Bass pounce springtime ‘salad’

Something is peeking its head from beneath the surface of the water, and it has bass anglers beaming.

The water willow and other aquatic grasses are starting to grow rapidly, forming a treasure trove of fishing opportunity.

One favorite lake among Arkansas’ anglers is Lake Dardanelle, which has an abundance of water willow. During late spring, the shoreline grass covers many of the bays and backwaters of the Arkansas River impoundment. It’s always high on the list of targets for people looking for largemouth bass.

Frank Leone, district fisheries supervisor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in Russellville, said water willow is one of his favorite targets when it begins to surface.

“Plants like water willow normally get their start for the year in late April,” Leone said. “This spring was very cool, and we were a week or two behind from where it normally should have been, but it probably had a big week this last week with warm weather finally breaking through and staying.”

Leone, a transplant from Michigan who has been chasing bass since he was 11 years old, still spends at least one day a week fishing for largemouth bass.

“I fished for bullheads and drum on a canal that flowed into the Detroit River when I was 5 or 6 years old, but followed bass fishing on television shows until I finally talked my dad into getting a boat,” Leone said. “I probably didn’t fish my first tournament until about 22 or 23 years old, but have had a lot of time in the front of the boat since then.”

Coontail is another native species of aquatic grass Leone searches for in spring, but he said water willow is probably the most angler-friendly type of vegetation to fish. Its vertical structure offers plenty of ambush spots and cover for bass, but is still open enough get a lure through without constantly clearing a wad of grass off the line between casts.

“My go-to baits for fishing water willow are a white swim jig and a black or white buzz bait to get reaction strikes,” Leone said. “If I need to slow down, I’m going to pitch Texas-rigged soft-plastics in along likely targets.”

He said a critical component of fishing vegetation of any type is the line. Regular monofilament line stretches, which can cause fish and lures to bind up in aquatic vegetation. Braid and fluorocarbon lines, while more expensive, are invaluable in getting a fish out of the salad.