Seth Feider's Top 4 Prespawn River Bass Lures

Are you a fan of fishing prespawn bass in rivers? If so, Seth Feider shares a bunch of location and lure selection tips that are sure to help you out this spring. To start, Feider emphasizes the need to find the warmest water — this usually requires heading to the backs of shallow pockets. As he states, “if you ain’t kicking mud with your trolling motor, you ain’t shallow enough.

Extreme shallows aren’t the ideal place for flipping and pitching around, so Feider uses a combination of moving baits that provide a blend of lift and slow retrieve speeds. Keep in mind that this calendar period is usually too early for topwaters, and the bass aren’t eager to chase baits yet. Slow and off the bottom is the ticket, and these are the baits to get it done.

FEIDER’S TOP PRESPAWN RIVER BASS LURES

Spinnerbait. A light 3/8-ounce spinnerbait with decent-sized blades provides the ideal blend of lift while supporting a slow retrieve speed. Feider targets cover such as pad stems, grass clumps, laydowns, and isolated wood.
Swim jig. An iconic river bait, a 1/4-ounce swim jig with a twin tail trailer offers lift and profile while supporting a semi-slow retrieve. It’s also a quiet, stealthy presentation for spooky shallow-water bass.
Swimbait rigged on a bladed swimbait hook. This option shines when the bass are more tentative and realism gets the nod. A realistic paddle tail swimbait rigged on a bladed swimbait hook provides realism and flash in a more subtle package than say a spinnerbait or bladed jig.
Texas rig. A light Texas rig rigged with a tube or similar bulky plastic reduces drop speed for pitching into those prime areas. It’s also a great “cast back” bait if you miss a fish on a moving bait.

Again, pay close attention to your fish finder’s temperature gauge but also the wind. Assuming air temps are warmer than water temperatures, a light- to moderate wind blowing into protected pockets can pile up the warmest water. Find these areas and you’ll often land on a load of willing bass.