March proved to be a good month for local anglers to catch quality fish on the Shenandoah River. The days are lengthening, the water temperatures are in the low to mid 50’s, and the fish took notice. With these water temperatures, fish will surely pull out of their wintering holes into fairly shallow water and respond well to reaction lures. I was lucky enough to be on the water on one of those days. On March 14th the water temperature was 55 degrees and bass were feeding. I was fishing Egypt Bend near Luray and caught over 30 bass with several weighing over 4 pounds. But remember, one good cold front will send fish back into deeper water.
April bass will begin moving out of deeper water into a pre-staging pattern leading up to the spawn. Remember fish are swimmers, therefore they will move around the river cruising for their next meal, hanging out in cover, or preparing beds for the up-coming spawn. I would begin fishing with reaction lures. Spinnerbaits, chatter baits, and one of my favorite go-to lures is the square bill crankbait. Fish this lure in six feet of water or less, and around cover such as wood or rocks. You want your lure hitting the cover to get the bass to react to it.
If bass aren’t chasing lures you’ll have to go to a bottom presentation. Fish with jigs with a matching trailer, tubes, plastic creature baits and Shakey Head worms. Work these baits slowly around cover, dragging them over limbs and around rocks. And for working the water column, jerk baits would be a good choice. Try different running depths and different colors, silver is a good color for clear water. Jerk baits don’t work very well in stained water.
April is a great month for catching big bass in the Shenandoah River and local lakes. I hope you get the chance to get out and go fishing. Have a great month of fishing!
Do you have the assurance that when you die, or if Jesus returned today, you would go to heaven? Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, I would like to encourage you to be thinking about this important decision. For it will determine where you spend eternity, either heaven or hell. Realize that God loves you and has a plan and a purpose for your life. If Jesus came back five minutes ago, where would you be.
God Bless!
Mike
