"You don't really fish any different for the different species in the spring because they are all on the same program," Dobyns said. "They are moving up to eat and get ready to spawn. All bass do it. No just some of them. They are all after the same kind of feed too."

Discovering main food sources is vital. This allows you to choose ideal colors and lure imitations before you launch. Food may consist of, but is not limited to crawdads, rainbow trout, shad, minnows, panfish, pond smelt, kokanee and others. Each water will have something on which bass feed heavily during spring. (Continued)

Learning what facilities are available plays a part in how you approach the system. Some waters may only offer shore fishing; others may allow electric motors, float tubes or canoes, but no motorized boats. Check into whether a gravel or dirt launching area is available and the current state of launching conditions. You don't want to haul your boat to a lake only to find out that low water had closed the ramp. In many cases, a bass boat may be too big. It might be necessary to launch a car-top or aluminum boat. Selected waters may not permit launching, whereas you'd be forced to rent a boat.

WATER COLOR
If you can find out what color the water is in the spring or what tint it has to it, you'll be able to narrow your bait choices. Water clarity often dictates the bait you use and the technique you employ.

"The clearer water is the more you are going to have to use a more finesse style and downsize baits," says Dobyns, who recommends downsizing line, spinnerbaits and worms under clear conditions. Colored water is different. "Colored water warms faster, for starters. It holds the heat better than clear water and the fish become more active faster than they would in clear reservoirs."

In colored water, you need to adjust techniques. For example, you don't need to use light line; spinnerbaits, jigs and flipping is effective.

One of the most important items you don't want to overlook is structure. If you can get someone on the phone who knows about the lake or river, ask him or her what structure is present. Are there tules, fallen timber, brush, rocks, standing timber? These are all prime bass-holding areas and things you should be familiar with.

STUDY THE SHORELINE
Now that you are a little more familiar with the water you are planning to fish, you'll have a tad more work to do once you get to the lake. Right before you hit the water there are several more things you can do to increase catch rates. The first should be to survey the landmass. Studying the shoreline can give you a good indication of what structure the water has to offer and where the most bass will be.

"What am I looking for is something that sticks out," Dobyns said. "Are there a bunch of flats or am I looking at deep, steep banks with a bunch of boulders? Am I going to be locking on points only or are there flats I can throw on?"

Scanning the shoreline before preparing to launch your boat is a sure way to better fishing. Patience is important. It is better to take the time to scan the lake's structure and look at lake maps prior to fishing than to rush into making your first cast.

"The first thing I do on a new lake is to drive around in the boat and look to see what's available. I make sure to survey the land," he said. "You can learn a lot by scanning the lake's shorelines."