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KK: Grand Lake in May will likely be at the end of the spawn or in post-spawn. How would you approach this?
Fritts: May is a big transition month on Grand. Some bass are done spawning, some are still spawning and in early May some may still be going to spawn. But chances are the bass will be finished spawning and in a traveling mode and hard to find. Some may even be in a sickly mode. This time of year can be terribly tough or terribly good.
But in the early part of May I would try buzz baits, top water lures like the Chug Bug, spinnerbaits or some kind of lure you can use to cover a lot of water fast. A major key of May is to cover a lot of water as effectively as possibleKK: More specifically, what are you looking for in early May?
Fritts: I look for areas like Horse creek with its shallow ridges and points. When the water is clear, Normarks fished deep is a great choice, especially a shad color with a green back in clear conditions. Murky water would rate a brown and yellow or brown and chartreuse. A lot depends on the watercolor and situation. May is full of surprises. But don't forget that you can always catch bass in May on topwater, especially on cloudy days.
KK: What if the spawn is early, the weather warm and bass are a step beyond post spawn?
Fritts: After and during the post spawn period, bass on Grand move out to points, ridges and areas where they will stay throughout the summer. I fish the middle to the mouths of creeks and look for 10-foot depths and sometime deeper. The bass will start schooling up and I throw shad-pattern crankbaits. Grand lake also has a lot of rock walls. Bass sometimes stage on these rock walls or rock bluffs before they migrate. You might also find bass suspended over deep water close to the rocks.
KK: When would you turn to plastics?
Fritts: I throw plastic quite a bit. I back crankbaits up with plastics; especially where I thought a bass should have hit. My preference on Grand in early May is Carolina rigs. When bass are not active, plastic can give a subtitle presentation bass are looking for. Carolina rigs are great until bass get aggressive. I change to a Texas rig with a big weight when bass are more aggressive. You can actually get more bites. I like the Zoom Big Dead Ringer worm with it's big tail, salt, and lots of action. This worm vibrates a lot when it falls. I have also done well in early May on Grand with the Zoom Centipede when bass are less aggressive.
KK: Do you prefer a certain type of rod this time of year?
Fritts: In May I use a 100 percent fiberglass rod for crankbait fishing. For plastics I use a 6'10 collapsible rod with medium action--especially for Carolina rigging.
KK: What is it like to fish the B.A.S.S. circuit?
Fritts: Fishing B.A.S.S. is serious business and not what a lot of people conceive it to be. Many think it is a business where you can walk away with a "wait until next time" attitude. But when you are in my situation you are paid to perform. You are paid to use your abilities and knowledge and the pressure is always on. You are paid to produce and yesterday's scores don't matter. But the rewards are big when you do well. You know you have just beaten the best. That makes it fun and takes away the pressure until you put your game face back on and start preparing for the next tournament.
