Fishing for spawning bass is best from the front of the boat, and while anglers in the back are still competing for a win in a tournament situation, it can be a tough task to deal with.
Whatever the level of competition, anglers in the back of the boat can factor into overall tournament outcomes, but pro Shane Lehew, who operates Shane’s Baits (www.shanesbaits.com), has some tips for those who are at the mercy of their boater during bed-fishing times.
“I have been in those situations and made several top-10s in those tournaments,” Lehew said. “There are always fish moving in and out of those pockets or places where those fish are spawning. I like to take a wacky rig and fish it in the middle of the pockets or creeks, because I know if the fish are coming into spawn, they had to swim through there. Be patient and try not to get frustrated even though it is a situation to get easily frustrated in.”
While anglers in the bow are focused on sometimes-finicky bedding bass, anglers in the stern can find success by throwing other baits. Lehew suggests wake baits and swimbaits for those untapped bass in the ditches. On shallow banks, bedding bass will sometimes rise at a wake bait and show an angler their location. Swimbaits, whether hard or soft, are often good at covering water, especially in the middle of the coves as bass use those ditches as highways to spawn.
Lehew said some of his best days on the water have come from fishing walkways that lead out to docks. Bass will bed just out of sight under those walkways, and a weightless wacky rig can be just the thing a fisherman in the back of the boat needs to succeed.
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