This time of year the weather is unpredictable. We could have bright sunshine, high winds, rain and even snow. At the minute the weather seems to be warming up which means we could have a fair weathered spring which is good for all types of fishing. The fish are beginning to become less lethargic and move around as a result of the increasing water temperatures. The fish will be moving around a lot more meaning they will be using a lot of energy resulting in them wanting to eat a lot of food which means in the spring your catch rate could increase significantly.

On a hot spring day it always good to place a bait in a shallow area in your chosen water. The fish are a lot more active and the shallows will be the first place to warm up. Throughout the day the whole lake will gradually heat up for longer. the best time to fish in the shallows is early morning to mid-day is the prime time to fish. When fishing in a shallow area of a lake it is key not to put too much bait out because as the evening sets the fish will move out to deeper water, as the shallows cool down quicker and deeper water retains heat for longer.

 

 

Baiting Procedures in the spring can be really difficult due to the variety of good and bad weather we can have. If you’re fishing in the bad weather conditions then i Personally would fish for a bite at a time. I go about this by having a small hook bait out and a small scattering of boilies (15-20 boilies), just to give the fish something to home in on. On the other hand, if we have a spring with unseasonably warm days then the fish are going to be moving a lot more making them more willing to feed due to them using more energy. This is when i would still put the small scattering of boilies but i would add the Loni’s particle mix to my boilies just to hold the fish on my spot. If you don’t like using mixed particle, you can just add either plain maize or plain hemp to your boilies. Due to the Hi-Viz colour of the maize it can be an attractor when the fish are higher up in the water which will make them want to feed on your spot.

 

 

Choosing  a hook bait in spring is down to what type of angler you are and where you are fishing. In my spring fishing i would always use a Pop-Up or Wafter but on some waters fish shy away from them so a bottom bait can work just as good. A white coloured Pop-Up is a go to colour for me personally but sometimes this doesn’t work then i will use a pink coloured Pop-Up. I would choose these two colours because the bottom of the lakes i fish vary a lot and these two always show up the best on all bottoms. If you know what the lake bed of the swim you are fishing is made of then go with a colour that you are confident in and will stand out to the fish.

 

 

This time of year also don’t rule out Zigs. This tactic is a killer method as the water is warming up the fish spend a lot of there time in the upper levels. When zig fishing always start at the top and work your way down through the water column then you will get an idea of where and what level the fish are at. Zig fishing this time of year can be harder than in the summer so you should at least commit two rods just help you know what depth the fish are swimming at, on bright days using black foam up in the water is advisable because the warping of the colours can make fish shy away. When fishing lower down in the water use colours to stand out from the lake bed. On a overcast days use coloured zigs so it stands out from the sky and lake bed.

 

 

Hopefully this has or will help you bank more fish from now on, Good Luck!

Billy.