Big-bass month is here

Your best chance to take a lunker is in March

March is probably the best month for North Carolina anglers to catch a giant bass. We have so many good lakes with potential for double-digit largemouths.

In March, the big ones are on the move and setting up feeding areas outside of their comfort zone of the their winter haunts. This makes them much more vunerable to making a mistake and eating your lure.

Some of my favorite lures for March are lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, and soft plastics.

For flats and points, I prefer the moving baits. Nothing covers them better than a lipless crank. My favorite is the TD Vibration in red craw. Just make long casts with periodic bottom contact. I like to use more of a pumping action with my rod to make bottom contact and change the pace of retrieve. Numerous giants are caught every year doing this.

Second, I like a big spinnerbait. This is my ‘go to lure’ for if the water happens to be high and up in the bushes, or for slow rolling laydown trees. I use an Assassinator in half- ounce with double willow blades for clear to stained water and double colorado blades in muddy water. This bait comes through the cover well and generates response as an easy meal to big bass. I caught my personal best at Falls lake of 10 lb 15 oz on a Spinnerbait in March.

You also can’t beat jigs for March. I like a 3/8ths-ounce OutKast RT flipping jig in black and blue. It has an awesome hook and the keeper helps to hold your trailer. I prefer a matching Culprit Tailgate Special. Fish this bait around heavy cover or steeper banks that are hard to make bottom contact with the moving baits. For tackle I use a Daiwa LT flipping stick and Zillion or T3 reel with 20 lb fluorocarbon line.

Finally, if bass are not responding to any of the above I pull out the ol’ Carolina rig or “Ball and Chain” as many call it. While not as exciting as the above, it is very effective in picking up big ones on the same points and flats as the lipless baits. The Carolina rig gets them when the are not in a chasing mood. I like 10-inch Culprit worms and Culprit pro-style lizards for catching bigger fish.

As a side note the Alabama rig could prove to be devastating on the bass in March that are ganged up, so you could have some fun with that. I have experimented with it some over the fall and winter and it really works good on suspended fish rigged with five Culprit Riptide Mullet swimbaits on eighth-ounce Riptide jigheads.

So be ready with these these deadly techniques to catch some giant bass this March.