Choosing Top Lures for the Bass Pre-Spawn
Bob McNally 03.14.16
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Almost every top angler pro has “go-to” lures for fishing seasons, lakes, conditions, and other factors. And most anglers readily admit they’ll immediately modify their “favorites” if they discover some other bait, tactic, or trick that turns the tide to catching bass.
But Arizona angler Brett Hite has some solid pre-spawn lure choices that have produced top tournament wins and plenty of money for the young angler. During a day of pre-spawn bass fishing, he has three rod-and-reel outfits set-up with these lures and ready to use at a moment’s notice.
1) A 3/8s to ¾-ounce football-style jig with weed guard, fitted with a Yamamoto twin-tail 5 to 6 inch grub. This lure can be fished rather quickly, dragged on bottom checking for cover elements on structure and probing for aggressive pre-spawn bass.
2) A simple drop-shot rig utilizing a 3/16 to ¼-ounce weight, a 1/0 thin-wire Gamakatsu hook, and a 5-inch Yamamoto 5-inch “Senko” or a 6-inch “Fat Roboworm.” Brett uses a 10 to 14 inch leader unless he believes bass are feeding on crayfish, in which case he’ll shorten the leader to get a lure tighter to bottom.
3) A “Shaky Head Jig” weighing 1/8 to ¼-ounce (depending on depth) with the same two worms noted above in #2. This lure is for a very slow, precise presentation for when Brett is probing a specific “spot on a spot” for staging pre-spawners.
