Mindset and Early Spring Bass Fishing

Long winters without making a cast leaves all of our bass fishing (and catching) skills more than a tad rusty.

But spring has sprung and all of bass fishing nation will be heading to their local bass haunts in search of that holy grail of our sport … the elusive bass!

If you are anything like me and have grown impatient waiting for those days of early spring bass fishing opportunities, you’ve already been out in the yard re-honing those casting skills (even with the strange looks and comments from your neighbors).

Even with many of the potential mechanical kinks worked out, many of us struggle on those first outings of the new season and miss more than a few of the subtle strikes of the still sluggish bass.

So what can we do to shorten the time it takes to “get back into the bass catching groove”?

Elementary my dear bassing friend …

Focus, Concentrate and Analyze!

I am sure you’ve all heard TV fishing celebs and the bass pros talk about it but …

1. Focusing on the environment around you plus;
2. Concentrating on the details of your efforts then
3. Analyzing the conditions around your activities …

These three factors allow you to tune into the bass’ environment and “attitude” (active, neutral or inactive), determine how you need to adjust your approach and presentation and ultimately do more early spring bass catching rather than just fishing.

How does this work?

Basically you want to learn something from every cast you make.

When you get each strike … stop, think, and analyze the situation:

• What part of the lake were you fishing?
• What type, color and size lure were you using?
• How fast and deep were you retrieving the lure?
• What was the water clarity and temperature?
• How did you approach the cover (sunlit or shady side, etc.)?
• How hard did the bass strike the lure?

For instance, if the strike was hard, it may mean you have found not only one active fish but other fish in the area competing for the bait.

When bass are caught from shallower water and aren’t holding tight to cover, you have another situation where the fish are active and maybe roaming searching for food …

After all, it’s been a long winter for them too!

If the bass you’re catching are out further towards the ends of points or even still in deeper water, it could mean they are more neutral to inactive or just starting to make their transition back towards the shallows.

The answers to each of the questions will help you understand both the activity level of the bass and any changes you need to make your presentation.

Pre-spawn Bass Psychology

Here are a few more thoughts from the folks at Angling Edge TV on mindset for early season bass…

The bottom line … utilizing these key factors will help you get back into the early spring bass fishing game sooner and result in your catching both more and bigger bass faster!