March is good for quality and quantity
March is one of the best months for bass fishing on South Carolina’s Lake Murray, according to bass pro Andy Wicker of Prosperity, S.C., who grew up fishing on the lake.
“You can win a tournament anywhere on Lake Murray on any given day,” he said. “March is also good for numbers and for size. In January and February, you might not catch numbers of bass, but you catch some of the bigger fish that time of year. But you catch more fish in March. The buck bass are moving up shallow, and it is a good opportunity to catch a bunch of them.”
Wicker said early in March, he will concentrate on fishing in the area around Billy Dreher Island, but by the end of the month, he will be fishing within a few miles of the dam.
Early in the month, he said, the fish will be on a moving-bait bite.
“Normally, I will be throwing a spinnerbait up shallow or a crankbait and jig on the docks,” he said. “Depending on the weather, as the day progresses, normally there will be a good dock bite going with the bigger fish. This bite usually becomes better later in the day.”
“Then, at some point, you will see them transition into the spawning mode and they will move to the shallow water in the backs of the pockets. When they do that they will be off the moving bait bite and that’s when I will go with a Senko, a floating worm or a shaky head.”
By the end of March, he said, the bass normally will be fully into the spawn, and that slower pattern will hold true through the end of the spawn.
