Pre-Spawn Fishing Out Of A Kayak

Pre-spawn is here and for many kayak anglers this is the chance to catch some of the biggest fish of the year. As the steam rolls of the water and the sun begin to rise, there is a certain type of excitement in the air. This time of year is when experience in kayak fishing really pays off. Pre-spawn is generally one of the few times a year big bass will spend a good amount of time in shallow waters. With the limited amount wake and noise a kayak makes, this is an optimum time to catch a monster.  

 

Crank Baits  

Crank baits are a big part of the equation during pre-spawn because large and small mouth bass are feeding up aggressively. The smaller bass are programmed to strike first and figure out what they ate later. Normally the bigger bass are hesitant to strike but during the pre-spawn they are way less picky.
There are some excellent cranks out there and it is really a matter of preference. Square billed cranks are popular during pre-spawn because they bounce off of lay downs and rocks without getting snagged to easily. Some of the most popular cranks are the IMA foiled bluegill, IMA shaker, Megabass Z-Crank X, and Rapla clackin? crank. The thing all these cranks have in common is they are noising and have a lot of motion in the water. The most popular type of crank during pre-spawn is a shallow diver.
Kayak fishing with shallow crank is fairly simple process, positioning is not a major issue because shallow cranks don?t require a lot force to retrieve. Keeping your tip positioned a few feet off the water so you can set the hook properly. The most popular practice with shallow cranks is working them from the bank out because bass are expecting the baitfish to be swimming from the shallows. Look for timber and other objects in the water to work around.  

 

Big Swimbaits  

 Big swimbaits are another popular type of tackle used this time of year. You will find these bait are not as productive as cranks but they often produce the biggest bass. The Bull-Shad, Roman Made Negotiator, or Triple Trout are all excellent hard swimbaits to use in the pre-spawn. They all have unique action that triggers bass to strike aggressively. Soft swimbaits seem to be the most popular Castic and Huddleston seem to be the kings of this category with a ton of double-digit bass caught in the last ten years. Soft swimbaits also seem to be a favorite among big trophy hunters like Mike Long.
Kayak fishing with big swimbaits can be tricky especially retrieving them. It is best to position your kayak against the wind to create leverage so you retrieve the bait versus the bait retrieving you. Positioning your tip at 3 o?clock it will help keep the bait down in the strike zone and stop the nose from tipping up. One of the biggest advantages of fishing a swimbait from a kayak is keeping the bass in the water and stopping it from throwing the bait.  

 

Soft Plastics  

One of the simplest ways to catch big bass during the pre-spawn is soft plastics that mimic crayfish or crawfish. Strike King Rage Craws have been effective along with the Brown or Purple Colored Seknos, Huddle Bugs, and Yum Money craws to name a few. The best practice with these baits is to weight them down and skin-hook (Texas Rig) them. Pre-spawn bass are looking for movement so a slow retrieve works great with a few quick bursts mixed in. When bass pick up the bait it?s generally subtle and you need to wait for the line to tighten. Weight generally depends how deep or what type of current? if any? you are fishing in. Kayak fishing with soft plastics is a very simple process. The biggest issue you will run into is the wind. Keeping a stake out pole and drift sock attached to your kayak will really assist in your ability to stay in one place while working the area. A favorite place for anglers to fish soft plastics is directly under lay downs and in weed beds. Bass still like to hide under cover during the pre-spawn.  

 

Topwater  

While topwater is typically ineffectively in the mid-west and colder states, it is an excellent technique in the south, southwest, southeast, and the west coast. Bass are busting shad like crazy this time of year and using a bait to mimic that motion, can score you some good size fish. Baits like the M S Slammer, Rio popper, and the Roman Made Likebate work really well in during pre-spawn.
 Looking for boils of shad and throwing on top of them is the best practice for throwing shad imitators. Being in kayak makes it tricky because you have to move fast, but you are much less likely to spook the bass or shad. Pay attention to the banks a lot of time bass while will pin the shad against them.
 Frogs are also very productive in the southeast, south, west coast depending on the location. Kayak anglers are getting a lot of production out of a frog called The Designer Bass Frog. Working near grass beds, tulles, and over lilies have produced some huge bass during this time of year.
Kayak fishing with frogs is one of the most productive and exciting ways to fish. Make sure you keep your distance so you don?t spoke the bigger bass. Toss at the cover and bring the frog back out towards the kayak. You will get most of your strikes on the edge of the weed beds just before open water so be ready to react quickly.  

Kayak fishing is a sport of passion, endurance, and patience. Pre-spawn is great time to sharpen your skills, find new hot spots, and catch monster size bass. Be conscious of your surroundings and use the kayak to move through the waters without be noticed. If the bass are not feeling pressured they are much more likely to feed aggressively.