Mark Zona points anglers in the right direction for targeting bass in Zones 5 during May.
In May, Zona advises that the fish are coming in numbers and focused on one thing – eating. “What I'm looking for is the biggest dinner plate that the body of water can offer - which are flats. [Flats] warm the fastest and is also going to be very close to where they'll spawn in late May going into June,” shares Zona.
He is always on the hunt to find the areas in which there is a mixture of cover – grass to gravel, gravel to sand – and where there is a lot of wind. Zona also focuses on using moving baits.
“The summary here – we're throwing all moving baits and collision baits. Don't get me wrong, I use slower baits, but I primarily use moving baits to find them before using something slower. The fish are aggressive enough that you definitely want to start with the moving baits,” offers Zona.
Zona uses this ½-oz swimbait when fishing in flats, including grass, gravel, and sand. If the water is clear, Zona prefers Bluegill. In stained water, he switches to Baby Carp. For muddy water, Zona will favor Green Tomato.
Zona fishes the Red Eyed Shad on a Lew’s Signature Series KVD 7’ Cranking Rod, pairing it with a Lew’s Pro TI 7.5:1 baitcast reel. He fishes with 15 lb fluorocarbon line.
Zona likes to fish with the ½- oz Thunder Cricket when fishing flats, including grass, gravel, and sand. Zona’s choice for clear water is Green Pumpkin, while he opts for Blue Craw if the water is stained. Zona favors Fire Craw in muddy water.
He switches to a Lew’s KVD Series 7’4” Squarebill Rod and pairs it with a HyperMag 8.3:1 baitcast reel. He uses 20 lb fluorocarbon line with this setup.
This KVD J300 is one of Zona‘s top choices when fishing flats where there is grass, gravel, and sand. He opts for Clear Water Minnow in clear water, and switches to AYU if the water is stained. For muddy water, he will throw Summer Sexy Shad.
Zona throws the KVD J300 on a Lew’s 7’ Medium Heavy Rod and a Custom Lite 7.5:1 reel. He spools the combo with 12 lb fluorocarbon line
