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  • Root Admin
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Here I sit on the 2nd of March. The snow is flying and the fish are biting. Bass Pro's annual spring tournament is going on this weekend, and lots and lots of good quality fish are being caught. Stringers in the 16- to 23-pound range are the norm, rather than the exception.

Winter time deep fishing has been very good this year with a class of largemouth and spotted bass that are at the keeper range and beyond. Deep trees on bluff ends and channel swings on the James and White rivers have been great holding spots for these wintering bass. Most of these fish have been suspended in the treetops in the 45-to 60-foot range. I don't mean the water depth, I mean the treetops.

As light penetration increases as we ease into the spring season, and as the water warms, these fish are starting to move from their deep haunts. In the tourny today lots of fish are being caught by swimming a C Tail grub and jerking a rogue. For the grub fishing, a four-inch grub using a 1/4 to 3/16-ounce head seems to have the best sink rate. Fish this bait where the channel moves into the bank. If there are trees present and a good transition from vertical bluff to chunk rock, or gravel is present, these are the best places for this technique. Swim the grub 100 yards either side of where the channel hits and leaves the bank. (Yes, I know its 80 feet deep. ) Cast the grub either parallel or across the points and count it down to the 30-foot mark, which is usually about to the count of 10. Engage the reel, raise the rod tip and let the grub swim back to the boat. You will lose some baits in the treetops. A lot of times the bait will just feel heavy with no distinct tug. I fish this deep grub on eight-pound line and I lose plenty. It is a excellent way to catch big pre-spawn bass as they start to move up from that 50-foot range.

If any wind is present, fish the rogue in similar locations. Keep the following in mind: channel, wind, transition, spawning banks. Wind is a very important element when fishing a rogue. Wind is certainly not a must but is great to have. When looking for a rogue area, with imagination you can visualize fish highways. Let me "splain." As bluff areas start to soften and go to chunk rock near points, these are very good areas to prospect the rogue. You will notice that on almost all our bluffs there will be a set of pole timber usually 30 to 40 feet from shore. Between the shore and this structure are bass highways. Work the rogue from the bank, through the highway and out through the pole timber. Be prepared for a strike at any point of the retrieve. Long casts are good since they get and keep the suspending stickbait in the strike area for most of its journey back to the boat. Shallow-to medium- running stickbaits impart some of the best action. The spoonbill at times can work well, but it is a physically taxing bait to work all day.

With transitions and highways in mind, look for areas that go from the chunk rock to gravel or where gravel is present in the chunk rock mixture. Both cedar and hardwood trees can be present in these areas and can enhance their fish holding ability. I would love to have a buck for every bass that has been pulled from a cedar on a rogue. Not all cedars hold fish, however. Cedars in good bass highways are the best.

As far as rogues are concerned, chartreuse-bellied rogues seem to work really well. Purple, blue, black and white backs all work in the chartreuse combination. As the water works into the mid-50s, and the fish start to move from the transitions into the flat spawning coves, fish the outer third of these coves and work back until the fish stop biting. Prospect these areas with crank baits and Slugo soft plastics. Fish the crank baits in an erratic motion with stops and starts to simulate the movement of a crawfish. Crawfish colors, chartreuse and reds, work well at this time.

Soft plastics will also start to take some really nice fish. Slugos, flukes and other suspending soft plastics in white and chartreuse seem to work best. On large areas of flat gravel or off points and wind swept areas, swimming the same C Tail grub along the bottom can net some very nice small mouth, with quite a few spots thrown in for good measure. Swimming minnows in motor oil and gray will catch small mouth, goggle eye and lots of spotted bass. The dam area seems best for this grub swimming, but it also works well in the Campbell Point area. Campbell Point to Eagle Rock seems to start a bit quicker on the warm-up as fish will get on a Carolina rig up there just a bit quicker than the dam area, but that is for another day . . . Until the water hits the mid-50s, think slow on the grub and rogue bite. On the rogue most takes will happen as the bait sits motionless after you have jerked the bait.

Most of us think that a bait has to be in constant motion to get a fish to strike, but nothing could be further from the truth. Bass will eagerly take the rogue as it sits motionless after the jerking presentation. Most shad in cold water will simulate these erratic movements. It is not uncommon to let the rogue sit for periods of 10 to 20 seconds. When fishing these suspending baits, confidence is a huge factor. Just knowing that you will get a bite always helps. At no time on Table Rock will you have a much better chance of catching a big fish, other than fishing for actively spawning fish.

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