The fishing community has a unique way of paying it forward to all who are next in line. With each decade, a new crop of influencers and educators spread the gospel of fishing to new audiences and readers and Andrew Ragas counts himself among those wishing to pass along some of his fishing knowledge in hopes that the next generation will put it to good use.

The upper Midwest and Great Lakes states are home to some of the best northern bass fisheries in North America. I have been fortunate to receive a comprehensive fishing education from some of the best minds and anglers in the history of fishing—writers, educators, communicators, tournament anglers, and some famous old-time guides of northern Wisconsin. Since graduating from college a decade ago, fishing has been my secondary education and professional study. The knowledge I have acquired has mostly come from these individuals, plus spending lots of time on the water to learn on my own.

Conquering cold water

In recent years, we’ve been trending from warm and mild winters to brutally cold winters and longer ice fishing seasons. This has led to late ice-outs, delayed spring seasons, and much colder water temperatures during the pre-spawn phase. Weather is cyclical, and I expect this trend to be ongoing for the next few (or more) seasons.

Beyond environmental and biological effects, cold weather and water temperature affects anglers, mentally. Many anglers lack cold water confidence, and it kills their psyche. These last few guiding seasons, water temperatures have mostly dictated when my customers should book their early season trips. Few want to fish in early spring when the water temperature is mid-40 degrees. Cold water has been responsible for having to frequently re-schedule May dates, or leading anglers to cancel their trips altogether. Most anglers can’t afford fishing in poor conditions.

Cold spring climate and water temperature makes smallmouths more inactive. As a result, we must slow down our fishing, and refrain from the fast power and run-and-gun approach we are so accustomed to. When the aquatic ecosystem is dormant, so, too will be smallmouths. Their behavior, feeding and activity levels are always a product of their environment and weather conditions.

The majority of the smallmouth you will catch in spring are located at, or near, staging sites. At this time, fish are still moving and schooling together in heavy concentrations until they disperse and settle on spawning sites.

Most smallmouth anglers are bank beating and covering water in spring. While it’s a very successful strategy during the spawn season when a high percentage of the lake’s bass population invades the shallows, it’s the worst strategy for pursuing cold-water, staging fish.

In May, my clients and I aren’t the only boat smallmouth fishing. We have company and competition on most lakes every day. While we target only these high-percentage locations, and only a small fraction of the lake, most other boats don’t know of these staging sites and high-percentage locations and are combing every mile of shoreline. When smallmouths are staging and concentrating on only a small scattering of precise locations throughout an entire lake, a high percentage of the lake is desolate and empty.

The challenge and inconvenience of cold spring climate shapes smallmouth bass behaviors and feeding habits more so than the timing of their movements to established location. Regardless of cold water temperature, smallmouths are on the biological clock and must proceed with their spring motions. Remember, smallmouth revisit the same staging locations, spawning sites and wintering holes annually. Additionally, their activity and behavior are products of the environment surrounding them. When you can anticipate and know their seasonal locations, and the structural intricacies and hot spots of every lake, catching them and predicting bites during the cold war becomes easy.

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