Jigs and red crankbaits in the spring are the rule of thumb, Jolley said. They’ve worked well for him over time.

Patoka Lake covers 8,800 acres in southern Indiana. The lake is located on state routes 145 and 164 in Dubois, Crawford and Orange counties.

For more information, contact District 7 at (812) 789-2724, the park office at (812) 685-2464 or Jeff’s Boat and Guns at (812) 482-6672.

For tourism information, visit the Patoka Lake Association’s Web site at www.PatokaLakeIndiana.com

MONROE RESERVOIR
“Monroe is good in the spring and is definitely a crankbait lake,” said Dedra Hawkins of the Fishin’ Shed bait shop. “Bass will be moving into the shallows at this time of the year and will be using shoreline cover like fallen trees. Occasionally, there’s a bass taken from 8 to 10 pounds.”

Hawkins’ choice of spring hotspots is what the locals call the Idle, which is the no-wake part of the lake. There are many laydowns, brush and stumps. This area has a tendency in the early spring to warm faster than other areas of the lake.

The second choice for good spring action is Saddle Creek Bay. The creek channel runs along the mouth of the bay, and there is great cover near the 10- to 20-foot depths, rock ledges and walls with deeper water close by.

Spinnerbaits and crankbaits in light browns and purple will do the trick in the Idle. Switch to watermelon- or pumpkinseed-colored, Carolina-rigged plastic worms and lizards for Saddle Creek Bay.

Tournament angler Paul Jolley finds plenty of largemouths in the main-lake basin in March, right before the spawners move into the Idle in April and May. Many baits work well, but Jolley is willing to put his money on a 4- to 6-inch jerkbait like a Lucky Strike, Smithwick or a Pointer 78 or 100. Suspending jerkbaits, jig-and-pork frogs and big-bladed spinnerbaits all hold out plenty of springtime promise. Once the water warms into the 50s, a Rat-L-Trap is the bait of choice.

During a tournament a few years ago, Jolley and a partner had a 29-pound weigh-in on Monroe that didn’t win the tournament! His best bass from Monroe is a 7-pound largemouth, but he believes he’s had 8- and 9-pound fish on the line and lost them.

Phil Wilson at the Monroe Reservoir office handles the permits for the bass tournaments and said there are several of them on the lake every year. In his opinion, Monroe is still one of the finest bass lakes in the state.

A fisheries survey conducted in the spring of 2007 showed the lake is producing good largemouth fishing, said fisheries biologist Dave Kittaka.

According to Kittaka, early-season anglers should target the largemouths on the inflowing creek channels. The smaller creek channels dry up in the summer and the grass and willows grow in the streambeds. When the water comes back to full pool, the vegetation is 5 to 6 feet under the water’s surface. This is when grassbeds become exceptional bass magnets.

Monroe Reservoir covers 10,750 acres southeast of Bloomington in Brown, Jackson and Monroe counties. For more information, contact District 6 at (812) 279-1215 or the Fishin’ Shed at (812) 837-9474. Contact the Jackson County Visitor Center at (888) 524-1914 or online at www.jacksoncountyin.com