If bass are spawning, I’m throwing these five

Hey, Keith here.

Either the spawn is happening in your area right now or it’s about to.

Most anglers immediately start thinking about shallow water and beds, but you will need more than a good pair of Costas this month. 

Understanding what bass are doing in the shallows during this time makes choosing the right bait a whole lot easier. 

I’ve learned over the years that when you understand their behavior first, the lure decisions almost make themselves.

Today I want to break down exactly what’s happening during the spawn and the five baits I rely on every spring.

BEST LINKS

What I looked at this week

• Wacky rig fishing: The ultimate guide to rigging and fishing it (Anglers)

• What lures we’re throwing in March (Wired2Fish)

• Targeting bass through every stage of the spawn (Mossy Oak)

• Fishing for giant pre-spawn bass in Texas ponds! (The Southwes Bass Fishing)

• 20 years of bank fishing for bass simplified in 3 easy tips (BassFishingHQ)

Deals of the week

• Walmart has a two-pack of Berkley PowerBait Gilly HD Sunfish marked down from $9.99 to $6.97.

• Sportsman’s Warehouse knocked 71% of a Lew’s KVD Casting Rod regularly $109.99 down to $31.97.

• Cabela’s has a Quantum Throttle Spinning Reel reduced to $39.97, regularly priced at $64.99.

DEEP DIVE 

What bass are really doing in the shallows

As spring sets in and water temperatures begin to climb, bass don't just randomly swim to the bank and start spawning.

There's a process.

It starts when water temperatures push into the low 50s.

The smaller male bass move up first—think of them as scouts—into protected shallow areas, where they fan out beds with their tails.

With a pair of polarized glasses you will see clean, circular spots appear in the otherwise dark bottom.

These beds are often near vegetation, hard bottom, stumps, docks, or grass lines that provide some protection.

The males are aggressive during this phase. They are claiming territory. They're not necessarily feeding, but they will react to anything that invades that bed area.

A week or two later, once conditions are right, the females begin to move up.

This is the most exciting part of the spawn. Those big egg-laden females are at their heaviest weight of the year and still feeding.

They will often stage just outside the spawning flats in slightly deeper water before committing to a bed.

When they do move shallow, they don't just swim around aimlessly; they position themselves near the beds the males have prepared.

Sometimes they hover nearby, sometimes they sit directly on the nest.

After the female lays her eggs, she typically leaves. The male moves in immediately to fertilize them and then stands guard. That guarding period can last up to two weeks.

During this time, the male is not feeding but rather protecting, ready to attack anything that looks like a threat to eggs or newly hatched fry.

If you have ever seen a bass chase off a bluegill during the spawn, you know exactly what I mean.

Understanding bass behavior during and after spawning is key to bait selection.

Five baits I rely on every spring

Now that you know what’s happening beneath the surface, here are the five baits I consistently reach for during the spawn and why each one earns a spot on my deck.

1. Texas-rigged craw or creature bait

If I had to pick one bait for the spawn, this would be it.

During the spawn, bass won't always chase. Sometimes they need something that simply refuses to leave. 

A craw or creature bait on a Texas rig allows me to put something directly in the bed and leave it there.

Farther south, I lean more toward craw-style baits over lizards because crawfish are more prevalent in many of our waters.

I like to use a big bait like the Zoom Big Critter during the spawn. This presents more of a threat to the guarding bass.

I cast past the bed, drag the bait slowly into it, and let it sit.

Then I will barely move it.

That subtle disturbance on the bottom often triggers the protective response I'm looking for.

2. Floating worm

The floating worm shines when fish are cruising or when I can see a bass on a bed that will not commit.

Even though it is called a floating worm, it actually sinks because of the hook weight. By twitching it steadily, I can keep it high in the water column or let it fall right into the bed.

Bright colors like yellow, bubble gum or white help me see the bait and detect subtle pickups.

I like to use a Zoom Trick Worm. 

Sometimes bringing that worm slowly across the top of a bed irritates a bass enough to make it react. If it ignores it overhead, I will let it sink into the nest and just let it sit.

3. Shaky head with a worm

Cold fronts and unstable spring weather can change a bass’s mood in a hurry. When that happens, I scale down.

My 6th Sense Boosa 6.5-inch Shakey Worm allows me to keep the bait on the bottom while maintaining a subtle presentation.

I will drag it slowly, hop it lightly, or even swim it just off the bottom around staging areas and secondary points leading into spawning coves.

This is a great option when fish pull back slightly from the bank or get finicky after a front.

4. Wacky rigged fluke or stick bait

There is something about the slow fall of a wacky rig that bass cannot stand during the spawn.

That natural shimmy as it sinks into the strike zone is deadly.

It is especially effective on cruising bass or as a follow-up bait when a fish shows itself but will not commit. 

I like to cast a five-inch Senko past the fish and let the bait fall naturally in front of it.

If I'm fishing deeper staging water, I may go with a heavier wacky head to get it down a little faster.

This bait simply gets bit in the spring.

5. Plastic bluegill swimbait

During the spawn, bluegill are one of the biggest threats to bass eggs and fry.

That's why a realistic bluegill profile can be so powerful.

A plastic bluegill swimbait, like the Berkley Gilly, mimics that exact threat. You can fish it weightless around beds and cypress trees or on a jig head around staging areas.

When a guarding male sees something that looks like bream near his nest, he often reacts immediately.

Sometimes you only need to toss it in and let it sit for a few seconds before the fish grabs it to move it away.

When you understand what bass are doing during each phase of the spawn, these bait choices make sense.

You are not just casting randomly.

You are matching your presentation to their behavior.

That's the difference between fishing shallow and truly fishing the spawn.