Go-To May Lures
Go-To May Lures
May marks the peak of bass and crappie activity in Iowa as they enter their spawning season. Crappie are a favorite for Iowans, and they are one of the best tasting fish you can catch in our lakes. Targeting these fish requires specific tactics and lures. Put in some time on the water with some of these lures, and you’ll have a good time this May.
Crappies
If you’re targeting crappies, you should have plenty of jigs ready. You can split this into two categories- stained or clear water. For clear water, you can use more natural patterns such as pearl, silver and white. For stained water, I use both dark colors like blacks and junebugs, with or without chartreuse tails, as well as bright colors like orange, pink and green. Jigs with marabou tails are great for a more still subtle presentation in cooler water and plastics with shapes that work better with movement are better in warmer spots where the sunlight is beginning to warm the water. Don’t forget spinners and crankbaits- there are many versions of ultralight crankbaits that are just as effective as larger ones. Remember in spring the baitfish are generally smaller and so should be the sizes of your lures. Experiment with retrieve speeds and pauses, counting down to different depths and noting when you get bites.
Bass
For bass, spring is my favorite time to break out my topwater collection. It is so much fun watching fish create a vacuum and make your bait disappear, or violently attack and assault your bait as it moves across the water. I typically target shallower water as it warms faster, and that usually means weedier areas so I start with soft plastics like frogs, lizards, and worms, weightless with a wide-gap hook rigged weedless. Color choices are easy here, there are many on the market but fish typically see one of two options looking up from underneath- either the actual color of the bait’s belly, or the dark silhouette against the sky above. After that, the color matters more to you than the fish. When the action heats up, I will keep two rods rigged. One with a fast moving bait like a crankbait or frog, and the second with a slow moving worm or lizard. If a fish misses the faster moving bait I will set the rod down immediately and throw the second slow moving bait where the fish missed it, giving it an instant second chance. This works out great more times than not. Again, keep track of retrieval speed, water depths and structure details where you get bites and target similar areas as you move.
by Nathan Graham
May 2024
