Riprap, lily pads are keys to lake’s great largemouths
Maynor Creek just west of Waynesboro is a productive lake for bass in March because it has numbers of big bass in its shallow water.
On the northern end of the lake, you’ll see a bridge that crosses the creek, where the riprap creates a funnel for bass headed to the shallow spawning grounds above the bridge. Bass usually hold in the riprap on either side of the bridge, where they can eat the spawning shad and hold close to the rocks in the winter, spring and summer. Since the riprap generally is only a hot spot for an hour or less daily, I try to fish the riprap points early.
The best baits
- Zara Spook. I’ll start off with a walking topwater bait like the Zara Spook, using a 6-foot-9 medium-action FX Custom rod with a 7.3:1 Bruin reel. The rod will have 30-pound bass braid with a 17-pound monofilament leader. The leader keeps the hooks from getting tangled up in the braid
In March, bass will be feeding early, and I’ll work the Spook with a walk-the-dog retrieve, sliding the bait until it stops, then jerking it and letting it slide and pause before I twitch it again.
- Baby 1-Minus. Along the riprap, I expect to catch bass from 1 to 8 pounds. If I’m not catching many fish, I’ll switch over to the shad-colored Mann’s Baby 1-Minus crankbait, on a 7-foot-1, medium-action FX Custom cranking rod with 20-pound White Peacock fluorocarbon. I’ll bump this bait off the rocks and reel it fast to imitate a shad that’s trying to get away from a bass. I’ll only fish from the point of the riprap down the creek about 40 yards to where the most bass tend to concentrate. I will usually only spend about 30 minutes fishing the bridge, because the bass will be there and bite quickly, or they won’t be there.
Lily pad targets
Before I start fishing the lily pad clumps, I’ll observe them to see if I can see any movement indicating that a bass is there. If there’s movement, I’ll make seven or eight casts to the clumps.
Paul, Wanted to drop you a line and again thank you for the great time Lance and I had. The time spent with you on the electronics was amazing,but the real deal was when we put that knowledge and applied it out on the water on Friday.We guessed our best 5 would of been in the 42 lb range, with both of us catching our personal best fish of our lifes.We had 2 over 10 and 1 around 9 from your lake. We are getting ready to start into the Everstart series this year and your class will definitely help us out.
Just a quick email to let you know how much I enjoyed my trip to Pachuta. As an avid angler I found In-Depth Fishing to be a master's level course in the sport of bass fishing. I learned a great deal and it was fun to apply the lessons while catching lunker bass (see photos). Lake Eddins is an extraordinary fishery!