Ah, Spring

Ask what's on the mind of a fan of the outdoors today and he or she will likely say something about gobbling birds or biting fish. It happens every year when spring arrives, and this year is setting up to be one of my favorites. Balmy weather in western Kentucky has found me on the water pretty often lately. And I've caught a few bass on jerkbaits, jigs, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits, which are all mighty fun to throw. Crappie anglers are spread across the lake, and although I haven't taken much time to fish for them, I've watched many boats pull up slabs for the cooler.

I love crappie fishing and got started fishing by chasing specs, but my focus this spring seems to be on bass. I'm not sure why, but I am more excited about this season than any in the past. And I am ready to pound away at them the next few months. With that in mind, here is a list of what I want to accomplish, experiment with and learn more about this season while fishing on Kentucky Lake:

1. Big Spoons: I want to get on a bite with big spoons and toss one into a school of aggressive, competitive bass so they can thrash it a few times.

2. Frogs: I threw frogs quite a bit last summer but never really got into any big-uns. This year I am setting a goal to catch a 6-pounder on a frog.

3. Deep Cranking: This year I want to go off David Fritts style on Kentucky Lake. I want to find a ledge full of bass and ignite them with a crankbait and, hopefully, catch a few fish back-to-back-to-back-to...you get the point.

4. Swimming Jigs: This is a two-part goal: shallow and deep. I want to catch fish burning a swimming jig over submerged grass beds sometime this year on Kentucky Lake just to experience it. I also want to learn more about swimming or slow-rolling a jig on offshore structure. I think it's a technique that isn't far too common and could get hot.

5. Shaky Head: I will throw a shaky head this year. Not just once. I will throw it all season.

6. Skipping: I want to learn to skip docks with a baitcaster. I also want to get better at roll casting under and around docks with crankbaits, spinnerbaits and other lures. Essentially, I want to strenghten my casting accuracy.

7. 25 Pounds: I want to catch a 25-pound limit. I don't care how. I don't care when. I just want to catch a 25-pound limit on Kentucky Lake.

- Curt Niedermier