Bass Week: Spring BrushPile Parameters

Powered by Strike King and Lew’s

Jay Przekurat keeps his boat neat and orderly, but when it comes to the springtime shallows, he's a big fan of broken and scattered. Specifically, that’s the look he wants when he’s targeting brushpiles in the spring.

“Brushpile fishing in the spring ranks pretty high on my list,” the Stephens Point, Wisc. pro said. “It’s huge this time of year because that’s the first piece of structure that’s going to warm up.

“Also, a brushpile might have a brick tied to it. Anything hard that’s around a lot of soft bottom—generally, that’s the reason a brushpile can be really good in the springtime. I’d say it ranks up there in the top two or three pieces of structure in the springtime, if not No. 1.”

Notably, he said he applies the term “brushpile” fishing to pretty much any type of bottom oriented wood cover.

“It doesn’t have to be a ‘brushpile,’ it can be two logs laying on top of each other off the bank,” he said.

The Right Look

While just about any brushpile could hold bass, he’s pretty particular on what he’ll fish. The main criteria might be surprising—in his view bigger is not better.

“My opinion of a good brushpile is ‘not too big,’” he said. “You don’t want a massive brushpile because the fish have too many areas to hide. You can’t really get to them, and you can’t throw a bait to them effectively.”

Another point: Disjointed brushpiles actually serve him better than those of rigid, statuesque form. The main thought here involves bait presentation. There’s a direct correlation between snag potential and snag encounters.

“With a pile that’s more scattered; not so compact, you can work a jerkbait through that pile effectively without getting snagged,” Przekurat said. “Also, I like piles that don’t top out at the surface. Those are more apt to get hit because people can see them with their eyes.”

Placement Prefs

As he said, brushpiles can be a productive fall option, especially where grass die-off limits productive habitat. During the spring season, the appeal roots deeply in the fish’s spawning movements—pre-, postspawn and sometimes a little spawning action.

That being said, seeking brushpiles in the areas where all that reproductive activity goes down just makes sense.

“I look for brushpiles anywhere there’s flat bottom; any kind of point or slow tapering bank is my favorite area to look for brushpiles,” Przekurat said. “Main lake can be good, or more of a main river kinda deal (early in the spring).

“Then, when the fish start moving into the creeks, you want to look for the flatter banks in there. The perimeter of docks is a popular option. Docks that are in four feet of water and a brushpile is five feet out from that—that’s a good spot.”

As he points out, flatter banks simplify the search and location process.

“A lot of the steep stuff could have brush, but it’s mostly just brush that’s just kinda there,” he said. “Whether it’s river current or a storm that pushed something up on a ledge; it’s hard to pinpoint a bass there.

“If you have an isolated brushpile on a flat, it’s easier to target those fish.”

Keep In Mind

He said a dead flat calm day greatly benefits his brushpile game. Sunny or cloudy, stillness promotes presentation, boat positioning and forward-facing sonar monitoring.

To that point, proper spacing plays a big role here.

“Rule of thumb: You want to stay in that 35- to 55-foot range from the brushpile,” he said. “At that distance, you can cast (beyond) the brushpile and bring your bait past, so you’re not landing it right in there.”

It’s the difference between ringing the doorbell and kicking the door in.

Productive Presentations

Przekurat does most of his brushpile work a 3/8-ounce blue craw Strike King Structure Jig with a matching Strike King Menace and a Neko-rigged Strike King Ocho, also blue craw. The former gets the first look and if no one responds, he’ll soak the Neko.

“The Neko rig also works well when the water is colder; it’s a little more finesse,” he said. “I’ll use a 3/32-ounce weight, maybe a 1/16, with a weedless Neko hook.”

In windier conditions, Przekurat favors a Strike King Thunder Cricket bladed jig with a Strike King Blade Minnow trailer. He’ll also throw a spinnerbait, but he’ll skip the trailer hook, as that only increases his snag risk. “For both of those, I’ll use a 3/8- to a 1/2-ounce; but I try to stick with a 3/8 more because I can feather it through the pile better,” Przekurat said. “Unless the wind is so bad that you can’t get away with it, a 3/8 is best.” Przekurat closes with this pointer: “Pay attention to where the fish are positioned on the brushpile, relevant to what you’re throwing first. Your first cast is always your best cast. “Whatever you throw at the brushpile first needs to be the right lure because that’s probably going to be when you’ll get the bite. You don’t want the fish following your bait to the boat, but not biting.”

---