Alton Jones goes back to the basics during late spring, throwing Texas-rigged worms at visible targets. "During May and early June, I get really one-dimensional in my approach to bass fishing," the Texas pro said. "I fish the same way on lakes throughout the country at that time, and it’s a time when I’we enjoyed some of my best success."
Jones’ success includes more than $1 million career BASS earnings, four BASS wins, including an Elite 50 event and a MegaBucks tournament, and trips to 10 Bassmaster Classics and three FLW Championships.
Jones’ typical May approach involves Texas-rigged YUM Ribbontail Worms and RibWorms cast to visible targets in water that’s less than about 8 feet deep. "The fish have finished spawning, and many of them have not gone deep. Those that have stayed shallow will be around objects like trees, weed clumps and pilings of docks," he explained
Jones looks for isolated pieces of cover along the edges of a lake’s main body or in the mouths of major creeks, rarely venturing very far up lake arms. The fish won’t be in spawning pockets or coves, he noted. While they haven’t gone deep, they have moved out of the spawning areas.
He has found that shade is an important factor. In fact, the shade from an overhanging tree that has no branches actually extending into the water can make a very good target, as long as it is an isolated shady spot, as opposed to being part of a long shady bank.
More often than not, Jones sticks with a YUM Ribbontail, fishing both the 6- and 7 ½-inch versions. However, when bass are hitting the bait on the drop, he will switch to a 6-inch RibWorm, which has more action than a Ribbontail as it falls through the water column.
Color preferences vary daily. Jones’ favorites include Green Pumpkin, Red Shad, Junebug, Grape/Red Flake and Cotton Candy. He Texas rigs his worms, using 3/16- or ¼-ounce XCalibur Tungsten Tg Weights and Tx3 Wide Gap Worm Hooks.
Instead of having several rods rigged with assorted lures, Jones may have half a dozen rods on his deck that are all rigged exactly the same, except for the color, size and style of the worm.
Jones noted an ironic advantage he gains during May. "Tubes and creature baits have become so popular that I’m actually showing the bass something they are not accustomed to seeing when I fish with a plastic worm."
Jones only works the area near the cover. Once he’s out of the zone, he reels in and makes another cast. The fish stay close to the cover at this time, so working a bait all the way back is inefficient use of time.
Jones also has found that these fish feed in spells. Therefore, he may make the same "milk run" from target to target multiple times during a day. And when he does get hit, he’ll keep working the same target for a while. "Many times I’ve caught a limit off a single laydown during May," he said.