eat what eats the perch. Walleye, Pike, Musky & Brown Trout to name a few. Good Times.
So believing these big brown bass are in there to eat, I’m looking for places that have the bait for them plus the type of bottom that allows them to feed effectively. My best producing areas are often located in or near the N or NW section of the bigger lakes, and / or at the very least, sheltered from the coldest environmental factors. For me, there’s two versions of that depending on the lake and the color of the bottom.
First one - I am looking for dark bottom areas (usually caused by old or emergent weed growth), in 4-6 feet with some deeper water AND shallower water close by. Deep water for security, shallower water to help the bass ‘trap’ the bait (effective feeding).
The other deal is a big open water flat that’s 8 – 12 feet deep, with a sand bottom; best areas have some isolated wood and weeds. This pattern usually has me covering water, where the 4-6 foot deal can be more of a target casting situation.
At this point I have to believe that once the water gets to the mid-40’s and the perch move in, that’s my cue. After that, the water temp plays almost NO Role. I’ll let you read that part again. I have always been a big water temp watcher in the spring. Mentioned it in just about every report & video I’ve ever posted here. Not anymore. The fish are there, as long as I match the presentation to the mood of the fish, I’m using the net. Once the perch are done and leave the 'shallows', so do the vast majority of the size of brown bass I'm hunting for.
What does seem more important while they are 'shallow', are water clarity, wind speed & direction and the amount of sun and or cloud cover. I’ll touch on each.
Regardless of the area, Mega wind for extended periods that turn the water to cold mud - is a BITE Killer and I always end up waiting it out.
For the shallowest of areas (say 4 - 6 ft), if it’s going to be calm, I want cloud cover. It’s going to be sunny, I need wind (just not a hurricane thank you). Cloudy & windy is OK too but that bite is often very short lived and over as quickly as it started; usually an early morning thing. Sunny & super calm/flat gets me off my usually baits and I break out the Ned Rig or the Hair jig. Just no way around it. If they are going to eat, they will eat one of those, provided I can get it far enough away from the boat.
For the ‘deeper’ deal, the flats with 12 ft or so, I will always do better with Sun & Wind. Sunny afternoons can be lights out. Clouds & wind is usually a slow pick but there have been some real tankers taken during that, so I keep casting. If there is a distinct ‘edge’ where the deeper flat meets shallower water, the bass will often hold right there; especially if the wind is blowing DIRECTLY on it.
Clear water is important to both, however more so the deep areas than the shallow ones. Clean means 10 feet or more of visibility. Deeper ‘dirty’ water means move on to me. Long casts as I’ve noted many times before, are the best course of action.
While I can & do quite a bit of hard water season ‘map study’, the only way for me to ‘know’ what a particular areas potential may be, is to fish it. Being at these places at the right time & doing the right thing is paramount, time consuming and usually a bust – until it’s not. #waypoint
Now for the ‘how’ – how do I fish all of this ?
To begin, I am very willing to admit that several presentation / baits can & do take early season fish. The list is lengthy and I am certain most any of us can name at least 10 or more.
And while I’ve ‘tried’ many, many different deals, the ones that have consistently attracted the biggest bites for me, are the ones I’ll reach for most.
Past two season I’ve used a couple of different jerkbaits to cover water on the flats when I need to and have thrown a vibrating jig when there are ‘targets’ involved. Both are somewhat interchangeable however, my best vibrating jig presentation, is pretty slow (think jig) and may not be the best choice (time wise) to cover a large deep flat.
More info on these baits here ~
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2564979
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2443715
Supplemental Bait info – I have realized some solid success using a ‘silent’ jerkbait in shallower clear water. Seems especially effective after I have already been through an area with a standard rattling jerkbait. So much so that 'Silent' is often where I start now.
Additionally, the Megabass 110 +1 Jr – has been Very Good for me.
Can’t say for sure if it’s the slightly smaller size or the fact that it runs at sort of the ‘in between’ depth of the standard & deep diving Jerkbait.
Either way, I’ve been fishing it a ton this year and it’s rewarded me handsomely.
Perch & Clown have had the hooks changed out the most, if that tells you anything.
While fishing a deep diving jerkbait over a deep flat last weekend ~
Fish Hard
A-Jay
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/gallery/album/2177-a-jays-pics-iii/
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/gallery/album/2125-a-jays-fish-pics-ii/
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