3 Crucial Lures for Springtime Bass on Southern Lakes

We strive to create lure recommendation videos with expert anglers from different regions of the country. Florida-native Keith Carson grew up bass fishing southern lakes and provides excellent insight on his top 3 springtime bass baits. Keep in mind that this content is also applicable to lakes in other regions. * Featured tackle at the bottom.

Here are Carson’s top 3 picks with supporting instruction on when and how to fish each:

Swimming a worm. A prespawn favorite for Carlson, swimming a worm near the surface is all about covering water fast in search of bedding areas. This tactic shines during warming trends when bass are actively feeding or when you’re new to a lake and trying to contact fish. Carson prefers buzzing a Speed Worm at the surface when he’s in search mode (fast and opens up the strike window). Still, you have the flexibility to let it sink and fish it slower in the water column or vertically through holes.
Flipping and pitching heavy cover. Cold fronts drive Florida-strain bass from their beds and into the nearest heavy cover. Flipping and pitching a Texas-rigged creature bait on heavy tungsten is the most consistent tactic for catching big females buried in the thick stuff. Swim a worm to find spawning areas, then pivot to the nearest thickets of grass with a flipping setup during cold fronts.
Topwater prop bait. Hollow body frogs get a lot of the press, but prop baits are excellent big fish tools before, during, and after the spawn. These aren’t search baits. They’re better fished slow and methodically around high-percentage areas such as spawning flats and isolated cover. Make an accurate cast to the juice, let the ripples settle, pull it to make some commotion, let the ripples settle. Repeat.