April brings bass shallow at Falls of Neuse Lake

Bass fishing this month is a shallow water game

April at Falls of Neuse Lake near Raleigh, N.C., finds the majority of bass involved in some stage of the spawn. Knowing they will be striking more out of defense and agitation than hunger, guide Joel Munday of Holly Springs, NC, slings a variety of baits to elicit a reaction strike.

“In the earliest part of April, I might still be looking for some of those prespawn fish, fishing in 10 to 12 feet of water around some of the points and rocks in the creeks,” said Munday. He runs Outdoor Expeditions Guide Service. “But most of April is going to be a shallow game, 5 to 6 feet or less, provided we have close to normal water levels. Primarily, I’ll be fishing the grass. There are good patches of water willow that go throughout the lake.

Munday said normal pool level on Falls of Neuse is 252 feet above sea level. He finds up-to-date info on the level at basssavy.com.

“I will be fishing a lot of the pockets in the back sections of the creeks. But it doesn’t have to be the very back. A lot of the creeks have pockets from the mouths to the back that will hold fish. A pocket in a protected cove off the main lake can also hold fish.”

Fish move throughout the day in April

In the morning, Munday’s preferred tactic is to fish a white Lunker Lure buzzbait in the grass. He likes to outfit it with a white Horny Toad soft-plastic trailer and trailer hook. His goal is to throw it deep into the grass. Bass will spawn in these areas, but the closer the grass is to a known spawning bay, the better. He will also throw a swimming jig into the grass as well as a Senko or wacky-rigged worm on the outside edges of the grass.

“As the sun comes up, I’ll move into areas that have wood cover,” said Munday (919-669-2959). “The upper end of the lake, above Cheek Road, has a lot of big stumps. You can make long casts and try to bump those stumps with a spinnerbait. But if I’m getting short strikes or it’s slick calm, I’ll throw a jig and try to pick up some of those fish that are spawning or even guarding fry in the area.

“If the water gets high, jumps up 3 or 4 feet, then we’re going to the bank. We’ll flip and pitch, looking for wood, laydowns and bushes. The idea is not to soak the bait.

“Pitch it in the edge of the willow bushes, drop it, shake it a time or two, and pull it out.  The best areas will be adjacent to spawning bays and have access to some relatively deep water close by.”