When the warm breezes of spring first ruffle the frigid surface waters of winter, bass start to stir from their chilly lethargy, too. As they emerge from their cold-season doldrums, they begin moving toward the shallows to take part in their annual spawning rituals. This transition period, commonly known as the pre-spawn, can be one of the best times of the year to catch multiple quality fish and maybe a bona fide wallhanger as well.

Skeet Reese knows what works. As a pro, he can't afford to waste time on unproductive lures and tactics. Photo courtesy of www.skeetreeseinc.com.

Like most things in fishing, however, the pre-spawn bite is anything but guaranteed. Today's 3- and 4-pounders that won't leave your crankbait alone may well hunker down tomorrow and turn up their snouts at anything but a jig or plastic worm slowly crawled along the bottom.

We had a chance to check in with three of the top pros from the western U.S. currently competing on the national stage to get their thoughts on where to find these transition bass and what to throw to trip their triggers. Two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Fred Roumbanis, 2005 BASS Angler of the Year Aaron Martens, and 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese weighed in with their thoughts on the haunts and habits of springtime's early bass.

PRE-SPAWN FUNDAMENTALS
Fred Roumbanis doesn't mark the pre-spawn so much by the calendar as by signs from nature. "The days are getting warmer, the birds are chirping in the morning, and the leaves are starting to bud on the trees. Water temperatures get into the low to high 50s, and the bass start moving from deep water toward the shallows."

Another buzzword of spring bassin' is "staging area." Aaron Martens defines that as a spot where the fish congregate on their path to shallow water. "During the pre-spawn, fish tend to school up," Martens comments, "and they also move a lot." Roumbanis thinks of staging areas as ledges, breaks or steps. "It might be a flat that rolls into a point. It's usually something with a vertical drop to it."

What are some typical staging areas? These pros state that they range from the obvious to the subtle.

Natural Lakes
Reese notes that their north ends will warm faster because of greater sun exposure and, as a result, their resident bass will turn on first. Dirty water will also accelerate the bite. Small tule points and entrances to manmade canals or creek arms can position bass. Martens adds that boat docks can also concentrate fish, although it can be a guessing game to identify the productive ones, as only one out of 20 or 30 may hold a sizeable number of bass.

Tidal Waters
Roumbanis favors the lakes or ponds that exist in these waters rather than their channels or sloughs. "If you can stay fairly close to the main river while remaining in a pond, and then find a ditch, you'll have success." On places like the California Delta, both Reese and Martens add that "peat beds," which are basically large, submerged mounds of dirt, can be key holding areas. Although they can be difficult to find, Reese theorizes that their vertical edges are attractive to bass during the months of early spring.