March Madness

article and photos by Dan Chason

March is my favorite month to fish. Right behind it is October, but the magic of March is hard to beat. Anyone that is trying to explain to their wife why they are out of pocket every weekend in March may find it hard to explain why there is a frenzy of activity for fisherman during this month. Maybe I can help explain why this month is so very special.

By the first week of March, crappie are in full swing and can be found in most area lakes very very shallow. When I say shallow I will quote an old friend of mine: Shallow enough to track a coon.

If you want to load up on crappie, you have to watch the barometer. This time of year, it is probably more important than any time of the year. On a falling barometer (before a front) and fishing behind a full or new moon, you best have plenty of ice in your cooler. These fish will eat and they will be there in droves. With crappie, the best cover is brush. I catch plenty on trees, but nothing beats brush or grass to consistently hold loads of crappie. I have found them so shallow, you could actually see their fins sticking out of the water. So where do you find them? Concentrate on the northwest side of the lake you are fishing. Look for stained or dirty water. The dirty water warms faster than the clear water so on any lake early in March, stay away from clear water or current. Brush tops, bushes, grass or anything that holds the primary food: Grass shrimp. My jig selection always mimicks this bait as grass shrimp are by far the most reliable color and fry to try and copy.

For rig selection, there is nothing that can outdo a long jigging pole. Too many anglers fish with a short rig (less than 11 feet) and end up spooking most of the big females that are shallow. You cannot barge into their nesting areas and expect to get bit when they know you are in their area.

Jigs come in all shapes and sizes. Remember to match the fry. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to watch the moon. After a full moon, lose the bright colors and concentrate on crawfish colors. Dark, reddish, orange and brown will do the best job, as there is a crawfish hatch after every full moon. Change out of the old black/chartreuse pattern, or shad colors after the moon and assure you are matching the hatch.

For bass, it could not get any simpler. Bass are on or just coming off the beds. Bed fishing can be very challenging, so my advice is to stay away from looking or working beds in the latter days of March. I opt for one top lure this month, and it is none other than a Long A Bomber. Most anglers love the action of a twitching top water but don’t understand the concept of why bass love it. A gold, black back Long A has been my go-to spawn bait for years. It is so very easy to fish, and you can cover a ton of water with little effort and there is little risk of spooking bedding bass.

By mid March (as long as the water temp is maintained at 59 degrees or higher) female bass will be on the bed with a male along with her to guard the fry. You MUST catch the male before the female. As long as the male is on the bed, the female will NOT bite. The male bass’ job is to protect the bed. He will stay there until she spawns and will only leave when she begins to guard the bed. If you see a female on the bed alone, you are in the prime time to catch the fish of a lifetime. What is most misunderstood is that females on the bed alone are very finicky. If the male is there, she is easier to catch once he is gone. However, if you catch the male, do not release him immediately (unless on a slot lake).

If you release the male he will return to the bed, and there is zero chance of catching the female. But when you find a female on the bed, get down wind of the bed with the sun in your face so you do not cast a shadow on the bed. Pitch a whacky worm, Long Bomber A or tube into the bed and shake it. The longer it sits the better.

It is so important whether crappie or bass fishing to realize that the female is the key to spawn. Don’t keep her under any circumstances. My rule on crappie is to only keep one female out of five. On bass, I never keep a female bass except for pictures and a quick release. Here is why. A female spawning (for example) 500 eggs, normally 250 will survive. With bass, you have to understand that a female bass spawning 500, only 50 will survive. Bass eat their own young and there are so many negative factors that affect a bass’ survival. When you release that female, you are giving the lake of your choice a long future of catching fish and giving you an opportunity to catch good fish for years to come. Simply put, catch and release, keep only what you can eat (crappie) and leave the rest for your children and mine. Besides, what is better in the grease than a crispy fried crappie? Bass are edible, but crappie by far are the best table fare. Happy fishing, and remember to take a kid or vet with you to enjoy the great outdoors.