What a crazy spring we have been having this year and that has been messing with the fish as well and making the fishing very interesting. Water temps rise, then heavy rains and cold temps come through and drop those temps back down again.
With the rise and fall of weather, soft plastics fished in the emerging vegetation have been producing a variety of fish. Been fishing an open Nature Jig with the Northland Impulse Core Swimbait and by working this slowly through the vegetation, this has been getting to where the fish have been hiding.
Short hops with the jig, will send the Core Swimbait tail into action as with this little movement, the paddle moves side to side very easily. There are three different sizes of these Swimbaits, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 inches in length and the 3.5 has been producing very well on the Bluegill, Crappie, Pickerel, and Bass.
The color selection at times has been critical as well with the darker colors working better for the darker-colored waters. Speed, definitely is a factor with these weather fluctuations, as moving this bait 6 inches at a time, seems to be more what they are looking for instead of a quicker retrieve.
As mentioned earlier, casting into the heavier vegetation has been critical, as the outer edges haven’t been producing very well yet. If you can find open pockets in this vegetation, then letting the bait sit there with a little movement, could also be a beneficial way to get more bites.
The key to keeping on the fish when spring fishing is knowing when to change your tactics, from jig size to Swimbait length as well as changing the color selections as well. Having 2-3 rods rigged with these varieties allows you quick and easy access for showing the fish something different very quickly.
By Kevin Dahlke