After many years, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources finally changed the rules on bass fishing, and the season is now open all year long throughout the entire state. Although it does not allow anglers to keep bass all year, it does allow for catch-and-release year ‘round. So, the rule change is very much welcomed by all the die-hard bass anglers across the state, especially because of the shorter, open-water season due to serious winters.

For the first time, bass anglers get the opportunity to fish for bass right after ice-ou, during the pre-spawn period. The water will be cold; however, bass will be willing to bite if you know how to approach them. There is one thing for sure: anglers will need to slow down more than they are accustomed to if they want to set the hook. The top baits of choice will be jerkbaits, small Colorado-bladed spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, small minnowbaits and, of course a Ned rig.

Jerkbaits were really invented for this time of the year. Fish want to maximize their efforts for forage. A jerkbait presents itself as a large meal that acts really vulnerable, which spells an easy meal. The cadence is always key for an effective jerkbait presentation, and the colder the water, the longer the pause should be in between jerks. Most jerkbaits on the market are tuned and dialed to remain horizontal in the water column when paused. This makes them super realistic. Sharp hooks always help ensure that you get fish to the boat, and baits like the Rapala Maverick come equipped with VMC redline trebles, which are sticky sharp. Remember, when it is super-cold water, a few light twitches and a long pause will help get bites. Don’t rush it.

Search baits allow you to cover water, and there all kinds of these options on the market. The key for cold water is to use them slowly. Don’t try to cover a ton of water just after ice-out because the fish are not very aggressive. Slow-rolling a small spinnerbait with Colorado blades will produce as long as your lure is close to bottom the whole time. If you keep it slowly moving right near bottom, that is the strike zone at this time of the year.

The same goes for lipless crankbaits. They generate a tight wobble when retrieved that allows fish to sense it, but you can’t fish it too fast. Keep it close to bottom and moving as slowly as you can. Substituting a small jig and minnow also works well.

The craze across the nation is using a jig and soft minnow presentation to target free-roaming fish out in the basin of a lake or reservoir. Baits like the 3 1/2-inch Rapala Crush City Mooch Minnow paired on a 3/16-ounce jig head allows you to make a good cast and present the bait to open-water fish. Most southern fisheries have pelagic baitfish that bass roam in search of, such as gizzard shad, threadfin shad and blueback herring.

On some northern fisheries that have pelagic baitfish such as smelt, bass do exhibit that type of behavior at times. But it seems very specific to certain areas of a lake or system. Most of the opportunities up north occur adjacent to a breakline, and in and around shallow cover areas and weeds.

Early spring is a great time to use little swimbaits as bass key in on baitfish that are moving shallow toward warming water. Pitch and cast at target areas and slowly swim a 2 1/2-inch Mooch Minnow back to the boat. The colder the water, the slower you reel. Most of the time, a 1/8-ounce jig head is best for this shallow-water approach. It’s best to use spinning rods and thin, braided line such as Sufix Revolve.

A Ned rig works all year long for all bass species. It is a compact presentation that mimics all kinds of food sources for bass. The key is to use a light jig head and crawl it around fishy areas such wood, docks, shore stations and the like. Shortly after ice-out, there will not be a lot of weeds yet, so fish whatever cover is available, whether it is natural or man-made.

After a long winter, nothing hits the spot quite like being able to go fishing on open water. Being able to target bass will now be the icing on the cake. Just remember to slow down and enjoy it.

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