Tony Lain's Tips: Vibrating Jigs and the Havasu Late Season Through the Pre-Spawn Bite
Late fall through winter, all the way to the spawn period, is the time to present vibrating jigs on Lake Havasu.
By Derrek Stewart
12/9/25
Late fall through
winter, up to the spawn period, is prime time to use reaction baits like
the Jackhammer Vibrating Jig to deceive Lake Havasu bass.
Where to Fish, What to Look For
"You're searching for healthy submerged vegetation, primarily grass, and abundant bait in
the same location," explains Tony Lain. At Havasu, the bait is often
Gizzard Shad. Covering water, Lain uses his eyes and sonar to search for these
crucial spots. Grass-eating birds, such as Coots, on the surface will signify
vigorous grass below. Common bait-fish-eating birds found on Lake Havasu include Seagulls and Grebes; finding them actively working bait on and
below the surface is optimal.
Left to right: An American Coot, a grass eater, Seagulls, and a
Grebe, both baitfish eaters.
Coots moving on the surface between dives is a strong indication
that you've found the right submerged grass.
After finding birds
that narrow down the search for the right water, Lain will verify the
subsurface situation using his Lowrance Active Target sonar. Lain is looking
for a depth zone of 15 to 10 feet or less. Lain explains that this depth zone
is productive year-round on Havasu; you don't need to go any deeper to catch bass.
Lain's sonar screen image shows the exact location under the
Coots, in front of the tulle shoreline, as in the previous image above. The
sonar displays vegetation rising from 8 feet to 4 feet, with baitfish suspended
above. Visually seeing Coots on the surface, combined with the sonar display,
warrants investigation.
Cover Water
"You'll
encounter a lot of unproductive water this time of year." During
tournaments, time is precious; don't waste it on 'dead water.' Fishing through an area quickly until you find biting bass, covering as much
water efficiently as possible, is vital to success.
The Jackhammer
Vibrating jigs are
also known as Chatterbaits. During tournaments, when money is on the line,
there's only one vibrating jig Lain has tied on, the JackHammer. The Jackhammer
is a collaboration between Z-Man Fishing Products (USA) and Evergreen
International (Japan), designed by professional angler Brett Hite.
Lain's Jackhammer tackle box.
The Jackhammer
features a superior blade design that cuts through the water with less drag and
instant vibration with a pronounced "thump." The head design runs
deep, effectively cutting through grass with an immediate erratic movement. The
Jackhammer costs more, but it's the industry benchmark. "The jackhammer,
directly out of the package, has components and manufacturing that are
superior."
Color Patterns and Size
Lain uses three
prime color patterns. During winter into early spring, shad colors are Lain's
go-to pattern. From spring and the spawn period, Lain will switch to crawdad
colors. Through the post-spawn period, when bass are guarding fry, and even
into summer, the bluegill pattern dominates for Lain.
Shad colors are Lain's winter pattern.
"When a female
bass lays her eggs on the nesting bed, I'll still test shad patterns,"
advises Lain. Havasu's gizzard shad are notorious for robbing nest eggs. The strong thump of a vibrating jig has the aquatic swimming signature of a
larger prey item, making it an excellent imitation of gizzard shad and
bluegill.
Crawdad pattern atop, Bluegill model below. Take note of the
pintail style trailer bait in the two images above.
In most situations,
Lain uses a 1/2-ounce model. Occasionally, in shallower water, he'll
"slow-roll" a lighter 3/8-ounce size. Lain likes to match the trailer
bait color to the vibrating jig's skirt color, emphasizing the prey item
pattern throughout the lure.
Trailers
Lain doesn't use
soft-plastic boot-tail swimbaits as vibrating jig trailers. "A boot-tail
is prone to tumbling in the wind." In the water, the vortex produced
by the front blade of a vibrating jig will cheat the action of a swimbait's boot-tail. Lain prefers a minnow-shaped soft plastic bait with a pintail design as a
trailer. Hog Farmer, Missile Baits, and other manufacturers make excellent
pintail trailers. "A pintail trailer has excellent erratic hunting action
when you impart a snapping motion with the rod during the bait's
retrieve."
Equipment
Several rod
manufacturers produce rods designed explicitly for presenting vibrating jigs.
Lain's fishing rod of choice for vibrating jigs is a 7’-3" fiberglass rod,
rated for lures 1/2 to 2 ounces, and a line rating of 10 – 20 pounds. What
makes a fiberglass rod a good choice for crankbaits also makes them perfect for
vibrating jigs. A fiberglass rod has a moderate, parabolic bend that acts
like a shock absorber. A glass rod design cushions the sudden impact, head
shakes, and jumps from a hooked bass, allowing an angler to maintain constant
pressure on the fish without ripping treble hooks free from the fish's mouth.
Lain uses a 7:1
gear ratio baitcasting reel spooled with 16-pound fluorocarbon line. "I
like this gear ratio for catching up to the slack line resulting from snapping
a vibrating jig out of the grass." Staying tight to your lure is
critical for detecting a bite, and ripping free from submerged vegetation often
triggers a bass to strike.
Why Bass Feed Heavily during Winter through Spring
A hefty largemouth bass swimming through submerged aquatic vegetation.
It's during this
time of year that fish are feeding heavily, looking to accumulate energy
reserves and fat storage needed for the physically demanding spawning season.
The spawning cycle is energy-intensive, and these reserves are necessary for
reproductive success. From developing eggs and milt, building nesting beds,
competing for mates, mating, guarding eggs, protecting fry, and recovering,
there is no time for bass to feed and nurture themselves.
Bluegill
are troublesome nest raiders for bass during the spawning season.
Most fish,
including bass, are cold-blooded. As spring and the spawning period approach,
water begins to warm. The temperature increase triggers a heightened metabolism
rate in cold-blooded fish. A climbing metabolic rate during the spawn is
another critical reason pre-spawn feeding is vital.
Lake
Havasu has a healthy population of tournament-winning smallmouth bass.
For a bass,
spawning is an extremely exhausting life cycle. The aggressive feeding phase,
known as the "pre-spawn bite," is a crucial survival strategy.
Without this instinctive feeding practice, the continuation of the species
couldn't succeed. Tapping into the habits of pre-spawn feeding bass by
selecting lures and applying techniques that match the nature of predatory fish
is not only effective but also a lot of fun.
Not Just a Havasu Pattern
This article is intrinsic to Tony Lain’s Lake Havasu,
Arizona experience. However, there’s value to be garnered and reapplied in
similar situations wherever you happen to pursue bass. As with all angling lessons,
your goal isn’t to directly copy this information. An angler’s goal should be
to understand the fundamental foundation of all learning exposure, then reapply
the baseline to how you, as an individual fish, with the equipment you like to
use. In doing so, you’ll make insights of your own, placing yourself on the best
path to handling the unique fishing scenarios you’re going to encounter.
Once again, Lain has shared valuable angling tips on
targeting and catching bass. You can search the article pages here at DSF to
locate more outstanding insights from Tony Lain. Be sure to follow Lain on –
Photo
credit: American Coot image by Rhododendrites. Grebe image by Andreas Eichler.
Both Coot and Grebe images licensed for use under Creative Commons -https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en.Largemouth
bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Bluegill images licensed by Engbretson Underwater
Photography. Seagull image by DSF. All other images, including the title image, were provided by Tony Lain. All
rights reserved.
