Strike King pro Greg Bohannan offers up key advice for anglers fishing in Zone 4 during April.
With water temperatures in the high 50’s and 60’s, Bohannan predicts that bass will start transitioning to spawning areas. “Bass will begin to relate to more gravel bottoms as opposed to rock or chunk rock banks. Some of your soft plastics will start to come into play,” shares Bohannan. When targeting either smallmouth or largemouth bass, Bohannan has specific areas in Zone 4 he recommends to check out for each. “Main lake gravel points will be good target areas for smallmouth and spotted bass. Secondary points in creeks will be good largemouth targets,” Bohannan offers. When dealing with flooded conditions, Bohannan advises to “try flats in the back of creeks with bushes or laying logs.”
If the water is clear, Bohannan prefers Green Pumpkin Purple Gold Twin Tail Menace. In stained water, he switches to Crawdaddy. For muddy water, Bohannan will favor Fire Craw.
Strike King’s Swinging Football Head with Twin Tail Menace trailer is the ideal smaller profile set up for high pressure conditions. The Swinging Football head allows the Twin Tail Menace to swing freely while the tight kicks of the Menace accurately mimic a small to medium profile bait fish.
Bohannan’s choice for clear water is Candy Craw, while he opts for Green Pumpkin if the water is stained. June Bug is Bohannan’s go-to when fishing in low-vis conditions.
Designed to slip in and out of cover easily, the Scounbug is perfect for Texas-rigging, flipping, or being used as a jig trailer. The Rage Tail technology used to create the Scounbug causes heavy vibration and increased water displacement to attract more bites.
He opts for Mouse in clear water, and switches to White Silver if the water is stained. Chartreuse White is Bohannan’s first option in muddy water.
With heightened effectiveness in cover, the Tour Grade Spinnerbait is designed with a light wire frame to help produce maximum vibration and comes complete with a hand-tied skirt.
If the water is clear, he will throw Green Crawfish, while more stained water calls for Orange Belly Craw. Bohannan grabs Chili Craw when water conditions are muddy.
A small-bodied deep diver, the Series 3 is designed to enhance castability, diving up to 8’, making it one of Strike King’s most sought-after crankbaits.
He opts for Blue Craw in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw Watermelon Red Flake, while he will switch to Blue Bug if the water is muddy.
The realistic design on the Rage Craw features two realistic pincers and a long, slender body to create lots of turbulence. Strike King’s Rage Craw can be Texas-rigged, Carolina-rigged, or used as a jig trailer.
