38 Mississippi Sportsman^ | April 2015
Late April can be a tough time when a lot of the big female
largemouth bass have dropped their eggs and are in that
dreaded transition from spawn to post- spawn, and anglers hit
the lake expecting to battle “lockjaw.”
That’s not necessarily the case at lakes with a very strong shad
population, like Flint Creek Water Park near Wiggins.
According to bass pro Mike DelVisco, bass in shad-heavy lakes
often skip the post-spawn recovery period and immediately start
feeding heavily to rebuild their fat reserves.No post-spawn lull
at Flint Creek
In lakes with good shad populations, like Flint
Creek Water Park, bass come straight off the
beds to gorge themselves on spawning shad.3500 Bluecutt Road | Columbus, MS 39705
662-327-4631
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“A lot of anglers have a hard
time adjusting when bass
come off the beds, but a little
understanding of what’s going
on under the surface can get
you on some good fish,” said
the South Carolina angler who
represents Texas Roadhouse
on the BASS Open Series. “Just
look for fish to be suspended
out off sandy rocky points in
the areas where threadfin shad
come in to do their thing.”
DelVisco prefers to cast a
shallow-diving crankbait to
mimic the frenzied shad as
they head to the bank for their
spawn. He sees that as a win-
dow of opportunity.
“Most of the time, hitting the
shad spawn is a daylight bite,”
he explained, “especially in a
clear-water lake. Right at first
light, the shad will be on the
banks spawning and the bass
are right behind them. Some-
times you get bites for an hour,
and on some days two (hours),
but once the sun gets up, it’s
pretty much over and time to
go find another pattern.”
Cloudy or windy days that
block out sunlight may extend
the action during the shad
spawn but don’t expect to get
much action if you aren’t on
the water at first light or late in
the afternoon just before the
sun goes down. ■Flint Creek