Most anglers think about finesse fishing when spotted bass come to mind, but James Buchanan’s favorite early-season technique for fooling chunky spots is by no means a dainty sort of an approach.
Buchanan, a Mississippi bass pro, has fished for spotted bass all over the South. He has found that many of the biggest fish always head up the rivers prior to the spawn, and some of the best fishing of the year occurs along main-river ledges at that time.
Not all river sections or ledges are created equal, though. Buchanan wants plenty of current and an abundance of cover to provide current breaks. The bass hold in the eddies and ambush passing morsels. The best areas, generally speaking, are close to the confluences of creeks that drain major spawning flats.
Buchanan’s bait of choice, without rival, is a black and blue BOOYAH BOO Jig, which he fishes with no trailer. He casts upstream, allows the bait to fall to the bottom and then lets the current sweep the BOO Jig along just off the bottom.
“The jig is a bait that you can really feel and control as the current moves it along,” Buchanan said. “It also has loud rattles, and you need a lot of noise for the fish to find the bait.”
On Lake Ross Barnett, near Buchanan’s home, the river usually is muddy during early spring, so those rattles and the black and blue color scheme become extra important.
Because Buchanan fishes in heavy current and heavy cover – often in 15 or more feet of water – he spools up with 30-pound-test Silver Thread Excalibur. “With lighter line you’ll get a lot of bow from the current, and you’ll miss a lot of fish,” he explained.
Current controls the depths and the fish’s activity level. If a lot of water is running, they’ll be at the tops of channel ledges, holding right along the breaks and feeding actively.
Less water usually translates into less active fish holding at the bottoms of the ledges. They’ll still bite, but catching them requires a lot more persistence and more precise presentations.
Strong current also helps Buchanan recognize prime locations. He looks for visible eddies at the surface. “When I can see an eddy, I know there is either a bunch of cover that’s causing a current break or there’s a sharp drop along the bottom.
While most action occurs along the bottom, some fish occasionally will school when a lot of current is running. Buchanan found surface-breaking spotted bass this February, with the water temperature still in the 40s.
When spots school in the current, Buchanan ties on a Smithwick Suspending Super Rogue and makes long casts at a 45-degree angle, upstream and across the current. He cranks a few times to get the bait down and then turns the handle just fast enough to keep the line tight.
“I pretty much let the current carry the bait and work it. It just sort of sweeps along, and they will hammer it!”