What is the first confidence tactic you use to start the bass season?
My is the jerkbait and more recently the chatterbait. Last season I opened up my season with a really nice couple trips to cheeseland before our season opened and had a nice chatterbait bite. I used the chatterbait to cover more water and once I found fish, I’d slow down and pick it apart with the jerkbait. Pretty nice 1/2 combo.
The fluke would be at the top of the list for pre-spawn bass along with other soft plastics rigged on light ball head jigs like the Kut Worm and other tapered non-curl tail worms. Spawn bass usually strike T-rigged plastics and skirted jigs with trailers as well as topwater lures.
The thing about spawning bass is that though a bass is in shallow, it may be waiting to spawn again (i.e. female) or a male bass waiting around to spawn. Both are irritable – not necessarily feeding – and prone to going after intruders.
Post spawn fish are tough to catch as they transition to deep water for a bit of r&r before getting into their usual seasonal routines. But once they do, location dictates lure types and presentations.
Agree
I spend a lot of time (maybe too much) fishing a skirted jig with a trailer. It works for me though, no matter what season it is.
A simple 1/4oz jig with a 3.5 paddle tail also works well for me early in the season. Especially on health pressured lakes. I love the multi species aspect of that presentation.
I have had great luck using jerk baits for smallmouth and walleyes early in the season. I need to get more confidence in them for largemouth though. The lakes I fish are usually getting pretty weed choked for that many trebles by the time I get there.
Jackhammer, jackhammer, and maybe a jackhammer
To me it will depend on the Current conditions and the stage bass are in when you can legally start to target them ( hopefully in the near future we can start to Legally target them right from the time the lakes become ice free – Catch and release only thought) Some Legal openers the bass are Totally PRE spawn and the water Temps are really cold. Other years bass are in full on spawn and water temps are already getting up there. Those Prespawn cold years I mostly fish a slow worked Jerkbait, a wide wobble crankbait, or a slow spinnerbait, Other spawn and warmer water years I go with a Chatterbait, spinnerbait, rattletrap, and a weightless stick worm. Seems every year is a little different.
I’m on board with the chatterbait, jekbait combo… and occasionally a swimming grub when subtle seems to work better.
Will say I experimented with the really light 1/8 oz micro and 1/4 oz mini chatterbaits last year – and they did out-fish the larger profile/heavier 3/8-1/2 oz regular chatterbaits when temps sub 50.
Jig and a minnow or jig and a plastic…let the bass shake the hook, go back to walleye fishing but seriously I catch a lot of bass accidentally early on that way.
Funny you should say that because when I was tossing a tube, kietch swimbait, or a jerk bait last spring I couldn’t keep the walleyes off at times, and couldn’t get a smallmouth to bite. 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
Jig and a minnow or jig and a plastic…let the bass shake the hook, go back to <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye fishing but seriously I catch a lot of bass accidentally early on that way.Funny you should say that because when I was tossing a tube, kietch swimbait, or a jerk bait last spring I couldn’t keep the <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleyes off at times, and couldn’t get a smallmouth to bite.
Its funny how often Walleye fishermen run into bass while fishing walleyes and vise versa. Yet Walleyes guys often say how can a bass be good to eat, They are all in shallow warm water. I could not tell you how often I’ve came off a lake and ran into walleye fishermen at the landing and ask me how I did. When I tell them I’m fishing bass they say OH. They then say they have a horrible day on walleyes and only caught 1 or 2. I don’t have the hart to tell them I caught 10-12 the same time while bass fishing ( all on plastics by the way while they were fishing live bait ). Walleye love jigworms and dropshots. Walleyes are far more of a weed edge fish than a lot of fishermen think.
Chatterbait, Jerkbait, craw tube, 2-4″ paddletails, and a jigNpig
“Walleyes are far more of a weed edge fish than a lot of fishermen think.”
The most walleyes I catch of any technique are throwing 3/4 oz Dark Sleepers into the weedline and letting it sink/swim down to where they are actively feeding. If they are in the weeds they are there for one reason and that’s to eat…
Jigging minnows when they are spread out in the basin is not only boring to me but mostly unproductive. More fun to target active fish of any species, for me anyway…
i was saying last Spring after catching 3 large bass while fishing a beetle spin for crappies, that i need to bass fish with these.
Reminds me of an article I read from Iaconelli about using micro swimbaits for cold water or negative bass. It won an elite series tournament a year of two ago in very tough conditions.
Beetle Spins… or Mimic Minnow Spins are dynamite all season long! I’d put the mini/micro Chatterbait in that category too –
I’ve caught some big smallies on Husky Jerks in early cold water.
Perch colored jerk bait is my number 1, pumpkin seed chatter bait as well. Same with dt3s, and 6s
I picked up a bunch of Jackhammers and Zman Original chatterbaits so I can finally get that Expensive Vs Cheap chatterbait video done. I’m pretty sure I know the answer already but I’m hoping it’ll be a good comparison video. My only thought is that the hook and terminal aspects on the Jackhammer are superior in quality.
I picked up a bunch of Jackhammers and Zman Original chatterbaits so I can finally get that Expensive Vs Cheap chatterbait video done. I’m pretty sure I know the answer already but I’m hoping it’ll be a good comparison video. My only thought is that the hook and terminal aspects on the Jackhammer are superior in quality.
Oh I’m looking forward to this. Make sure you throw the Thunder Cricket in there too. That is a money chatterbait for me and produces. Looking forward to a potential saw off by a pike. 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
I picked up a bunch of Jackhammers and Zman Original chatterbaits so I can finally get that Expensive Vs Cheap chatterbait video done. I’m pretty sure I know the answer already but I’m hoping it’ll be a good comparison video. My only thought is that the hook and terminal aspects on the Jackhammer are superior in quality.Oh I’m looking forward to this. Make sure you throw the Thunder Cricket in there too. That is a money chatterbait for me and produces. Looking forward to a potential saw off by a pike.
Thats why I didnt get it done last season! first cast with the Thundercricket cut by a pike. Left a bad taste in my mouth to say the least. Thats why I bought a bunch of them this time…. 
I picked up a bunch of Jackhammers and Zman Original chatterbaits so I can finally get that Expensive Vs Cheap chatterbait video done. I’m pretty sure I know the answer already but I’m hoping it’ll be a good comparison video. My only thought is that the hook and terminal aspects on the Jackhammer are superior in quality.
Let me know if you want some real cheap, non z-man, chatterbaits to add into the comparison. I’m talking in the $4 range 
lol
Jerkbait, subtle swimjig, chatterbait, and some small spinnerbaits is what I’ll be trying first early season. Don’t have much experience early season so will be doing some experimenting. Based on other comments a few of those tactics should work!
I just want to reply to see if I can kill 4 threads in this forum.
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but seriously I catch a lot of bass accidentally early on that way.
