Bass Fishing Tips

Early spring can be a spectacular time to fish for bass, IF you choose the best approaches. Learn the lures Jason Christie considers essential for this time of year.

Early spring is Jason Christie’s favorite time of the year to fish. The bass tend to be shallow, and the pre-spawn is an outstanding time to catch big bass. Conditions can vary substantially, though, so it’s important to be equipped for the vast range of situations that might be encountered.

We asked Christie to share his top early spring bass baits. As importantly as revealing specific lure choices, Christie shared why he chose each of his top early spring bass baits and discussed the situations that call for each, along with sharing insights on fishing these lures for pre-spawn bass.

We’ve gleaned expertise from Jason Christie’s many years of refining spinnerbait knowledge to provide you a shortcut to spinnerbait fishing success.

Enjoying consistent success with a spinnerbait for bass is so much more than casting and retrieving. For Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Jason Christie, there is a right time and place for fishing a spinnerbait, and there are several variables to consider when selecting the right spinnerbait. Christie is considered one of the best spinnerbait anglers on the planet, having earned countless dollars in tournament winnings a spinnerbait on the end of his line. Let’s dive into his recipe for success fishing a spinnerbait for bass!

Bait School Bite Spec

Lure: The Bandit Flat Maxx in Bullfighter

When: Early Spring/Winter

Where: Highland Reservoirs, River Systems (Lake Degray, Ouachita River)

Bullfighter is the pre-spawn crankbait pattern that anglers have been begging for! 

Bait School Bite Spec

Lure: The Bandit 200 in Ember

When: Early Spring/Winter

Where: Highland Reservoirs, River Systems (Lake Norman, Buggs Island)

Choosing the right crankbait can be tough! The decision can be much easier when one of the choices is a custom painted Bandit 200.

Blade baits such as the Heddon Sonar and Spoons such as the War Eagle Jigging Spoon create flash, and flash is the key to catching lethargic bass in the dead of winter!

As we go through our blog today, I will highlight three factors of why these two wintertime lure selections create so much success. The first being the most obvious, the flash! The second is the subtle action in the drop or retrieve, and the third is understanding what bass and various types of shad are doing this time of year.

YUM Bait Company is releasing 25 custom YUM Dingers colors that the fish have never seen. Learn more!

Sometimes a wild looking soft plastic color gets the nod, especially during the spawn. The answer for this equation is the new pattern Jello Shot. This delicious looking color features a deep red tint with added dark blue and black flake to cause any wayward bass to stop and stare.

Money is money, right? Right! This baby looks just like freshly minted green money, which is exactly what you will earn if you toss this Dinger in a tournament one Saturday morning this Spring.

Jello Shot and Money are two of 25 YUM Dinger custom colors that have been created by YUM Bait Company and released on Lurenet.com. Custom colors fill situational niches and allow you to show fish something they’ve never seen. The custom soft plastic bait program is beginning with the 5-inch YUM Dinger, YUM’s most popular bait. Rest assured, though, that more fabulous colors in other YUM baits will follow.

Bait School Bite Spec

Lure: The Norman Speed N in Jelly Craw

When: Early Spring/Winter

Where: Highland Reservoirs, River Systems (Lake Guntersville, Alabama River)

Jelly Craw, built to provoke bites out of bass feeding up for the spawn! Bright reds, purples, pinks and all the famous tints of award winning crankbaits for pre spawn fishing.

Bait School Bite Spec

Lure: The Smithwick Devils Horse in Big O Bream

Bait School Bite Spec

Lure: The Bandit 300 in Spicy Craw