March Madness on the water

Published 8:38 pm Thursday, February 27, 2025

March is well known for the NCAA basketball tournaments and championships.

Although this national obsession with basketball is popular, the bass fishing enthusiasts of East Texas have other plans for March. Oh they may watch a few games, but the daylight hours will most likely be spent on the lake.

March is the time when largemouth bass head to the shallows for spawning purposes. Of course not all bass do the same thing at the same time but March will be the main course.

February was humming along at a nice warm pace and back to back polar blasts put the shallow fish in the fridge. We have been on a warming trend for the past week and this weekend is shaping up to be a great time to be on the lake.

The new moon on Feb. 27 should have pushed a wave of spawners into the spawning flats. The full moon will be on March 13, and again a new wave should roll in.

Fishing three days either side of a full or new moon has been a bass fishing recommendation for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure if there is any scientific data to back up the lunar phases vs bass catching numbers but it sounds good. As with hunting, I am a firm believer “the best time to go is when you can.” Besides, you cannot catch any fish sitting at home.

If you have access to a temperature gauge look for the warmest water you can find. The warmer pockets or bays will be on the Northwest banks. These shorelines receive the warmest sunlight of the afternoons. These pockets are also protected from the fierce north winds of cold fronts which may help as well.

Anything above 55 degrees is good but 60 degree water is the magic number.

If you are wanting to sight fish, slowly cruise these areas looking for the beds. Polarized glasses are a “requirement” for the sight fishing but I would like to point out. “You don’t have to see a bass on a bed to catch it.”

Look for the circular beds that are usually a lighter color than the surrounding bottom. This is from the bass fanning or sweeping the debris away. Throw a search bait, like a spinnerbait or rattling crankbait in the deeper water while searching for beds. Whacky rigged trick worms or Senkos are deadly on these bedding and staging fish.

Do not be afraid to cast to the shallows. Occasionally you will hear the phrase, “They’re dirt shallow.” This may be a small exaggeration but not much.

Keep in mind there are still plenty of fish offshore that have not even thought about spawning. A deep diving crankbait or Carolina rig is perfect for these deeper fish. This is the beautiful thing about March, fish seem to be everywhere and looking for your bait.

Watch the weather and get out there as soon as possible.