Hunt for Shallow Bass at Any Time of Year by Jimmy Houston
Day 3: Jimmy Houston on Fishing for Big or Little Bass in Shallow Water
Editor’s Note: When largemouth bass head for the shallows in the fall or at anytime of the year, finding them begins with knowing where they’re not.
  Most bass found along the shoreline during the prespawn are the smaller male bass, weighing 3/4- to 2-1/2-pounds. Occasionally a bigger female swims into shallow water to inspect the area where she will spawn, but the bigger females generally stay in 4 to 8 feet of water, just off the shoreline. Most anglers who cast to the shoreline take small bass during the prespawn. Anglers fishing the shoreline for the smaller male bass often position their boats directly above the big females. Bass along the shoreline can be taken with baits like the Bomber Long A, the Rebel Minnow or the Redfin. Spinner baits can be effective when used with spinning rods and reels.
  To take the larger females during prespawn, I’ll fish a large crankbait like a Rebel Maxi-R, the vintage Bagley DB3 or a big-bladed spinner bait like the Strike King Magnum (either the 5/8-ounce or the one ounce). On the back of the spinner bait, I’ll use a big trailer, such as Uncle Josh’s Spring Lizard Pup or a Mister Twister Twister Tail type plastic worm. Sometimes I even put two skirts on a spinner bait to make it bigger. I cast these baits on my Shimano rods and reels. One of the easiest ways to be sure of fishing the right depth for spawning females is to keep the boat about the same distance from the bank that you’ll maintain when fishing toward the bank. But instead of casting to the bank, the angler casts straight-off the front of the boat, parallel to the bank. He must watch his depth finder, making sure to fish his lures in 8 feet of water at all times. Finding some type of structure that the female bass can hold on in that 4- to 8-foot depth improves the angler’s chances of catching the big ones. Many anglers get bored fishing open water that offers no visible targets to which they can cast. Late in the afternoon when the shallow water has had a chance heat-up, big, prespawn bass often move into shallow water to survey their spawning ground.
  These tactics are just a sample of what you’ll learn in the new Kindle eBooks, “How to Bass Fish Like a Pro” and “How to Catch the Biggest and Most Bass in Any Lake” by John E. Phillips. Go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the names of the books, and download them to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.
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