March is HERE. The Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour is officially two stages in, and heading down to Texas for Stage 3 this week. Mean while the Bassmaster Elites are getting ready for the Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville in less than 2 weeks.
Up here in Wisconsin where I live, we’re still out fishing on the ice, but after some warmer weather this past week, and a lot of rain in the forecast this week, hopefully it’ll start melting. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to get back out on the water in the next few weeks, but it may take a little longer… especially further up north. But once the ice does come off, bass will still be in the winter patterns with water temperatures below 45 degrees, but as you move further south towards the Gulf, we’ll see fish in both pre-spawn, and spawning stages. And for some of you, you’ll be fishing pre-spawn at the beginning of the month, and the bass will be on beds by the end of it.
Most of these bait recommendations should work pretty well in most lakes and rivers around the country, but if you’re further south, you might want to skip ahead a month, and if you’re way up north, stick to ice fishing.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the top bass baits that’ll play around the country, for the month of March. As always, every bait, rod or reel on the list here is something that I own and fish regularly, or have used in the past and can recommend.
1. Big Swimbait/Glide
The Megabass Magdraft is a bass angling staple, arguably the premiere big swimbait on the market. At 5, 6, 8 and even 10 inches long, they might seem a little intimidating, especially if you’re used to catching smaller bass, but I promise you, they get bit like crazy. Bass who aren’t even much bigger than the bait will even take a swipe at it, plus… it’s really fun to fish. I’d recommend going with the 6-inch model, but if you’re in places like Texas or Florida where bass can get huge, you can go larger. Natural, more translucent colors in clear water, bolder or more opaque colors in dirty water… can’t go wrong with a white.
Megabass Magdraft Swimbait 6″ – $17.99
Colors: Albino Pearl Shad, Pro Blue Chart, Borealis Shad
Berkley Nessie Soft Glide Bait 7″ – $12.99
Colors: Burnt Bone, Perch, Shad
Berkley Chop Block Glide Bait 6″ – $15.99
Colors: Burnt Bone, MF Blue Gill, Shad
2. Lipless
A lipless crankbait is great this time of year, especially if you’re on a lake where some grass is present. In the beginning of the month, I like to yo-yo my retrieve near that grass line, moving rather slowly with the retrieve, but as the water warms up, I’ll start to rip it across the top of a shallow-water grass flat. In really cold water, right after ice out, you can burn it in shallow mud bays or parallel with the bank, and the bass will absolutely hammer it. I also really like red colors this time of year… I’m not sure there is too much science involved in it, but it works!
Colors: Special Red Craw, Firetail Green Craw, Mossy Ghost
3. Chatterbait
The Chatterbait might be the most popular pre-spawn bait in bass fishing, and for good reason… it just gets bit. Plus, most anglers love to use it, and it can be thrown in and around a wide variety of structure and cover. With most of the country either in, or moving towards, the pre-spawn, a vibrating jig is gonna be a workhorse for the next couple months. Once again, I’m trying some red this time of year, but will have a few other options tied on too.
I wrote a whole guide to Chatterbait fishing HERE, and also about my favorite trailers here, but we all know that the Z-Man Evergreen Jackhammer is the pinnacle of vibrating jigs. The Evo is a cheaper alternative, and there is a newer Evo Tungsten model that is pretty cool too… gives a bit of a different sound than the Jackhammer.
Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer – 1/2 oz.
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Fire Craw, Green Pumpkin Shad
Z-Man Chatterbait Elite EVO – 1/2 oz.
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Lava Craw, Black and Blue
Trailer: Hog Farmer Spunk Shad Rapala Crush City Freeloader, Yamamoto Zako
4. Underspin/Paddle Tail
During the prespawn, covering water with some kind of paddle tail or minnow-style bait does the trick. Of course, you can’t go wrong with an old fashioned Keitech, but I had a ton of success last year with the Rapala Crush City Mayor, as well as the Great Lakes Finesse dropkick shad (the minnow too). Pair it up with the sneaky underspin and it’s deadly for smallmouth, but largemouth will hit it too. When a Magdraft is too big and bold, or when a Chatterbait is too loud and aggressive, an underspin can be fantastic.
Colors: Electric Shad, Shad, Pro Blue Red Pearl
Keitech Swing Impact Fat – 3.3″
Colors: Pro Blue Red Pearl, Electric Shad, Ayu
Size: 3/16, 1/4 oz
Great Lakes Finesse Sneaky Underspin
Size: 3/14
Great Lakes Finesse Dropkick Shad
Colors: Green Pumpkin Shad, Gizzard Shad, Shiner
5. Texas Rig
For me, flipping and pitching around shallow cover is always gonna play, doesn’t matter what time of year it is. But during the prespawn and especially, in the spawn, pitching a creature or craw bait near beds is a must. But even prespawn fish are staging up around docks, laydowns, cypress trees, any kind of wood cover you can find, and flipping into that cover will generate big bites. And don’t be afraid to go light on the weight too… I’ll even fish a 3/16ths this time of year to get that real slow, enticing fall near beds.
There’s a zillion different creature and craw baits out there, but if you haven’t found a favorite yet, the Crush City Bronco Bug… it just gets bit. Flipping a tube is also an VERY underrated option, especially up in northern grass. Comes through really easy and I like to use a ring hook for that.
Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug – $6.99
Colors: Black & Blue Flake, Green Pumpkin Blue, Candy Bug
Rapala Crush City Cleanup Craw – $6.99
Colors: Tilapia Magic, Green Pumpkin Blue, Bama Craw
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