Prespawn
Prespawn is the stretch of early spring when water temperatures start climbing into the mid to upper 50s and low 60s, pushing bass out of their deep winter areas and toward the flats, creek channels, and secondary points near spawning bays. Fish are feeding heavily to build energy for the spawn, which makes this one of the most productive and predictable times of year to target big females.
During prespawn, bass stage on structure that connects deep water to shallow spawning flats, like main lake points, ditches, and the mouths of creeks. As water warms, they push shallower in waves, often following the first warm days after a cold front. Anglers use this staging behavior to their advantage by covering water with reaction baits until they find where fish are holding, then slowing down to pick that area apart.
Good prespawn lures cover a range of depths and speeds since fish can be scattered from 2 feet to 15 feet depending on the day.
- Lipless crankbaits for covering flats quickly, see lipless vibration baits
- Squarebills around wood and rock, see squarebill crankbaits
- Jerkbaits when the water is still cool and clear, see jerkbaits
- Jigs for isolated cover or steeper drops, see jigs
A practical tip is to pay attention to water temperature swings day to day. A two or three degree jump after a warm, sunny stretch can trigger a strong shallow push, so fishing right after that warm-up often produces the best bites of the whole prespawn period.