Joe Garrett hoisted the largemouth bass high making sure I saw there
was no bloody tail. “I don’t care what anybody says,” he stated emphatically, “they haven’t started spawning yet!”
Several sources reported spawning fish the last few weeks and Garrett repeatedly stated it was not so. This was the third bass of the morning and - no bloody tails.
Muddy water alters the fishing technique for spawning bass from that of a clear water environment. Two of Lake Ozark’s top guides offer words of wisdom on catching fish in liquid mud.
Garrett stated, “the mud makes them braver. They aren’t intimidated by a presence they can’t see and that gives an angler the edge.”
He fished pea gravel banks for spawning bass using “Twitch Assassins” - a plastic jerk bait. He called them “do nuthin’” baits. Casting to the bank, and slightly beyond the beds, he slowly inched it back a twitch at a time. There is no weight other than the lure on the line and no other hardware. His line was tied directly to a 4/0 hook.
This is one bait you delay the hookset after the first tap. Garrett advised letting a fish run before, “breaking its neck.”
Ed Hutchison, Lake of the Ozarks fishing guide, stated muddy water
created a mental challenge. “You can’t see fish on the beds. You can’t see one pick the bait up and carry it to one side. He emphasized, “Muddy water eliminates the sight game.”
Hutchison advised using knowledge of where the fish should spawn (such as pea gravel banks) and have the patience to coax non-feeding bass into striking. “Use baits that make more noise, attract fish to sound and create a reflex strike,” Hutchison advised.
He further stated you may not feel a strike. Watch for the line to move slightly, maybe just a few inches or several feet. Spawning bass, normally, do not feed. Often, they merely mouth a bait and remove it from the area of the nest. An angler must initiate the hook set before it drops the lure.
Hutchison reminded, “Not all fish spawn at exactly the same time. Besides spawning fish, there are post-spawn and pre-spawn bass holding on structure slightly deeper than the spawning beds.”
These are not aggressive fish and the presentation should be slow and
methodical. “Big Ed’s” favorite lure this time of the year is a six-inch plastic worm backed up with the smaller sized crawdad crank baits. The smaller crankbait sizes parallel similar sized live-bait available naturally now.
Garrett’s favorite post-spawn lure is the “Twitch Assassin” or plastic jerk bait. He fishes it slow enough to smoke half a cigarette between casts.
(If you practice catch and release, both guides strongly suggest playing a fish quickly to the boat and releasing it ASAP to minimize stress.)
A good way to fish muddy water during the bass spawn, and cover the area thoroughly, is to pull directly into the bank. Hold the boat at a 90-degree angle with the trolling motor. Cast straight down the bank fanning successive casts farther out. Work both sides of the boat. When completed, quietly back the boat out and move down the bank repeating the above action.
This technique allows an angler to blanket available cover and increase the chance of dragging his lure over a spawning bass’ bed.
Hutchison advises post-spawn and spawning season is the best time of year to catch a trophy bass. He stated, “A six and one half pound bass may weigh eight pounds full of roe. The temptation to keep such a fish is tremendous but if that bass is released it will return to its bed to spawn.”
Hutchison also advised that plastic lizards provoke spawning bass into savage strikes during the spawn. Salamanders this lure imitates prey on spawned roe. Bass guarding their nests know this and often react violently to a threat from one.