There is something about catching largemouth bass that has always appealed to me. This attraction started with the giant lily pad largemouth I caught on a popper back in 1973. The aerial acrobatics and power of this fish had me hooked forever. Since those days of bass angling, I target them for most of the open-water season, but my favorite time of the year is during the early season, when the shallow-water bite is hard to beat.

Taking advantage of the early bass opportunities can vary year to year, and the weather can play a big part. If the spring is warmer than average and the bass have mostly completed their spawning run by Memorial Day weekend, the shallow bite may start tapering off in early June. If the spring is cooler than normal, fishing then can coincide perfectly with peak shallow activity and run well into June.

In 2015, Minnesota started allowing anglers the opportunity for catch-and-release bass fishing for two weeks prior to the traditional bass opener. This extra two weeks of bassin’ changes the complexion of the early season, as it allows anglers to start when bass are in pre-spawn.

Bulrushes are a key location for early activity. This aquatic plant prefers to grow on a firm bottom and often provides the perfect habitat for spawning bass. It is also ideal for panfish spawning, which brings ample food into these weed beds. When working bulrushes, I usually target the edges and pockets and avoid casting right into the middle of a thick clump of rushes—if I can help it. Bass are masters at wrapping around these tough stems and can frustrate anglers, even when using heavy line.

My favorite presentation for bulrush angling is definitely a wacky worm rig on 14-pound-test FireLine. Bass are real suckers for this slow-dropping presentation and will come out of the weeds to suck in a wacky that is presented on the edge of the rushes. Depending on the bottom’s consistency, Havoc Bottom Hoppers on jigs or small-skirted jigs tipped with PowerBait plastics can be very effective.

Often, bass can also be found on shallow, weedy flats in late spring and early summer, when there is an abundance of food in the shallow weeds and meals are easy to come by. For searching out these in the weed flats, plastics will still work, but I often mix in a twitch-bait presentation. The stop and go action of these hard baits can be extremely productive. But bass aren’t the only fish that love twitch baits, as walleyes and northerns will also readily suck in these lures.

In the early part of the season, inside the weedlines on these food flats can be extremely productive. Later in June, the deep weedline will become the focus as many bass gradually migrate to the deeper water.

Bass angling is definitely a passion of mine, but I’m not alone. Many have fallen victim to the allure of catching this feisty and cooperative fish. Although some bass can be found shallow at all times of the summer, I believe the first couple months of the season are hard to beat when targeting the shallows.