CRUSH Prespawn Smallmouth Bass with These 6 Tips | Swimbait Heaven

The spring prespawn period is arguably the best time of the year to catch loads of potbellied smallmouth bass. Warming water on top of an extended winter fast means these fish are ready to chew the paint off of a variety of lures. Wired2fish's McKeon Roberts shares some top guidance on finding productive spawning flats and how to fish them strategically with a paddle tail swimbait rigged on a jig head.
TACKLE & GEAR
• KAYAK - Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 136
• FISH FINDER - Humminbird HELIX 7 G3 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS
• SWIMBAIT - Megabass Spark Shad, 4-inch "Neon Pepper"
• JIG HEAD - TroKar Swimbait Jig Head, 4/0
• ROD - Megabass Orochi XX Spinning Rod "Whipsnake"
• REEL - Daiwa Tatula LT 3000 Spinning Reel
• LINE (braid) - Seaguar Smackdown Flash Green, 10-pound
• LINE (fluorocarbon leader) - Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon, 10-pound
McKeon loads his kayak when the woods turn green. While there can be an abundance of shallow bass, early pushes of fish are still acclimating to rising water temperatures. Jerkbait fishing can be the ticket but Roberts switches to a subtle paddle tail swimbait if he's not getting bit. In ultra-clear water, he prefers realistic swimbaits that swim naturally at slow speeds. Curious smallmouth can't resist biting a swimbait retrieved slowly with an occasional pop of the rod.
Roberts focuses his efforts on shallow flats comprised of rock and gravel, but soft bottoms can hold fish too. Satellite imagery coupled with side imaging reconnaissance helps get you started in productive areas. Once on the water, Roberts finds "spot on the spots" by observing rock transitions on side imaging that act as corridors for feeding bass. Make long casts, fish slowly, and get ready for some incredible bites!
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[@pittsburghangler]

Keep the northern videos coming! Il try this on lake erie!

[@Wired2Fish]

Give it a whirl! More to come-

[@ralo4265]

Good stuff McKeon! 🎣 👊🏼💯🇺🇸
Thanks for the tips my friend!

[@rubenakacoolerlid2314]

Thanks for the content, can't wait to get out there on my Sportsman Autopilot 120

[@lannyseals2084]

Thanks for sharing all the tips and awesome catches! It's really hard to beat fishing a good smallie bite

[@Wired2Fish]

Such fighters! They're a blast. Thanks for watching!

[@bahaaeddinelkl9243]

Nice ❤️

[@fishingwithgoby1998]

I was worried if my set up looked good enuff if there eating that I should make lol. Nice tips

[@jtoth1234summer]

Nice video very informative.

[@Wired2Fish]

Thanks John!

[@glenndaugherity6187]

I’ve been smashing them here on Southern Lake Michigan on the Spark Shads the last 3 weeks even down to 15’ great vid

[@Wired2Fish]

That’s awesome Glenn! Great baits- Thanks for watching👍🏼

[@kieranmorris9833]

Love the videos from the North. Could you make a video on how to find lakes and ponds up north with the Kayak? It's fun to find lakes that most boats can't reach.

[@Wired2Fish]

Sure! Thanks for watching. More to come.

[@Mr.Higgs.]

For true side imaging don't you have to be moving at least 4mph for it to be effective?

[@Wired2Fish]

True yes but I can still get picture at slow speeds. It doesn’t look as pretty thou! Good enough to make a thoughtful cast.

[@ronlewis2448]

Not sure why you brought the net! :o) Awesome kayak!

[@Wired2Fish]

You never know when you NEED it lol but good point. Such a fun kayak to fish out of!

[@SlothySeconds]

Up north when you hook into a big pike instead of a bass you'll want a net to keep it secure. Can't lip a pike 😂

[@Wired2Fish]

Very true. There were some big pike eye balling the swimbait this day 👀

[@trophyarmorfishingadventur9194]

How many rods is the portage into that lake?

[@Wired2Fish]

Around 75 rods.

[@trophyarmorfishingadventur9194]

@@Wired2Fish will make the trek sometime in Spring 2023!!
Does Wired2Fish have a shirt sponsor?

[@mikegross190]

What kind of kayak is that

[@Wired2Fish]

Old Town sportsman AutoPilot 136!!! Such a fun rig to fish out of.

[@unclegreg7535]

What rod were you using?

[@Wired2Fish]

Megabass Orochi XX! With a Daiwa tatula reel.

[@awstewar]

What action on the rod?

[@Wired2Fish]

It's the "Ronin" 6'8" F4 Power Kind of like a medium.

[@Wired2Fish]

Fast action

[@unclegreg7535]

@@Wired2Fish thanks

[@leorickt.9604]

Bass only open june 18th where i live 😔 I WANNA FISH FOR BASS SO BAD

[@Wired2Fish]

Wow what state do you live in? In MN catch and release season starts May 15th and I thought that was late..

[@leorickt.9604]

@@Wired2Fish in quebec. Not sure if in the states it a state-wide season, but here theres different zones within a province

[@Wired2Fish]

Yeah its state to state regs. A lot of states never even close for bass fishing.

[@derekwilliams6403]

6 tips or 600 tips lol

[@Wired2Fish]

We aim to educate😅

[@lannyseals2084]

The more tip's the better!