Once the water temperatures climb a few degrees from their wintertime lows, bass start to move out of their deep winter lairs and begin feeding, especially large females. Big female largemouth must eat heartily to promote egg development for the coming spawn.

The best time to catch trophy bass is when they move shallow in spring. Large fish are notorious loners for most of the year and hide in deep water or in the densest, most impenetrable cover they can find. After they move out of the winter sanctuary to the shallows, the bass are hungry, active and available to lures.

Water in small lakes warms a little earlier in spring than in reservoirs composed of tens of thousands of acres of water. So often, smaller lakes, along with farm ponds, are the best to target for the first good chance at big, pre-spawn bass.

In western Kentucky, Lake Malone is a perennial producer of large bass. Some anglers find the lake difficult to fish because it is steep-sided and deep. However, in spring, target small tributaries, coves and any area where warmer rainwater enters the lake. A black and blue jig and pig combination worked along the bottom in these areas draws strikes. Weed beds are also excellent springtime areas to work with a lipless crankbait, plastic worm or a soft plastic jerkbait. There is a good population of 3-to 5-pound largemouth bass in Lake Malone with potential for a bass over seven pounds.

In south central Kentucky, little 36-acre Spurlington Lake northeast of Campbellsville is an overlooked largemouth bass lake. Spurlington Lake holds a sizeable population of 12-to15-inch bass with the occasional trophy over 20 inches. The numbers of fish in the 8-to12-inch range indicate the good fishing should continue in the future. Work the edge of weedbeds along the shore in spring with watermelon and red flake grubs.

In Central Kentucky, Guist Creek Lake annually surrenders trophy bass. The lake has great numbers of bass from 12 to 19 inches along with trophies over 6 pounds. The lake receives a lot of fishing pressure because of its proximity to Louisville and this can make the fishing tough, but bass anglers on the lake need to get away from the bank. Landing your lure where the boat is located if you were casting to the bank would separate you from a lot of anglers on Guist Creek Lake. The coves and cuts near the dam are excellent trophy areas in spring as are the mud flats found on the outside bends of the lake.

Kincaid Lake in northeastern Kentucky is another consistent producer of big bass, but like Guist Creek Lake, Kincaid is a difficult lake to fish. Kincaid Lake has a great number of bass between 15 and 20 inches long with good trophy fish potential. Embayments on the north shore with woody structure hold good bass at this time of the year. As the water warms in spring, the emerging weedbeds hold bass in Kincaid Lake.

In eastern Kentucky, Pan Bowl Lake across Highway 15 from Jackson is one of the most overlooked bass lakes in Kentucky. Pan Bowl Lake has abundant weedbeds, treetops and brush that hold spring bass. The lake holds good numbers of bass from 15 to 20 inches long and the occasional fish over 21 inches. A lightweight purple straight tailed worm worked over the weedbeds and treetops provokes strikes on Pan Bowl Lake.