Shabbona Lake is a man made impoundment, a large farm pond, full of structure. It is also full of very large Bass. Every year we have many, many Bass over 20 inches caught. Bass in our Northern Illinois climate do extremely well. Shabbona Lake, with its historic structure and abundant food chain, has produced hundreds of Bass in the 5-7 pound range. The Lake Record being 23”, 7.85 Pounds caught 04-21-07. Please note the date April 21st. Can history repeat itself this year on April 21st!!!

Starting with the premise that Shabbona Lake is like a giant farm pound, what is the best Bass bait for farm pond fishing in the early Spring. In the Spring we get a lot of moisture or rain that softens ups the ground for growth of grasses, trees & plants. It also brings out nightcrawlers. We have all seen the roads and sidewalks covered with “crawling crawlers” after a Spring rain.

Bass have seen them appear also, after Spring rains, and the Bass will line up for a “chow down” near drainage areas and shorelines. So what is the best bait for Bass in Early Spring? Bass love nightcrawlers.

The best technique is to hook the crawler once in the head end, with a #2 thin wire Aberdeen hook, tied directly to the line. No swivel, no weight. Just you, your pole, a #2 hook and a nightcrawler. Cast the crawler next to a tree stump in the NMZ or next to one of the standing trees in the South end of the lake. Let it float down naturally. Look for a sudden twitch in your line. That means a Bass has inhales your crawler. As your line takes off, reel up the slack, set the hook and “Bass ON!!!”

Many fishermen come into the baitshop and ask what they are biting on, or what they should use. I generally asked them how do you fish? Live bait, spinnerbaits, casting, trolling, etc.? What is it that you like to do? I can tell them how I fish and where I fish, but I have learned that they will always go back to how they have always fished. So I try and steer them to the most productive areas for how they fish.

Since I have already given you my best technique for early Bass, we will cover some other productive techniques and where to use them, in hopes that I hit your favorite technique.

Spinnerbaits, particularly white ones, work along tree stumps, over & along cribs and retrieved over emerging weedbeds. Chatterbaits, work over & along rock piles. Rattle traps are very productive early in the NE Cove, if you can keep a Muskie from biting you off.

Shad Raps, work the dam face & along or near drop offs. Husky jerks, use a pause and retrieve over and along fish cribs. Red Eye Shads, East Bay over emerging weed growth. Craw Papi’s and other crawdad plastics will catch numerous bass on or near drop offs. Use a #3/0 hook and a 3 ¾” Craw Papi with no weight, no swivel for best results. Drag it slowing along in short jerks, simulating a crawdad movement.

Now there is only one proven technique left to mention, but you can not repeat this tip to your fishing partner, a floating B— R—–. If you don’t know what that stands for, ask one of the regulars on Fish Tails, who know what my favorite lure is! Twitch and dive that lure next to tree stumps and again “Bass On!!!”

We have heard reports of 8+ pound Bass being caught, but none have ever been verified on a certified scale. Maybe this year you can change that!!! Can history repeat itself on April 21st!!! Will we have another Lake Record Bass Caught on April 21st? Will it be you!!!