Adventures Outdoors'
IN WISCONSIN
Spring Time in The Tackle Box
By Ralph Spoerl
I’ve read all I can read this winter. I’ve attended all the boat and sport seminars, and, from all that I’ve read and heard, spring is one of the best times of the year to fish for the big bass bite. Because bass are more baitfish-oriented in the spring then during any other season, things could get exciting. So let’s get to it! Or, as the man says, "Let’s ‘get-r-done’!"
Down to the garage I go… My boat’s ready! I’ve pulled all the mothballs out of the holes, put all the batteries in, checked out my electronics, greased the wheel-bearing on the trailer, and filled up the gas tank. Hey, what about my tackle? Wait… what am I thinking? We all know our boat is our true "tackle box."
I’m hooked up, I’ve checked the lights, and I can head to the lake. When I get there, I’ll check the lake map for a starting location, then I’ll check the wind, temperature, and water clarity. That will give me the best picture of what to grab up out of the "box."
The lake I’ve chosen is about 440 acres. It has good points, a creek channel on the north end, lily pads, a couple of islands, good grassy weed lines, a large flat at the north end, and about thirty docks off the southeast end. The wind’s calm and the temperature is about 600. Boy, this is going to be a blast! I’m watching shiners jumping all over the place and I know this lake has a lot of small blue gill. Wow! Let’s get to it!
Okay… my first choice out of the box is a Chugger—or maybe a Pop-R. Yeah, you got it; I’m headed for those grass flats and shallow weed lines. After all, aren’t we all taught "grass means bass?" And aren’t shiners and gills grass-oriented baitfish? Boy, it’s been a long winter and I’m really pumped!
My second selection (and personal favorite) is my trusty spinner bait. I’ll grab one with willow leaf blades to match the bait size, and go with the white and chartreuse skirt. Yeah, it’s standard, but hey, it’s my favorite, and it works great around windy points, slow-rolled over the grass.
Third will be that pretty little jerk bait that caught my eye in the sport shop the other day. She’s the suspending type #4 that has that new holographic color that matches a shiner to a "T". It’s just got to catch something! After all, it sure caught me.
Because it’s spring, some say you shouldn’t worry about fishing the bottom. At this time of year, they say, baitfish are concentrating in the mid- to upper-water column. But hey, I can’t fish a lake without throwing a Senko at least a couple of times.
Now, I need a rod for tube bait, and also one bait-cast rod for my black-and-blue swim jig with its twin-tailed trailer. And I better hook up for a Texas-rigged worm rod, along with a Carolina rig for those deep drop-offs. After all of this, I know why we all have ten or twenty rods. But hey, what else can hold on to these baits?
Well, that’s what this guy’s grabbing for my spring fishing. Wish me big fish and a tight line—and, of course, more lures for the Tackle Box.