Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Springtime is here and it is quite possibly the best time of the year to catch a giant bass. This is the time of the year that most fish will migrate to the shallow water where many of us are the most proficient. This is the time of year to take a “fishcation” and spend as much time on the water as possible. If you are new to bass fishing or have been out of the game for a while, here are a few tips to help increase your success.

1. Keep casting. I have learned that the more casts I make, the luckier I get. Although springtime can be great fishing, it can also be tough. When the bite is slow, don’t give up. The best fishing trip in my life came in a 100-yard stretch after I had managed only one or two fish in the previous 4 hours. You never know when they will start feeding or you will stumble into a honey hole stacked with fish.

2. Cast close to cover. As cold fronts blow in and out bass will hug close to wood. Be sure to pitch into the heavy cover or to bump your bait off of stumps, logs, etc. many times just a few inches is the difference in catching and not catching.

3. Eliminate water. If your latest intel suggests that you should be fishing on the bank but you fish for hours without a bite, it is time to try something else. Try backing out further and maybe casting to where your boat was previously sitting.

4. Don’t be afraid to fish a little deeper. This time of year there are fish getting ready to spawn, fish spawning, and fish finishing the spawn. Those that have finished and those that are staging will still be found along drop offs in deeper water. Carolina rigged soft plastics and crankbaits are great choices for these deeper bass.

5. Focus on creeks, drains, and ditches. These are the fish superhighways. Bass travel these corridors and often congregate there in large numbers. In my experience, the coves with creeks produce better than the ones without them.

6. Have fun! Remember that fishing is supposed to be fun. I like to listen to my favorite Christian music (turned down low or in headphones) and enjoy my favorite snacks while fishing. Keep it enjoyable and keep casting! Who knows? This could be the year you catch your biggest bass ever!

Brian Johnson, originally of Port Neches, is pastor of First Baptist Church of Winnie, owner of DuckDogTrainer.com and outdoors writer for The News.