Ice Out Blade Baits for Bass

Ice Out Blade Baits have allowed me to be successful chasing both brown and green bass in water so cold my companions and I often had to break ice to get to them. Some of my best days fishing for Northern smallmouths came in this range. If you’re like me, you’re ready to get out there, regardless of what the calendar says. If you’re after bass in a northern clime, here’s how to succeed with these techniques.

Speaking of old-school, the Binsky blade bait has been catching bass for many years. It continues to be one of the most effective lures for frigid water. Readers will recognize the Silver Buddy as an early version. Today, a number of manufacturers make blade baits (though The Binsky works the best). Blade baits mimic dying baitfish. They work equally well from Canada to Tennessee in early spring, for all species of bass. Fish them on outside weedlines in natural lakes for largemouths and around bridges for spotted bass. Also, use them on channel swings and points for reservoir smallmouths. The key to fishing the Binsky is not to overwork the lure. Small, short hops maintaining bottom contact are always best. I stand by a simple rule. When hopping the lure, as soon as you feel the vibration, set it back down on the bottom. Fish blade baits on casting gear and 12-pound line for best feel and results when using Ice Out Blade Baits.

Ice Out Blade Baits

The Binsky blade bait is a versatile, productive, and underutilized lure.

For those deep water fish, a blade bait is tough to beat as it provides vibration and flash that are key when working lethargic cold-water fish. A vertical presentation lets you fish this bait directly under the boat or on a cast. When you mark fish on your electronics, you can work this bait in the depth you see them and on the bottom. It is best fished when casting this bait by lightly hopping it on the bottom, creating a subtle vibration and flash. You can adjust your retrieve to be aggressive to increase vibration to incite a reaction bite. A 1/4oz to 3/4oz Binsky blade bait are great baits to fish either technique when utilizing blade baits during ice out.

Know Your Quarry

Bass, like all freshwater fish, are cold-blooded creatures. Everything in their world revolves around temperature. Their body temperature and activity level directly correspond to their surroundings. While it may be hard for us to grasp the importance of this in our fishing, understand that a single degree of increased water temperature can be a big deal to fish in the early spring, especially when using Ice Out Blade Baits.

So our first step when searching for ice out blade baits bass should be to find the warmest water. Once the sun and wind hit open areas for a few days, the shallows warm up quick. Look at the coves on the northern side of your fishing hole. They get the most sunlight this time of year. Begin your search on shorelines with dark bottoms. When looking for largemouth bass, check bays that are often weed-choked in summer. Chunk-rock shorelines, correspondingly, attract smallies, making them ideal for Ice Out Blade Baits.

Bass, like all freshwater fish, are cold-blooded creatures.

In any case, it’s all about the warming factor. Objects that absorb heat help. Floating boat docks are bass magnets in the spring. So are dock pilings and sea walls. Rip-rap banks, like those along most dams, are great places to spend an afternoon. And, in the event that a warm spring rain is in the works, rush to any culverts or feeder creeks once they begin to empty. Be sure your boat has a temperature gauge of some sort (almost every modern depth-finder includes this feature). Keep your eye on it when moving from spot to spot. Never overlook the importance of a slight change in temperature when fishing with Ice Out Blade Baits.

One more thing, regarding fishing spots. Early spring brings a migration of fish to the shallows, but they don’t show up haphazardly. Like all animals in nature, bass follow a route, and they prefer edges. They’ll move from the deepest basins to the protected coves. However, they often do so along a creek channel or by sliding up a long point. Find the route of the bass when using Ice Out Blade Baits, and you’ll be able to follow along.