Yesterday in interviews we heard lots about which spawning phase is most active. Much of the bass population is in spawning mode, even though under normal seasonal conditions that would have happened last month.
According to BASSTrakk at least two largemouth weighing over 8 pounds got caught early. That is an indication of a couple of things. First, the wind has subsided enough for anglers to sight fish. Case in point is the fish in the livewell of Shaw Grigsby, one of the most skilled sight fishermen on the tour.
Most all of the anglers I interviewed yesterday said fishing for spawning phase bass is their first choice. The reason is more of those fish are in play than postspawners.
That also makes sense with the other influental factor in play. The shad spawn. Leveraging that and a sight fishing bite gives anglers a double play or bonus chance of catching more quality fish.