Strike King pro Andy Montgomery highlights some of the top spots to find bass in Zone 3 during April.
“During the first half of April, I'm 100% focusing on the spawn, which means some type of soft plastic,” Andy offers. “Conditions will dictate which tools I'll need to utilize. Flat, calm conditions mean I'm picking up a wacky-rigged Strike King Ocho, as the bass are likely to be holding tighter to cover... If the wind is blowing or if the water is a little dirty, I'll opt for the Texas-rigged Game Hawg, as it provides a bigger presentation.” Andy often turns the Strike King Skip N’ Buzz in April as well. “Anytime you get a dark, cloudy day in April, the buzzbait is a deadly weapon. When they first start biting during the spawn, that's when I typically catch the biggest ones on a buzzbait. If they are spawning, the only way I'm catching them is if it's dark and cloudy, which means I'm using one color – Black.”
Transitioning to late April, Andy will start looking for the shad spawn. "Shad will always spawn around some sort of cover. Every lake is different, so just make sure you're around the best cover that your lake has to offer, which will in most cases include docks, slick logs, willow trees, shallow rocks, or grass.” Opt for moving baits to attract aggressive fish feeding on the shad. "No matter where you're fishing in Zone 3, if you're able to key in on spawning fish or shad, you'll be able to pattern them based on the conditions and cover that a particular lake presents.”
Andy wacky-rigs this soft plastic to fish around docs, hard cover and
vegetation during the spawn. He fishes the wacky-rig on a Lew’s
Signature Series 6’10” Spinning Rod, pairing it with a Lew’s HyperMag
200 series reel. Andy opts for 12 lb flurocarbon line.
When the water is clear, Montgomery opts for Green Pumpkin. In stained conditions, he switches to Red Bug, and for muddy water, he favors Junebug.
Andy Texas-rigs the Game Hawg and fishes it with a 5/16 oz. weight around cover. Andy’s choice to throw the Game Hawg is a Team Lew’s Signature Series 7’2” Heavy Rod with a Pro SP reel which he spools with 17 lb fluorocarbon line.
When the water is clear, he prefers Green Pumpkin. For stained or muddy water, he switches to Black Blue Flake for better visibility.
This is one of Andy’s top choices for skipping around heavy cover in
April, particularly when bass are chasing bait and responding to faster
moving lures.He pairs the buzzbait with a Strike King Rage
Swimmer for even more vibration and action.
Andy throws the buzzbait on a Team Lew’s 7’3” Signature Series Rod, paired with a Pro SP reel. He beefs up the line to 20 lb fluorocarbon to deal with the heavier cover. His go-to color selection for the buzzbait is black.
Ideal for anglers dealing with short strikes or looking to offer something different, Andy recommends Green Pumpkin for clear or stained water, and Bama Craw for muddy conditions.
The Strike King Rage Hawk features a unique design with two Rage arms that create exaggerated movement, making it irresistible to bass. Its compact body fits up to a 5/0 hook, increasing hook-up ratios while effortlessly gliding through cover.
Andy typically threads his skipping jig with the 3.38” Rage Bug, as
the flat sides allow for exceptional skipping. Andy uses the Team
Lew’s 7’1” Signature Series Skipping Rod for this application, with a
Pro SP reel.
He spools the combo with 20 lb. fluorocarbon to
negotiate heavy cover. His go-to pick is white for clear water and Green Pumpkin for stained or muddy water.
Strike King pro Andy Morgan identifies some of the key areas to find bass in Zone 3 during April.
“Bass are typically pulling shallow as it gets closer to the spawn,” says Morgan. The water clarity is also a factor when fishing in Zone 3, he mentions. “There is a quite a bit of rain during April, causing the water to be off colored, or maybe even muddy,” shares Morgan. With water temperatures in the 55- to 65-degree range, Morgan anticipates bass holding in creek channels, flats, grass, wood, and rocks.
If the water is clear, Morgan prefers the Natural Shad. In stained water, he switches to the Sexy Shad 2.0. For muddy water, Morgan will favor a Fire Craw.
Designed with the help of Andy Morgan himself, Strike King’s Chick Magnet is known for giving off an incredible “thump” with a tight wiggling action. Perfect for diving in up to 5- feet of water, the Chick Magnet defects off of cover and attracts aggressive bites.
