I don't much like to disturb the bedding fish. As spring approaches here in Mid-Ga and the water reaches the low-70's, what other tactics does anyone suggest that fall outside the relm of sight fishing?

The pre and post spawners will be real aggressive. I would use a spinnerbait in windy or low light and use a Senko in calm. Something like a baitfish moving should get them. Early morning late evening I like a popper of some kind just lightly pulled just to make a little noise.

And how about location?

I like to fish shallow flats with stumps and grass early and late with spinnerbaits,buzzbaits,floating minnows,and propbaits.I went this morning and was on the water ay 5:45 AM.I caught 4 nice bass on a white buzzbait(4.6,2.5,2.1,and 1.3).After the sun gets up,I like to hit the shallow wood cover with spinnerbaits,and I also like to drag a c-rigged watermelonseed lizard on and around points leading into spawning coves.

If you see males guarding beds the females will be hanging out downstream on creek bends, around laydowns, stacked in ditches especially with vegetation. I too prefer to leave the males alone, but certainly don't mind messing with the larger females. They miss out on feeding one or two days while getting eggs fertilized and deposited. Males don't have feeding on the mind, but will give you a reaction bite. I scout for beds then drop back to the first drop in contour, or if I already know beds are in the ends of coves I'll fish my way in. Fat & short is highly attractive to the females, like thick finesse plastic worms and grubs. A shaky head glided into brush near a drop off or creek bend gets bit. Once spawning is over with the bass tend to drop out into mouths of creeks, finding deeper humps, ridges, following the same drainages they took going up to spawn.

Jim

I like to throw spinnerbaits and lipless cranks up on shallow flats.