Here's my report from today's lake Sammamish trip:

First time I've tried "early season" bass fishing. I fished from 9:30 to 12:30. Weather was great - sunny, warm (upper 50s), light breeze. Water temp 45. I decided to take the advice offered on the Forum and stuck with three lure presentations: a 3" fluke 12" up from a drop-shot weight, a 3/8 oz white/red jig with small curly tail and blade, and a pig and jig - brown tones with greenish pig trailer. I fished these rigs from 15 to 40 ft deep, mostly trying to stay around 30 ft. I drift/trolled dead slow, twitching the baits and bouncing the bottom. I also tired under a few of the deeper ends of docks, again, letting the bait hit bottom. Result - no fish, no bites. I have to admit my confidence factor wasn't the greatest. It's not like casting toward shore to a bassy looking stump or brush. I did see fish markings as I drifted along. I figure they had to be bass or trout. I'll give it another try next free day I get...

So you guys that actually catch bass this time of year - was I fishing correctly? Wasting my time? I want to catch cold water bass! Your comments appreciated.

Heck no, I say home and read about other peoples adventures.
I have yet to master the cold, and the deep water bass. let me know when the water temp. hits 60.
Hats off to you for trying, they are out there, and you can catch them.

Mike it sounds like you are on your way you just need to stick with it. Your fishing the correct things you just now need to learn how to target the fish and where they are in the water colum. do you use any electronics ? Dont forget they will spend minimal amounts of energy to feed at this time of year so you must find'em and hit them on the nose. I to like to fish early for bass but its kinda like steelheading can be real slow between fish but when you do coax one to bite he just may be a fish of your dreams. P.s. My largest bass are caught in the colder months. Mabey even try lighter jigs.

Just keep working Mike. I went out last march on the Snake and jigged a orange and brown sassy shad about 15' - 20'. Took a while but I found a couple smallmouth's, not very big though.

Thanks, won't get another chance to fish bass for a couple weeks but I am keen to try again.

Geez, I really hate to give this away, but for the sake of the forum, I will.

This is an absolutely weird technique...and it sounds counterintuitive. But it works very well on east side lakes, and it works in Tennessee, and it works in the upper Midwest.

This method was described by the former field staff manager of Berkley who swore by its effectiveness.

To do this, you really need to have all the things in place.

Get yourself a long (seven foot at least) spinning rod with a relatively soft action--no tip action rods. Put a comparatively large-spool spinning reel on the rod and load it with six-pound test Trilene XT (or XL) .

Get a bunch of very small crankbaits. He recommended the Norman Baby N and the smallest Fat Raps. Other small baits will work, though.

Get on the lake, and find a spawning bay in the warmest part of the lake. Then figure out where the bass have overwintered....somewhere between he two, you'll find smallmouth. Look for rocky structure, breaklines, or any kind of fish-holding structure. Back off from that point, and cast your small crankbait toward it.

You will catch fish. You'll have to hunt around as smallies at this time of the year are slowly moving up, and small schools of fish will be moving toward the spawning area, and while they move, they'll feed. They will be scattered, though, because the main push of fish isn't active.

What you're trying to do is cover water...that's why the spinning rod and light line...you're trying for the longest casts you can get with a small bait, and the deepest run you can get with a small bait. Larger crankbaits seem to put fish off this early (although with 45 degree water that may no longer apply).

I was skeptical when I first heard this, but I trusted the guy and decided to try it. Fishing on Lake Roosevelt down near the dam about this time of the year, I did what he suggested, and I became a believer. As I recall, the first day I tried it, I caught three or four smallies in the two-to-three pound class and a couple of trout. A while after I caught the first fish, I went back to my usual jighead and worm method and then fished a tube for a while. I had one very slow bite on plastics. When I went back to the crankbait, I caught another fish or two. The bite of the crankbait wasn't subtle but a hard, arm-breaking jerk...

The water temps varied between 34 and 36 degrees...I proved the technique time and again on Roosevelt, Banks and the Potholes, not to mention Tenkiller in Oklahoma.

Will it work over here? I dunno, but if you can find conditions where you can fish a crankbait, then I'm betting it will.

Thngs I would modify...rather than use mono, I'd suggest eight-pound Fireline or perhaps one of the spinning-friendly fluorocarbon lines. I would also try some of the smaller Excalibur Fat Free Shads (I really like those crankbaits) or the quarter-ounce Hot Lips.

I think the key is finding the warmest water in the warmest part of the day (afternoon) and finding the migration path from the overwintering sanctuary to the spawning grounds.

Keith

Thanks for the detailed post. Yup, definately sounds opposite to what I've read on winter fishing. Worth a try if nothing else is effective...