March is the first month of spring and the fish know it.
How, you might ask, does a fish know when it is spring? Every fish has an Apple watch to tell it when it is spring! Just kidding, sort of, fish actually have something better.
They have an external que called the spring or vernal equinox. Spring is determined by the length of the day and night. The first day of spring is when the darkness of night is equal to the light of day. In other words, 12 hours of both on the same day. This annual event always occurs on March 19, 20 or 21.
Fish have an internal biological clock which is trigged by external cues, and spring is a big clue for most species of fish that things will be looking up and heating up.
So what does all that mean for us fishermen? It means start looking shallow for the fish. Crappie, bass, walleye and just about anything that swims will frequent shallow waters more in the spring than any other season of the year.
Fish are simple creatures, which are driven by the need to survive. Fish survive by two main means, eating and reproducing. A majority of the opportunities for fish to eat in the spring to early summer are shallow and so is the opportunity to spawn.
Look for crappie near the backs of shallow coves and under trash pockets. You will also find crappie near the backs of the creeks, especially Big Sycamore Creek, Davis Creek or Lost Creek. Look for shallow brush on the north to northwest side of the lake—this water normally heats up faster for various reasons. Look for largemouth bass in the same places and the smallmouth bass on some type of rock, like pea gravel or even slate.
What to throw? The whole tackle box! Well, not the box itself but almost any shallow water bait specific for the species you are after will work in the spring. From grubs to top waters, the fish will be in very opportunistic feeding mode in March. Lots of fish will stay shallow from March thru May, so got get ’em.
Good Fishin!