Use Crankbaits to Catch Early-Season Bass from Ponds

Ponds begin warming faster than larger waters when springlike late-winter days foreshadow the change of seasons. Small crankbaits provide an outstanding option for catching pond bass early in the year.

The calendar said February, but air temps suggested spring. More importantly, the sun was shining brightly for the second day in a row. All seemed promising for a productive pond fishing outing, so my son and I grabbed baitcasters and a crankbait box and headed for a nearby pond. Seemingly, the bass had read the script. We enjoyed an excellent afternoon of early-season crankbait bass fishing, with the fish positioned exactly how we had expected.

If you want a head start on bass fishing action, ponds and crankbaits provide a perfect answer. Whether the weather remains seasonally winterish or the warm weather foreshadows spring, pond bass tend to be more predictable and easier to solve than fish in larger waters, and crankbaits allow you to cover water, explore a range of depths and appease the fickle moods of early-season bass.

Why Ponds for Early Season Bass?

From a practical standpoint, ponds warm faster than lakes or rivers with the first hints of spring, and shallow flats warm from sunshine, even when the air temperature isn’t very high. That means fish move shallower to feed earlier in the year and begin staging in the vicinity of spawning areas. Also related to a pond’s size, likely holding areas tend to be predictable and easy to recognize even when bass are deeper.

Along with being easier to identify than in larger waters, fish-holding areas in ponds are often accessible to far more anglers. Wind is common during late winter and early spring, often making larger lakes rough. Pond waters typically are more protected and can still be fished from a johnboat, canoe or kayak. In fact, productive waters for pond bass are commonly within easy casting distance of the bank.

Closely related, ponds provide more practical option than larger waters for the shorter outings that can be nice this time of year. Because days remain short and the weather can be fickle, many anglers would never fish this time of year if they had to drive to a large lake, prepare and launch a bigger boat and plan a more significant outing. However, if there’s a pond in the neighborhood, at a nearby park, or on a friend’s property, allowing for a short, spontaneous afternoon adventure, that can change everything.

Early Season Pond Bass Locations

We’ll start with warm spells and sunny days because they are the most fun. These conditions warm flats and waters near rocky banks, making forage fish and crawfish active and drawing bass shallow to feed. The best areas get plenty of sun exposure and have rocks or wood cover, whether in the form of stumps, downed trees, brushpiles or dock supports. The rocks and wood serve double duty, soaking sunshine to help warm the water and providing ambush points for the bass.

If the general trend has been one of warming but the day you can sneak out is not necessarily a warm one, the bass are likely to be along creek channel edges and off points, especially points that are close to the same flats the fish will move up on to feed and to spawn. The routes of creek channels and ditches from drains are often recognizable based on where a creek or drain enters a pond, the slope of the bank and where the creek continues on the other side of the pond dam (which is often revealed by the location of a spillway).

A peek at satellite imagery on Google Earth or other online mapping also provides very good clues for many ponds, often revealing locations where points extend to channel edges or where the creek channel runs within casting range of the shore. Satellite views also can reveal submerged cover, including boulders, stumps and brush, that isn’t visible from a fishing perspective.

Related to creeks and drains, anytime a major storm creates a fresh inflow in a pond and the water flowing in is warmer than the water temperature in the rest of the pond, that inflow can be a “hotspot” for early season crankbait bass fishing.

If the weather has been more winterish than springlike, no zone holds bass more dependably in manmade ponds than waters near the dam, especially in the area of the spillway, where the channel typically runs. Along with offering deeper water to provide thermal refuge, most dams provide structure that is adjacent to the deeper water. If the dam is lined with riprap or has any wood cover along it, that only makes it better. Many ponds also have points that stretch out close to dams or pockets that are adjacent to the ends of the dams. Either can be a hotspot for early-season crankbait fishing.

Top Crankbaits for Pond Bass

My preferred pond crankbaits for early season fishing mostly fall at the small end of the spectrum – even if a pond produces big bass. Whether due to common forage size or the fact that I’m seldom trying to dig super deep for pond bass, smaller sizes have always produced best for me in this situation.

That’s where similarities end, though. I like to carry a decent variety of crankbaits that offer different profiles, swimming action, depth ranges and other capabilities. A few important categories for early season pond cranking are lipless crankbaits, square bills, tight-swimming crankbaits, and some moderate swimmers that reach medium depths.

Lipless lures, including BOOYAH One Knockers and Hard Knockers and Cotton Cordell Super Spots, offer the tight profile and action that bass often favor this time of year and provide versatility for fishing a broad range of depths. The same baits can be swam steadily over flats or down tapering points or fished deep, with lifts and drops, near pond dams, almost like a jigging lure. A 1/4-ounce lipless crankbait provides an extra measure of finesse for pond fishing.

When warm snaps or stained water from winter and spring rain push bass shallow and tight to cover, it’s tough to beat a square bill, such as a BOOYAH XCS Series crankbait, Bandit 100 or Cotton Cordell Big O, to kick through cover and trigger strikes. The same deflective qualities of these baits make them very good for kicking along riprap banks to imitate foraging crawfish.

Sustained winter conditions don’t kill the crankbait bite, but they do impact crankbait selection. Cold water keeps forage chilled and less active and makes fish less likely to strike baits that have an aggressive action. That’s when tight-wiggling flat-sided crankbaits like a Bomber Flat A and Deep Flat A excel. A Norman Speed N Jr., which has a tight pitch and roll, is another excellent choice. The corners on the lip of this bait cause it to deflect cover well for a tight-action crankbait, so it’s a great lure to feather over the tops of brushpiles or developing grass.

Finally, I like to have a few moderate wobbling, medium-diving crankbaits to cover water and find the bass. I also like these baits for cranking channels and the waters near the dam. A few of my favorites are the Deep Tiny N for extra finesse, a Bomber 6A and a Bandit 200.

I like crankbait colors that feature a lot or red or orange for stained water or green if the water is clear. Bass can be unpredictable with color preferences, though, so carry a variety, experiment and let the fish decide.

3 Special Colors

It’s worth noting that three outstanding early-season pond crankbaits are part of the current Lurenet Bank & Creek Kit, each in an outstanding custom color that is ONLY available through that kit and only while the kits last.

• Cotton Cordell Super Spot, 1/4-ounce – Sriracha Craw
• Cotton Cordell Big O, 2-inch – Stickle Back Shad
• Norman Deep Tiny N – Chrome Pumpkinseed
• Check out the entire Bank & Creek Kit.