Spawning bass can’t stand multiple baits resting in their beds for very long
Bass likely will still be spawning in many of the waters across the state this month, and that adds the element of sight to bass fishing like no other time of year.
And while it’s often easy to spot the beds — and even the bass — it’s not always as easy to convince bass to bite.
This can be frustrating, but LiveTarget’s Gary Abernethy said one trick has helped him land countless bass this time of year.
“This time of year, sometimes you have to pester the fish more than anything else when you find them on the bed,” Abernathy said. “It’s not usually hunger or reaction that pushes these fish into biting, so when that’s the case, you can still catch them if you bug them enough.”
Abernethy likes to cast a jig or soft-plastic creature bait past the bed, and then watch the fish’s reaction as he works the lure into the bed.
Often, the fish will hover above it, looking directly at the lure but not striking it. When that happens, Abernethy puts down his rod, allowing the lure to stay in the bed.
He casts another lure and reels it into the bed. If the fish doesn’t take it, he leaves that lure on the bed, too.
And makes a cast with a third lure, working it the same way and so on.
Abernethy said it’s not uncommon for him to have five or more lures sitting in the fish’s bed before he finally convinces the fish to bite.
He might try different types of lures, different sizes and different colors, but he doesn’t think any of that matters to the fish.
“The more crowded you can get the bed, the more likely the fish is to break down and finally bite,” Abernethy said.