Matching his preferences for the Chick Magnet, Morgan’s choice for clear water is the Natural Shad, while he opts for Sexy Shad 2.0 if the water is stained. Fire Craw is his go- to when fishing in muddy water.
Delivering the same great performance as the full-sized Chick Magnet, the Chick Magnet Jr. packs all of the same technology into a smaller, more compact profile. Diving up to 4-feet, the Chick Magnet Jr. is perfect for cracking shallow cover in cool water.
He opts for the Olive Shad in clear water, and switches to a White if the water is stained or muddy.
Showing up in tournaments wherever bass swim, Strike King’s Thunder Cricket Vibrating Jig has erratic action and cause exaggerated, realistic movement when paired with a trailer.
If the water is clear, he will throw a White Silver, while more stained or muddy water call for a Chartreuse White.
Strike King’s Tour Grade Spinnerbait has a weight- forward head design for smooth movement through cover and a durable Gamakatsu® hook for solid hooksets every time.
He opts for Natural Shad in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw the Sexy Shad, while he will switch to a Delta Red if the water is muddy.
“One deadly lipless crankbait,” in the words of KVD – the Red Eyed Shad has incredible action and a uniquely-shaped profile for unbeatable performance. The red 3D eyes and wide spectrum of colors make the Red Eyed Shad the perfect crankbait in a variety of fishing situations.
Strike King pro John Garrett uncovers some of the best areas to fish in Zone 3 during April.
Garrett expects slowly rising water temperatures accompanied by lots of wind with bass mostly in a prespawn phase, depending on moon phase. Early in the month, threadfin and gizzard shad are the primary forage bass are chasing. As the water slowly warms, they will transition to eating more and more bluegill. Garrett loves to target prespawn bass in staging areas, or last deep water before a larger spawning pocket. Once he feels the bass have moved up, he’ll look for south facing pockets with longer flat banks.
If the water is clear, Garrett prefers Blue Craw. In stained or muddy water, he switches to Blue Bug.
Garrett prefers a Texas-rigged Rage Bug with a 5/16 oz. Tour Grade Tungsten weight around shallow wooden cover, especially when bass start eating bluegill and approach spawning areas.
A super versatile soft bait with four appendages to create unmatched action, the Strike King Rage Bug is perfect for pitching around cover and punching mats.
Garrett’s choice for clear water is Olive Shad, while he opts for Blue Back Chartreuse if the water is stained. Black Back Chartreuse is his top choice when fishing in low-vis conditions.
Strike King’s KVD 1.5 is perfect for shallow water and power fishing. The squarebill design and unique “hunting” action will constantly wander with erratic movement while still running true and deflects perfectly off cover to entice strikes.
He opts for Green Pumpkin in clear water, and switches to Chartreuse White if the water is stained. Garrett’s go-to in muddy conditions is Fire Craw.
Garrett will use a Tungsten Thunder Cricket with a Blade Minnow trailer in the 5- to 6-foot range around vegetation and deeper boat docks.
Strike King’s Tungsten Thunder Cricket features a super-dense and compact tungsten head that allows for the same legendary tight vibration of the original Thunder Cricket in a smaller size. The Tungsten Thunder Cricket is designed to make longer casts than any finesse-sized bladed jig and features a super-strong long-shank Owner Jungle Hook.
If the water is clear, he will throw Matte Strobe Shad, while more stained water calls for Pro Bone. In low-vis conditions, he prefers Sexy Shad 2.0.
When utilizing forward facing sonar, Garrett will use a KVD Elite 300 Deep Jerkbait for suspending females warming up their eggs.
The KVD Elite 300 Deep Jerkbait is tournament ready right out of the package with upgraded Mustad Triple Grip hooks and premium paint finishes. Maintaining the action of the original, the KVD Elite 300 Deep Jerkbait has an unmistakable erratic action with an impressive weight-transfer system, but also allows anglers to achieve depths many jerkbaits can't.
Garrett has one top color for all water conditions – Green Pumpkin.
John will wacky rig a Shim-E-Stick to cover water around shallow docks and flats for spawning bass.
A super soft and super salty stick bait, Strike King’s Shim-E-Stick is formulated to provide a perfect rate of fall and alluring “shimmy” action that gave this bait its name.
