Must-have spring fishing items

By Staff
Kevin Stone
Franklin County Times
The warm weather this week has really got my nerves all stirred up, and I've started preparing my gear for the spring bass tournaments that I will fish over the next month.
I've been cleaning reels, sorting lures, and packing my tackle bag with an arsenal of lures. There are four baits that I will be sure to have tied on for spring fishing and these lures will probably account for most of the fish that we catch.
The first bait I will have tied on is spinner bait. During the spring I like a 3/8-ounce white and chartreuse with a double colorado blade setup. This bait produces a lot of flash and a lot of thump.
If the fish don't react to that, I'll change to a solid white in the same size with double willow blades of gold and silver. These baits are great during the spring because it's usually very windy and the spinner bait is easy to throw.
The second bait that is a must-have for spring is a jerkbait. If you tie one of these baits on you must really love fishing it because it will wear you out after a full day of fishing.
The color I will probably fish the most is clown. If the bass are hitting a jerkbait, you are in for great day of fishing because the bite on a jerkbait is really aggressive.
The third must-have bait for spring is a crankbait. I'll start out with a red crawfish pattern and the size will depend on how deep I need to fish.
Crankbaits are versatile because they can be fished shallow or deep and they allow you to fish a lot of water very quickly. You can use the crankbait to find fish and then slow down and fish the area more thoroughly.
The final must-have bait for spring is a jig. The colors I will throw will be black/blue and some variation of green pumpkin. I will fish finesse jigs in 5/16-ounce and big-bottom bumping jigs in ? or ?-ounce.
I love jig fishing because big bass bite big jigs. They allow you to really slow your presentation down and fish an area thoroughly.
Everyone has their favorite baits, and the ones mentioned are mine. Most anglers fishing this spring will have one or all of these baits tied on when they go to the lake, and the reason for this is they work.
The Belgreen Bass Club will be fishing Upper Bear this weekend and don't forget about the benefit tournament for the American Cancer Society that will be held on Upper Bear March 22. If you would like more information on this tournament, call Ty Hester or Hudean Wilson.
With the weather warming up, the crappie will turn on and the stripe will start to run, which gives you plenty of opportunities to take a kid fishing.
Kevin Stone is branch manager and loan officer at Valley State Bank and can be reached at (256) 332-3600.