96 Mississippi Sportsman^ | April 2015
field notes
W
hen April rolls around, Bassmaster Elite Series
pro Cliff Crochet focuses on finding newly-
hatched largemouth fry — so he can target the
male fish guarding the brood swarm.
“Post-spawn fish are historically known for spreading out and
going dumb for a couple of weeks. They don’t really relate to
anything, and they’re just trying to get their energy back up,”
Crochet said. “But the fry guarders are a group of fish still keyed
on doing a certain thing.
“So when I target them, I feel like I’m in the game all day long.”
Crochet concentrates on spawning areas, and tries to locate
the fry with three of his favorite April lures: a frog, a Senko
rigged with a Humdinger Power Spinner and a swim jig.
“You may not see the fry right away, or sometimes you can’t
see them with your naked eye because of sunlight and water
conditions,” he said. “But especially with that frog, you work it
and you see those fry scatter.”
He likes the frog because he can accurately place it — even in
heavy cover.
“Most fish are real shallow for the most part. Even if they’re in3 to 4 feet of water, those males are normally suspended right
below the fry,” Crochet said. “That frog is in their faces, and if I
can’t see the fry, when I bring that frog through there they give
themselves away.
“A lot of times that will get you a bite.”
If the frog doesn’t produce when the fry scatter, Crochet
switches to a Power Spinner-rigged Senko and casts to the
same spot.
“It brings the Senko to life and, with that spinner on it, it falls
better vertically than a traditional Senko does,” he said. “That
Senko is dropping straight down on his face.”
His third option is a Humdinger swim jig in either black-and-
blue or green pumpkin to cover lots of territory.
“I’m not worried about vibration a whole bunch — I’m just
looking to get something in and out, in and out,” Crochet said.
“The more fry I find, the more fish I find.
“A lot of times, when you’re dealing with post-spawn fry fish,
bream are around there a whole bunch. So a swim jig fits into
the bream category really good, too.” ■Lay off spawners
this month, Cajun Baby says
By Patrick BoninCrochet locates fry this month to catch guarding male bass
This month, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cliff
Crochet isn’t looking for spawners. Instead,
he’s concentrated on catching “fry guarders.”Andy Crawford