May - The Speed Month

Another prime fishing month is here and most of the bass have spawned.  You can find them anywhere around the shallows. This is the speed month as I like to call it, meaning I’m going to be fishing a lot of fast moving lures and I’m going to have my Motorguide rolling along on high 36 most of the day. Top water, Texas rigged worms, shallow crankbaits and Carolina-rigged lures are the ticket.

I very seldom find many schooling bass until late May so I’m mainly keying in on one fish isolated targets and looking for what I call roamers. Roamers are fish that just swim around by themselves. I have found over the years that bass tend to be loners for about three to four weeks after spawning.  Then they will get together in schools and chase bait. This is why fisherman who fish fast moving lures and cover a lot of water tend to catch more fish in May. Target fishing is at its best right now.

Early morning I will start with top water lures like the Bango lure, buzzbait, Bass Pro Shops’ Slim Dog or a Z-Pop. This way I cover a lot of water. If I catch a couple of bass and see a pattern developing, such as points, secondary points, rock, back of coves and etc., then I will concentrate on that one type of structure. You can really have some great top water action. I like to use a prop bait like the Bango lure. I will twitch it and let it sit as long as I can stand it then twitch it one more time. If I don’t get a strike I will reel in and repeat. With the other lures I will work these faster, but remembering to let the bass tell you what speed they want.

Once the sun gets up I’m looking for isolated targets to run a Bagley Killer BI or BII around them. This is when you want to bounce the lure off the target. Balsa baits really shine in May because of the bouncy and wide wobble. This is a good time of year to cast down the sides of docks and guide your lure to bounce off pylons.

This is also the time of year to use a floating worm or a Zoom trick worm on a lightweight Texas rig using a 6’6” Bass Pro Shops’ Extreme Woo Daves’ spinning rod. I cast to a target let the bait go to the bottom, move slowly about two feet then reel in and repeat. It’s impossible to beat a green pumpkin or watermelon seed Zoom worm in May. Sometimes I’ll put a chartreuse-tail on them. One key I have found is that the green pumpkin works better in the morning.  Later on when the sun is out the watermelon tends to be better. I also want to douse my worm in Jack’s Juice crawfish scent. I’ll fish these on Bass Pro Shops’ 10 lbs. fluorocarbon line, with a 2/0 Mustad Ultra Point hook. Also use the lightest Parasite weight that you can get by with, in other words you want the worm to sink straight down with as little weight as possible.

The Carolina rig is a top producer in May especially on long flat points. There is just something about May and these types of points that hold a lot of bass. With the Carolina rig you can cover a lot of water fast. I like to use a Zoom centipede or trick worm with a Lindy No-Snagg rattlin’ weight in ½ oz. and pull up to a point in about 12 foot of water (make sure you are using your Raymarine DS500X) and fan cast. I’m usually looking to catch one or two fish and move on to the next point in early May.  By late May, I’m hoping to find more schooling bass in one spot.

This is the best month to take a kid fishing for bass. You can really get them interested as there is usually a lot of action. Let them drive your Nitro, run the trolling motor, and be patient. There is no better reward than seeing that big smile on their face when they catch a bass.

Good luck on your next trip, God Bless, and wear your Woo shoes by Proline footwear.


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