Best Bass Lures for May & Early June

• Drop Shot Baits 
• Shaky Head Worm 
• Flipping jig (Shallow Cover)
• Football Jig (Offshore)
• Best Texas Rig baits 
• Frogs
• Carolina Rig Creature Baits
• Spinners for Bass 
• Floating Worms 

April bass fishing is a time many anglers wait for all year for. The water ways become alive, whether you live up north or down south, spring bass fishing is at its peak. Anglers still have a shot at a big bass, too. Many regions are in post spawn, while others may still see bed fish. For a bass angler, it can be the best time to break out the top waters and jigs, bluegill imitators, finesse worms, and time to start working the shallow end. Shad start moving shallow and other bait fish as well, which widens the bait selection, while remaining true to the usual star players like the square bill crankbait, swim jig, and suspending jerkbait. But there are 5 lures I’ve been throwing consistently all season that have produced quality bites.

Drop Shot

The drop shot is on my boat all year. It’s versatile enough to fish offshore on rockpiles and ledges and finesse enough to throw up shallow on bass beds. The versatility of soft plastic baits also makes it one of the best bass lures for April. Throughout the spawn period, soft plastics such as fluke style, finesse worms, and shad presentations in natural colors like green pumpkin or white are effective. A drop shot is often one of the first set-ups I’ll throw on a bass bed to test the mood. I’ll transition to something more aggressive and disruptive like a jig from there.

Shaky Head Worm

The Shaky head is my go-to when I need to hold the bait on the bottom, consistently. Similar to a drop shot, the finesse presentation is good for weary bass. But the shaky head has a different action. You can do a straight retrieve while maintaining constant contact with the bottom. Meanwhile, the tail of the worm bounces and shakes around as the head rolls over gravel. This is my favorite technique when I want to cover water as bass become more active. You can shake it, straight retrieve it, or hop it and let the terrain do all the work.

Jigs

The jig is by far one of the best baits for offshore ledges and flipping up shallow. In fact, its my go to when fishing conditions are difficult. A jig imitates anything from a crayfish to a bluegill depending on the presentation and surroundings. For example, in grass a jig can resembles a bluegill or small bait fish to a bass. It resembles s crayfish when being hopped along the bottom. As post spawn bass begin recovering and pulling off to their intended summer locations, a jig- like a football jig- can be a great way to reach them. Drap it or hop it along the bottom when fishing offshore and let the terrain tell you what’s happening. For example, when the head of the jig hangs up briefly and flings off, you know you’re on good hard ground where bass might sit. Football jigs are effective for offshore fishing, while flipping jigs are designed to shoot through cover and around structure such as boat docks and chains.

Texas rig

The Texas rig is a staple bass lure and excels in grass and around docks. Post spawn is when I start flipping, and trust me, I wait all year for it. You can catch some pretty big fish if you know what your doing. Using a flipping weight like a 3/8 oz tungsten, target areas with submerged grass near other cover or structure such as wood sticking out or boat docks. These areas are where the biggest fish will set-up. Remember, not all bass will pull away from the shorelines. Some will take – up summer residency in less than four feet of water all summer. This is a technique best executed with a medium-heavy rod and 30-40 lb. braided line with a monofilament leader.

Top Water Frog

It wouldn’t be largemouth bass fishing without a top water frog. In most regions, temperatures are warming, and bass are transitioning to post spawn and eventually summer, making a top water presentation one the best bass lure presentations. But late spring is a great time to start flipping the hollow body frog around. As spring bass begin either recovering in shallow water or finding their place for summer, they begin to orient themselves up. Items hitting the surface become more enticing to them and often they can’t help themselves from biting. Find dirt shallow water – I mean to where you can see mud – throw your frog there and begin working it back and hold it tightly to tule lines and other brush. A heavy power rod, preferably 8′, with a fast reel and 50-60 lb braid is best when frog fishing as you fish over heavy cover. Good colors to consider in clear water are bluegill patters with white and yellow as these imitate baitfish. I like using darker colors when fishing across toped-out vegetation.

Carolina Rig

Similar to a football jig, the Carolina rig is a solid way to cover ground when fishing in deeper water. The technique requires a slower approach. But the lack of weight allows the lure to move freely and appears more realistic. The weight fixed above the soft plastic maintains contact with the bottom and acts similar to the head of a football jig and transmits what you’re on. There are numerous baits you can chose from- craw style, beaver tail, straight tail worm, etc. If you know there are active fish in the area, go with something that has action like a craw style bait with flailing appendages. Find main lake points or areas that have drop offs and drag the rig around and watch your line for small jumps.

Small Spinner

This one may seem out of place but hear me out. One of my favorite lures to throw is a willow leaf spinner. However, this bait, at times, is a little oversized for the water I’m on. The rooster tail (or any small spinner) is a perfect downsized version of a larger spinner. Although mostly reserved for trout fishing, it works amazingly as a multi species lure including smallmouth bass, bluegill, and even striped bass. The small size and flash will get you a ton of bites from all different size fish. Use it around cover in the early morning and evening and watch how many bites you get. I like throwing a black, red, and gold Mepps Aglia spinner during the late spring as hydrilla begins thickening and bluegill begin spawning up shallow. This can be a great place to trigger bass into biting as bluegill fry and eggss are on the menu. Weed lines are also one of my favorite places to throw a spinner. Bass will sit within the pockets of weed lines and ambush prey as it passes’. There’s no better way to trigger a newly active bass emerging from post spawn than with a bite size flash of a panicked baitfish. It’s not impossible to catch a larger fish on a spinner as well.

Floating Worm

The soft plastic worm is the best bass lure for enticing lethargic fish, those unsure of their environment, some that are oriented toward falling prey, big fish, small fish, and everything in between. The floating worm is even more effective. This can be achieved simply by rigging your worm weightless (Texas rigged with a light wire hook) and twitching it along the surface. This technique always seems to work when the bass won’t bite anything else. The 6″ Robo Worm in margarita mutilator is a good worm for its buoyancy. The longer you can keep it toward the surface the better. Twitching it has an unparalleled action that draws in bass that are suspended and unwilling to chase down a swim bait, nor follow a drop shot or jig as it falls to the bottom. Spring bass can be difficult in post spawn as they are unwilling to bite. The floating worm often imitates a prey item that fell from a tree and now struggles for its life.