When I go bass fishing I tend to carry a variety of baits, but no matter what the season, the one bait I always have with me is a selection of spinner baits.

If it is spring, summer, or the dead of winter, I know I can always catch bass on a spinner bait. There are a variety of baits on the market and the combination of colors and blades can be overwhelming but I tend to throw a few combinations that seem so work all year.

In the spring I like to throw a small spinner bait with willow leaf blades. This bait tends to reflect the small bait fish for this time of year. In the summer I throw a double willow leaf blade that has lots of flash.

The double blade looks like multiple baitfish shooting through the water. In the fall it is a Colorado blade that gives off lots of vibration and brings the fish to the bait.

In the winter it is a large, slow rolling Colorado that I bring back to the boat as slow as it will roll.

All these blades have a few things in common, which are most are about a half ounce in weight and are white or chartreuse and white in color.

If I am fishing an off color water, such as a creek, then I throw an off color bait.

If the water is clear then I throw a white one but if I get a short strike then I switch to another color right away. If the water is cold like right now I look for drop offs into deeper water and slow roll the bait into the deep water or I let it fall and slow roll it back up the bank. When the water warms up then so does my retrieve.

What’s biting, where...

The fishing report for offshore is looking great with tons of blue fin tuna being caught. We had one day this week out of Oregon Inlet with 13 releases and two brought back.

Some of these fish are more than 300 pounds and can take two hours to bring to the boat even on the heaviest of tackle. If you ever wanted to catch one then now is the time to book your trip.

The beach is still looking slow with skate and dogfish taking your bait but it is only a matter of time till that turns around.

The local scene is looking up with some largemouth being caught in the ponds on spinner baits and swim baits. Local anglers are scoring fish in most of the ponds in the areas but the ones with color in them seem to be heating up faster and getting more strikes.

Look for the fish to be posted up in front of the spawning beds chasing shad and other bait fish. I scored a nice fish this week on a spinner bait in bluegill color just off the deep water out of sight.

The crappie are also working their way into some boats with live shiners on bobbers and small jigs. Dave from the Bait Barn told me that the hardest part about trying to catch the crappie in the North River is keeping the stripers off the hook. You may have to catch 15 or so to get a keeper but they are thick in the river right now.

If anyone gets a chance to get out this weekend then send a report to fishingwithmike921@yahoo.com or hit me up on my Facebook page, Fishing With Mike, and I will be happy to get it into next week’s report.