We are heading into summer and I am reflecting back over the spring and how I used Ima baits to catch a lot more bass this year. My season kicked off with a lot of fishing on Lake of the Ozarks. Lake of the Ozarks is known as one of the premier late winter/early spring jerkbait lakes in the country.  There are a couple of reasons why it is such a great winter time lake. The lake has a million primary and secondary points and the bass stay relatively shallow all winter long. When you combine that will enough water clarity you get a lake that is set up for the best jerkbait fishing in the country.  I used the Ima flit 120 to catch a lot of bass from February on into March on this lake. The best color patterns for me were Pro Blue and Ghost Tennessee Shad. I would throw the bait on 8lb fluorocarbon line on chunk rock points and channel swings and work it back to the boat with short twitches of the rod. Usually two quick snaps and a 5 to 6 second pause was all that was needed to get the bass to react. The Ima baits came into play in a couple of my tournaments as well. I took 8th place in an Anglers in Action Team Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks against the best local competition that the Lake has to offer with the help of the flit as well as a 5th place finish in an open tournament that was put on by the Jefferson City Bass Club.

Along with spending time on Lake of the Ozarks I was on Kentucky Lake for a week in early March practicing for the National Guard College Fishing National Championship. Throughout the week I caught a lot of bass on the ima  flit 120 including one of my biggest bass ever on that lake. A 7lb 8 oz brute that fell for the flit 120 in the Tennessee Shad pattern. The fish bit on a rocky primary point and my rod loaded up. I could feel the fish surge under the boat and after walking the fish around the boat a couple of times it finally surfaced. I reached down and scooped up the brute and was able to take a couple of pictures. I caught a bunch of other keepers that week despite the windy and rainy conditions. Once again the Ima flit had proven its fish catching ability on yet another body of water.

Later on in March I had visited Kentucky Lake again. The water was in the mid to upper 50's and it was in the bushes. The bass on Kentucky Lake however I learned do not head to the bushes until it is time to spawn. While a lot of anglers where flipping the heavy cover that was flooded with little results I got out on the flooded flats with the Ima Rock N' Vibe and the Ima Shaker and caught plenty of fish relating to the old bank lines. The best colors on this trip were Wounded Shad and Hot Craw. The bass on Kentucky Lake I learned love a bright red lipless bait burning by their heads as well as a shallow running crankbait. I would throw the Rock N' Vibe or the Shaker out and burn it back to the boat and the fish would slam it. The other retrieve that caught its fair share of fish was letting it go all the way to the bottom on the cast and then snapping my rod tip up to the 12 o'clock position. The fish almost always would be on the line after I would reel in the slack and go to rip it up off the bottom again. It was some fast and furious fishing for sure!

When the National Guard College Fishing Regional Championship finally came around the lake had fallen 7 feet. The lake had been in a funk and the fishing was really tough. Most of the college teams were struggling. There were a couple of teams that failed to weigh in even a fish. I along with my partner placed a respectable 10th in the tournament against the best college anglers in the country. One of the key fish we caught on the second day was a 4 and a half pound largemouth that bit the Rock N'Vibe in Chartreuse Shad on a shallow rip rap point.

Recently I have been spending a great deal of time fishing the Lake of the Ozarks. This year has been a little different as there are still fish spawning, some in pre spawn and some in the post spawn stage of the game. Usually by this time of the year the bass are done with spawning and heading out to the main lake. Spawning as well as post spawn fish are some of my favorite fish to target with topwater baits. On Lake of the Ozarks I have been targeting the bedding bass with the Ima Skimmer as well as the fish that are keying in on the shad spawn. When the water starts to get into the upper 60's the shad start to spawn and run the banks. You can take advantage of a great topwater bite by targeting the Lakes sea walls in the early morning hours and throughout the day where the shad have been known to spawn.  One of the best ways to catch them has been to throw the Skimmer behind the dock cables on the lake as well. The bait has a great side to side action which allows you to keep it in the strike zone for a much longer period of time than say a buzzbait. Some days they will eat the buzzbait but when the fish are sluggish the Skimmer has been the go to topwater. The bass like to hang out under the walkways and the Skimmer splashing over their heads drives them crazy. The bait  has also proved to be really affective on some of the Lakes larger spotted bass. I caught a spot on my last trip out on Lake of the Ozarks on the Skimmer that was about 3lbs. The lake limit on spots is just 12 inches. The best colors have been the Wounded Albino and Black Widow.

Looking back it's clear that for the spring season there is a bait that Ima offers that will put bass in your boat! Whatever bait you decide to pick up you know you have a high quality bait that is going to perform under whatever conditions you face! I'm really looking forward to using my Ima baits in  the upcoming months as some of the best fishing the year has to offer is on its way! Good Fishing and God Bless!