Finding Pre-Spawn Bass

By Terry Bolton, Jr.

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Focus on Change and Irregularities

Pro Angler Terry Bolton Jr. and team partner Shawn Penn qualified for the 2005 Region 3 Angler’s Choice Teams TOC by finishing 3rd overall in the Kentucky/Barkley Lake Trail. Kentucky Lake, is Terry Bolton Jr’s home lake and the team ended up taking home the 2nd place Basscat prize boat. Terry said, “That was the first time that I had actually competed for a boat in a team circuit.” Terry was thankful that the U.S. Angler’s Choice schedule did not conflict with his national circuit schedule. He just happened to be at home at the time of each event

Starting Baits:
I definitely start the day with crankbaits tied up on a few of my rods. One bait with a tight wobble, like a Luhr-Jensen Radar 10 and then a bait with a wider wobble. Now if the water is below 55 degrees I’ll go with a jerk bait like the Rogue or a Lucky Craft Staycee. Depending on water clarity I would have a spinnerbait ready to go as well. Of course, I generally always have a jig tied-on, a jig is a “must have” bait.

Starting locations:
I begin by targeting the primary points and outside the mouths of creeks that flow into the main body of the lake. Keep an eye on your graph and look for a change in depth. Those transitional depths can hold the fish that are just beginning to move up or in the pre-stage mode of the spawn. Next I’ll work the secondary points and then actually move into the creeks looking for moving and flowing stained water. The stained water actually holds in the heat making the water temperature just a bit warmer. That slight change in the water temperature could actually be holding the fish, once again a transitional area. I’ll continue to work my way back to the last two-thirds of a major creek. I keep an eye out for creek channel banks, small bluffs or an area where a chunk rock bank turns into pea gravel, any area that has a change or irregularity. These are usually areas where the “deep” water may be 5’ or less. If there has been an early warm spring rain, these types of areas are even better. That warm inflowing rainwater warms the back of the creeks even quicker in that shallow water. Focus on change One of the things I’m always looking for is a change. That change could be anything that is different. A steep bank that abruptly turns into a shallow flat, that’s an area where the fish can hunt the shallows for a quick meal and then return to the safety of their deeper water home. A sharp change in depth, a “no-nothing” bank that has a series of “laydowns” or a warmer water inflowing creek. These are irregularities or changes that you can’t overlook because they could be exactly what the fish are holding on.

2006 Plan
I plan on fishing the FLW Trail, The FLW Series and the Stren Series in 2006. However, Angler’s Choice could also be an option again in 2006. I think Angler’s Choice does have a great program for the competing anglers. I would be more than happy to take home another boat in 2006 at the Region 3 T.O.C. that’s being held at Table Rock Lake. I will have to look at all the schedules. Hopefully my partner Shawn and I can work it out. The Angler’s Choice events are run very professional and are a lot of FUN! In fact, that’s why I started bass fishing, because it was FUN! I think some anglers lose sight of that and their fishing becomes a bit stressful. Just go out there and have FUN, and the fish will come!