April proved to be a good month on the Shenandoah River and local lakes. Due to lack of rainfall, the Shenandoah River and lakes were low and clear. But we had above average water temperatures this spring causing bass to feed up in preparation for the spawn.
Not all bass will spawn at the same time. Water temperatures and weather patterns will have an effect. So for the first couple of weeks of May, spawn patterns will come into play. Finding fish will be easy, but getting them to react to a lure will be a bit more challenging.
Begin fishing shallow hard bottoms around anything that breaks the current, such as trees or small rock piles, and look for eddies along the banks. Bass will use these areas to spawn. In the slower areas of the river, fish flats that have cover, such as wood or grass. These are areas that I like to fish during the spawn. Jigs with a chunk trailer or any lure that crawls along the bottom would be a good choice. They don’t like anything around the nest.
After the spawn, bass will be in a post-spawn pattern for a couple of weeks around mid-May. During the post-spawn spawn it can be a challenge to catch a good bag of fish. But towards the end of the month, bass will be hungry and ready to hit about any lure you throw at them. This is the time for reaction lures. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, rattletraps, and my favorite topwater lures, buzzbaits, poppers, and walking baits. This pattern will continue through all the summer months. So if you are a warm weather fisherman this is your time. Get out there, be safe, wear that life jacket, and look out for each other.
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 start thinking about this important decision, for it will determine where you will 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
