Best Bass lures for April
April is in the air, and so is the pollen. If you have the sniffles and your local lakes are covered in yellow slicks, bass are on the banks. This is the time of year bass move up shallower, scatter out, and split up their agendas. During this month, bass are doing so many different things at the same time, even in the same lake.
Some bass might still be pre-spawn, others are spawning, or maybe fry guarding. Some might already be on the feed bag of shad and bream spawns or even headed back out to deeper water. In large lakes that are 80,000 acres plus, there might be pre-spawn bass in one end, post-spawn bass on the other end, and everything else in between
With so many different things going on simultaneously, April is the month you have to get all the rods out of the locker by day’s end. Literally dozens of presentations could all work at the same time. Bass are still aggressive and covering a lot of water is key, so power baits are mostly on the April menu.
Chatterbaits for Power Fishing
When it comes to one lure that can do it all when covering water for reaction bites, the Chatterbait is king. Z-Man makes a variety of Chatterbaits to fit the bill, with the Evergreen Jackhammer and the Elite Evo being popular options.
As to which trailer is best on a vibrating jig, I’m not sure it really matters in April. I’ve covered hundreds of top finishers on Chatterbaits over the years, and the trailer shapes and sizes vary widely. However, the color of the bait and trailer seems to matter more. If you’re still dealing with cold, muddy water in a pre-spawn situation, then bright reds and oranges can still play. But if the fish are more post-spawn and the water has cleared, the more traditional pumpkins and black/blues might be better. Also, if a shad spawn is in the picture, then obviously the whites and pearls are the natural choice.
Swim Jigs for Versatile Fishing
Next up on the April must-have lure list are swim jigs. They are the Swiss Army knives of power lures with the versatility to attack a wide variety of cover fast. A swim jig can shape-shift into so many roles just by varying the retrieve. It can be a mid-water-column swimmer, a subsurface roller, or even pose as a topwater by popping the rod to break the surface and see if that triggers a bite. It’s a great barometer bait to get a feel for what part of the spawn bass are in for a particular section of a lake, or even a specific creek or bay.
The quality of build in swim jigs has vastly improved over the last decade. The hooks, trailer keepers, paint jobs, and skirt stability have all been upgraded considerably. The number of companies that make good swim jigs now is plentiful. Swim jigs tend to be regional in nature, as there are Alabama swim jigs, Texas swim jigs, Florida swim jigs, and Carolina swim jigs – each one with some tweaks for the type of cover found in a specific area.
Dirty Jigs has earned a reputation as a top-quality producer with plenty of niche-specific swim jigs. Other well-known swim jig brands include Evergreen, Beast Coast, Sixth Sense, Strike King, Ark, Picasso, and Greenfish. But it’s a good idea to check around the region you are fishing when purchasing swim jigs because there are different builds for different parts of the country.
Swim Jig Trailers and Colors
Match trailers for swim jigs based on intended action. Go with boot-tail styles for swimming a jig down in the water column around cover or for “scrubbing” the bottom through bream beds or shad spawns on shallow bars. The flapper-style trailers, such as the Strike King Rage Craw or Menace and Zoom’s Speed Craw or Z-Craw, are go-tos for working swim jigs sub-surface.
To complete a solid swim jig arsenal, at least three colors are needed.
- Whites and pearl/chartreuses for shad spawns
- Various pumpkins and bluegill colors for bream beds
- Some version of black and blue
Wacky and Neko Rigs for Precision Fishing
Wacky and Neko rigs may not sound like “power” lures that cover a lot of cover quickly, but they are potent precision lures during the spawn. If the power of Chatterbaits and swim jigs is like a shotgun, fanning out pellets across a variety of cover, then the wacky rig is certainly the rifle with a single shot.
Making single casts to high-percentage spawning spots like dock pilings, under catwalks, holes in vegetation, behind inside grass lines, shadowy stumps on a sand bar, isolated reed clumps, cypress trees, or around laydowns will quickly determine if fish are up spawning or guarding fry.
During April, a wacky or Neko rig does not need to be worked all the way back to the boat. Slide a soft plastic stick worm up next to cover, let it fall and do its magic, shimmying through the water. Twitch it a couple of times to cover the target, then reel it up and move on to the next piece of cover. If bass are around protecting anything, they are going to “tick” your line pretty quickly.
Topwater Lures for Aggressive Bass
Saving the best for last, April is a glorious time for topwaters. Which topwaters? Well, pick your poison.
All styles of topwaters come into play in April. Buzzbaits, frogs, walkers, poppers, prop baits – you name it. This is especially true with post-spawn fry guarders that are particularly hostile towards poppers and prop baits. Turn your lure into a “fry eater” by chugging or slushing it through fry balls with a couple of twitches, then just let it sit. The guardian bass will eventually attempt to make the intruder disappear.
Buzzbaits and frogs are a lot of fun when the shad spawn has started, especially around vegetation. Frogs are particularly good for dealing with shad spawns around pollen slicks and gunky flotsam on the surface. Obviously, white or white and chartreuse are good color options.
Finally, spooks and walkers are great post-spawn lures, especially in clear, highland reservoirs with mixed species of largemouth, spots, and smallmouth. These lures can cover a lot of water and have a lot of drawing power in the post-spawn.
Don’t let allergy season get you down. April is one of the best months of the year to bass fish, so get out and get to slinging.
