Sean Peddicord shows a 5.32-pound bass caught on a spinnerbait during a spring tournament in 2005.

Tidal bass anglers know that when the bite of winter passes, the bite of bass turns on in true form. But for the bass fisherman, spring isn't determined by the calendar, rather water temperature. Take, for example, the early water temperatures on the Susquehanna River and flats for the last few years. Heavy runoff from winter's snow yielded colder than normal water temperatures and quite a silty stain. These are truly tough conditions for which to start any fishing season.

If you take a poll of bass guys, you will find a variance in what water temperature they believe bass become active. Is there a true scientific answer? Most likely, but much like humans, bass are individuals and have their own comfort levels.

Sean Peddicord, an X-Citer Baits pro staff member, has a personal feeling. Bass move up sooner than many anglers believe, says the avid tournament fisherman. He trusts that they come up out of deeper wintering holes when the water temperature reaches 42 degrees. He is adamant that 45 degrees is perfect! In many years, you can find 42 to 45-degree water temperatures as early as mid-March. On the Susquehanna River and back channel of the flats, he looks for bass to move up to the first structural break in 5 to 10 foot depths. In other upper Chesapeake bass waters like, Still Pond, Dundee Creek, and the Gunpowder River, Peddicord finds that the first break line may only be in 4 to 6 foot depths. Rock or wood cover in these zones is a plus to key on bass. A good depth/fish finder unit is a plus.

Many bass anglers feel that they should start off in spring with small baits. Tubes, grubs, or smaller versions of creature baits are often the favorite spring lure choices. These lures may catch numbers, but often fall short when looking for the quality bite. As bass become active, so do many finfish species on which they feed. Herring and several species of shad are found in the rivers and flats before heading to their spawning grounds. Peddicord's number one lure for spring is a white1/2-ounce X-Citer spinnerbait. He uses the model with tandem nickel Colorado blades.

The large profile of a 1/2-ounce bait and white hue closely match the image of these forage species. He feels that he gets as many bites, and the bigger bait is more appealing to larger bass.

Sean prefers to have a large Colorado blade, size 4 1/2 to 5, at the rear of the spinnerbait. These aren't quite the size of a Volkswagen hubcap, but they are on the larger side of the spectrum. The circular style blade puts out a vibration that bass can feel from good distances. This is important when fishing for the lethargic bass of early spring, especially in heavily stained water. The big thumping blade also allows Sean to feel what the lure is doing along the retrieve.

Peddicord says that it is difficult to fish a spinnerbait with Colorado blades slowly. By design, the blades aid in lifting the lure up through the water column. He has to retrieve the lure painstakingly slow, turning the blades every so slightly. Sean even stops cranking completely to let it settle back to the bottom if he feels the bait is too high off the bottom. This flutter often produces the strike - a strike that can be extremely hard to detect. For these reasons he uses a 6 1/2-foot medium power Woo Daves spinnerbait rod. The sensitivity of the rod allows him to feel every rotation of the slowly turning blade. And in contrast, this same sensitivity allows him to feel no turn of the blade, which is an indication that a bass has taken the bait.

As spring moves on, Sean finds bass within grass beds and along wooded shorelines. Because he is not fishing as deep, he chooses a lighter 3/8 or 1/4-ounce spinnerbait. For grass and wood he prefers tandem willow blades, which come through the cover without snagging moss or vegetation as easily as do rounded blades.

While spring grass beds aren't in full bloom, there are still defined edges. The outside edge, which is farthest from the shoreline, is generally the deepest. He casts his spinnerbait ahead of the boat and parallels the edge. As with fishing early spring structure, Sean looks for cover along the vegetation line. A rock, driftwood, or washed in log provides a current break and a place for bass to ambush prey.

Shorelines with deadfall trees are found throughout most upper Chesapeake bass waters. Sean prefers the shoreline along the back channel and leaves no tree to chance. Those deadfalls that have held bass in the past get his utmost attention. He will make multiple casts at various angles and retrieve speeds. He likens this to teasing the family cat with a ball on a string. The cat may not grab the ball on the first toss, but put that ball in her face enough times and she will pounce it when she is irritated. You may not get that bass to strike on the first, fifth, or tenth cast, but the twelfth cast at the right angle and/or speed, may be just enough to provoke the strike.

Spinnerbaits are one of the most versatile lures in our tackle boxes. In early spring they are often overlooked. Sean Peddicord used his spinnerbait pattern to bring limits of bass, including lunkers in the 5 to 7-pound range, to the scales in upper bay tournaments last spring. Go slow and steady along structural breaks early, then follow bass to grass and wood as waters warm. Sean's tactics will help provide you with plenty of rod-bending, bass hooking action this spring.