Alright, so the bass have started waking up, especially in the warmer parts in and around Jozi. Here are a couple of places to check out - this works for most places, but obviously not all of them. Let's refer to the image above.
Spots labelled 1
The spots I have labeled as "1" are what I refer to as "cuts". As the name suggest, these areas look like the land around the dam has been cut out and filled with water, these can be great places to look for pre spawn bass. Generally, cuts that are shallow will warm up the fastest, and this will attract the bass that are trying to defrost after their winter freeze. The baitfish will also congregate in these areas to warm up themselves, so naturally the bass will follow. Fish these places with weightless plastics and or top waters !
Spot labelled 2
This is a point - points are great because they usually hold fish, and its a great place to start fishing and figure out the depth that the bass may be holding at. Points usually taper off from shallow to deep water, and in places like these, bait is forced to move over these spots, creating a reliable zone where bass can sit and wait for bait to pass. Fish these spots with a jig/texas rig and a crank bait !
Spot labelled 3
Rivers - Rivers are basically a conveyor belt for bass, bait comes down rivers into dams, all the small minnows that end up in our dams usually get fed in from the rivers that flow into the dam, these same rivers also deposit sand and other debris that creates structure for the bass to sit on ! These areas are great for spinnerbaiting & flipping !
Don't be shy, head out fishing, try these areas and let us know how it goes !
RTH
