Early Spring Bass Fishing in Cold Water

In most anglers opinions, the early spring season is the absolute best time of year for bass fishing. This time of year is called the pre-spawn season.

During the pre-spawn, the bass get very aggressive and very big because they are feeding up for the intense spawn.

The biggest bass in the lake will also get up in the shallowest water they will be in all year long. This gives us anglers the perfect opportunity to catch the absolute biggest bass of the year.

Characteristics of this Season

So like I mentioned above, bass get very aggressive and very shallow during the early spring. Although the water temperatures are still quite cold, they are rising.

And the bass feel this rise in water temperature and begin feeding up a lot and moving shallow so that they are ready to spawn as soon as the water gets warm enough.

The water temps during this early spring period are generally between 45-50 degrees depending on where you live.

Where to Find Early Spring Bass

The bass will be moving up shallow. Now they won’t usually be in the ultra shallow water where they will actually perform their spawn, but they will be one step down or back from those areas.

They will often be cruising along the outside edge of shallow flats or along the first ledge that leads up to the flats.

This shallow but slightly off the bank area gives the bass easy access to food, quick access to spawning grounds, and an escape route to deeper water if a cold front rolls through.

Now within that depth zone, the bass will be holding to the same grass, rocks, or wood that they hold to all year round.

When Does the Early Spring Start?

Like the title suggests, this is early spring bass fishing in cold water. So this season starts much earlier than a lot of guys realize.

The early spring does not start when the water gets warm. It starts when the water temperatures begin to rise up from the winter lows.

As soon as the air temps rise about 10 degrees consistently and the water temps rise a few degrees, the bass will transition into their pre-spawn patterns and begin to leave winter behind them.

Pre-Spawn Time Period Chart:

Bass Behavior

Simply put, bass are very aggressive and very hungry.

They just dealt with a long and tiresome winter season and now they need to quickly feed up as much as possible to prepare for a healthy and effective spawn.

They will be hunting down just about everything that swims.

Best Lures

1. Chatterbait

Nothing seems to catch early spring bass like a chatterbait. The thumping vibration of the blade paired with swimming action of the trailer and the secondary motion of the skirt are simply a match made in heaven.

Starting about a decade ago, the chatterbait began to dominate fishing tournaments including the Bassmaster Classic which is held during this early spring fishing season.

Fish the chatterbait around grass lines, ledges, rocks, and scattered wood.

2. Lipless Crankbait

If you are fishing a hard bottom area of your lake or pond and need to cover some water, tie on a lipless crankbait.

The loud rattle and tight vibration are a perfect combo for the aggressive, cold water bass. My favorite retrieve this time of year is to yo-yo the lipless up off of the bottom.

You are still able to cover tons of water and you get a more erratic and reactionary action out of the bait.

3. Flat-Sided Crankbait

The flat-sided crankbait is designed to be fished in cold water. It is most popular for the late winter to early spring time period.

Flat-sided crankbaits have a tighter swimming action that is much more realistic when mimicking cold water baitfish.

During the early spring when the bass move up shallow, the flat-side is perfect for bouncing around shallow rocks and wood.

It can cover expansive areas of rock and wood so that you don’t have to waste time picking apart specific pieces of cover.

As it gets later in the spring, switching to a squarebill style crankbait is recommended, but stick to the flat-sides while the water is still cold.

4. Finesse Swimbait

Because of how good this fishing season is, there are often tons of other anglers out on the water.

And most of them are going to be using lures like the ones I mentioned above and the bass can become conditioned to the same lures.

So sometimes you need a more finesse approach to get more bites. A finesse swimbait is a fantastic finesse presentation that still allows you to cover water to maximize efficiency while bass are on the move.

A slow and steady retrieve near the bottom is generally the best technique this time of year.

Lure Colors for Early Spring

You have probable heard that red lures work exceptionally well during the early spring season.

We actually have an article breaking down why red lures work in the spring, but the important part to understand is that yes, they most certainly work very, very well.

Outside of red, silver or white colors are the next best on the list. These are going to be the shad imitations.

And bass absolutely love eating shad in the springtime. Shad are schooling baitfish so bass can simply find a school and just gorge themselves on the shad.

The last color that I love using on my jigs and soft plastic baits is black/blue. The spring rains often dirty up the water, and black and blue is perfect for getting your slower baits to stand out better in this water.

Reeling this In

Early spring bass fishing in cold water gives us anglers the best chance at catching huge bass. The bass are fat, aggressive, and willing to eat just about anything you throw at them.

They are also quite shallow and easy to find, making our job that much easier. Don’t miss out on catching a new personal best this year!