Spring Fishing Tips — What to Know

Spring is when fishing goes from "maybe I'll get a bite" to "I can't keep them off my hook." As water temperatures climb from the 40s into the 60s, fish transition from sluggish winter mode into aggressive pre-spawn feeding — and it's the best time of year to catch big fish.

Why Spring Fishing Is So Good

Three things happen in spring that create incredible fishing:

1. Fish are hungry. They've barely eaten all winter. Their metabolism ramps up with water temperature, and they need to eat — a lot.
2. Fish move shallow. Spawning happens in the shallows, so bass, crappie, bluegill, and others are accessible from the bank.
3. Fish are predictable. Spawning behavior follows water temperature like clockwork. Once you understand the pattern, you can find fish on any body of water.

Water Temperature Is Everything

Forget the calendar — water temperature tells you exactly where fish are in their spring cycle. Buy a $10 digital thermometer and check it every trip. Here's your cheat sheet:

• 45-50°F: Early spring. Fish are still slow but starting to move toward shallows. Jerkbaits, blade baits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits.
• 50-55°F: Pre-spawn staging. Fish gather on secondary points, channel bends, and creek mouths. Lipless crankbaits (Red Eye Shad, rattle traps) are deadly here.
• 55-62°F: Active pre-spawn. Fish are moving shallow to feed before spawning. This is THE window for trophy fish. Jerkbaits, swimbaits, and chatterbaits.
• 62-68°F: Spawning. Bass are on beds, crappie are in brushpiles and laydowns. Sight fishing becomes possible in clear water.
• 68-75°F: Post-spawn. Fish are recovering and gradually resume normal feeding patterns. Topwater starts working.

Spring Bass Fishing

Pre-Spawn (50-62°F)

This is trophy season. Big females are staged on structure near spawning flats, gorging on crawfish and shad. The biggest bass of the year are caught during the pre-spawn.

Key baits:

• Jerkbaits: Megabass Vision 110 or Rapala X-Rap in shad colors. Twitch-twitch-pause. The pause is where the magic happens — 3-5 seconds between twitches in cold water, shorter as it warms.
• Lipless crankbaits: Strike King Red Eye Shad in crawfish pattern. Rip it through grass and let it flutter down.
• Crawfish-pattern squarebills: Bounce them off rocks and stumps along channel banks.

Spawn (62-68°F)

Bass are on beds in 1-4 feet of water. In clear water, you can see them. Polarized sunglasses are essential. Bed fishing is controversial — some anglers love it, others think it's unsportsmanlike. If you do it, handle fish quickly and release them on the bed.

If you can see beds: Texas-rigged creature baits (white or green pumpkin), slowly dragged into the bed. The bass will pick it up to move it — that's your bite.

Post-Spawn (68°F+)

Fish are tired and not eating aggressively at first. But within a week, they recover and start hitting topwater. The post-spawn topwater bite (late May through June) is some of the most fun fishing of the year. Buzzbaits, Whopper Ploppers, and walking baits over shallow flats early in the morning.

Spring Crappie Fishing

Crappie spawn when water hits 56-64°F, usually a couple weeks before bass. They stack up in unbelievable numbers in shallow brush, stake beds, and fallen trees. Full crappie guide →

The spring crappie spawn is the easiest fishing of the entire year. Small jigs (1/16oz or 1/32oz) under a bobber, dropped right next to wood cover in 2-6 feet of water. Minnows work too. You can catch 50+ fish in a few hours when you find them.

Spring Trout Fishing

If you fish stocked trout waters, spring is prime time. Most states stock heavily in March and April. Freshly stocked trout are easy to catch on PowerBait, small spinners (Rooster Tails, Panther Martins), and live worms.

Wild trout streams also fire up in spring as water temps enter the 45-60°F comfort zone. Nymphing and wet flies work well early; dry flies start producing as insect hatches ramp up in April and May.

Spring Fishing Tips That Actually Matter

• Slow down early, speed up later. In 45-55°F water, everything should be slow. As temps cross 60°F, you can fish faster and more aggressively.
• Fish after warm rain. A warm spring rain raises water temperature, adds stain, and washes food into the water. The day after a warm rain is often the best day of the spring.
• Watch for shad flickers. When you see baitfish dimpling the surface in a cove, predators are close. Cast right to them.
• Don't sleep on muddy water. Stained water warms faster and makes fish less wary. Throw bright colors — chartreuse, white, and orange.
• Check the barometric pressure. Spring fronts cycle through frequently. Fish the falling barometer, hunker down after the front passes.