It is every parent’s instinct to protect his kids!  That’s exactly what a male bass is doing when he’s guarding fry.  After the spawn male bass stay by the nest to guard their eggs.  After an incubation period of four to twelve days the fry emerge.  Fry usually become visible about two weeks after they hatch.  When the fry reach about two inches in length the male bass leaves.  While the fry are growing the male bass protects them.  Male bass doing the best job guarding their fry are the easiest to catch.

            In Southwest Michigan bass usually start guarding fry in the month of June.  The latest I’ve found a fry guarder was on June 30 at Paw Paw Lake.  Fry are very easy to locate if you have a great pair of polarized glasses.  I use Kaenons with copper 28 lenses.  Fry are dark black and packed into a ball.  They are usually tucked away underneath lily pads, weeds, or docks.  When you locate a ball of fry look around carefully. The male bass will be close by ready to protect them.  I’ve observed male bass chasing fish as big as carp away from their fry! 

            The biggest nemesis of the male bass is Mr. Bluegill himself.  Bluegills love those tiny, tender bass fry.  Male bass go absolutely bonkers when bluegills come close to their fry.  A male bass will charge bluegills as fast and as hard as he can to try and spook them.  If the bluegills don’t run then he will bite them.  He doesn’t try and eat the gills, but inhale them and spit them back out.  A male bass guarding fry from gills will look like a pit bull ready to fight.  My wife Kelly and I caught these bass guarding fry at Paw Paw Lake.

A bass chasing bluegill away from its fry is the easiest to catch.  I use a Lucky Craft Pointer Ghost Minnow to catch aggressive male bass chasing bluegills.  It’s a simple technique that anyone can master.  Once you find a bass guarding fry from bluegills pull away.  Wait a few second and ease your way back until the fry are in your sight.  Cast your pointer minnow a few feet beyond the fry and rip it through them.  Make the fry scatter and run for their lives.  When you’re making your retrieve observe how the bass reacts to your lure.  He will probably chase it down and stare at it.  DON’T LEAVE! If this happens then it’s a very catchable bass.  On your next cast try jerking your lure into the middle of the fry.  When the bass charges your lure let it suspend.  The bass will stare your lure down and when he does jerk it again.  Nine times out of ten the bass will strike on your second twitch.

            Fishing for fry guarders isn’t always that easy, some fry guarders take a little more persuading.  The bass that take more persuading are the ones who have already been caught and released.  These bass still want to protect their fry but they are a little hesitant to open their mouth and bite something.  I can tell when a fry guarder has been stung when he instantly bolts after seeing my boat.  Catching fry guarders that have been stung takes a different technique.  Remembering where you saw the fry move your boat out of sight.  Cast a Senko hooked Wacky Style (through the middle of the bait) where you remember his fry being.  Let the Senko slowly wander to the bottom.  Keep a tight line so you can feel when the bass sucks in your bait.  It may take numerous casts but sooner or latter the bass will bite.

            If all else fails my third option is blind casting a popper where I previously saw a male bass guarding fry.  I don’t know why? But fry guarders can’t stand top water baits going over their fry.  I can’t relate a popper to anything that would try and eat bass fry. Oh well, it works. 

            Remember, a male bass doing the best job guarding his fry is the easiest to catch.  Don’t limit yourself to the techniques I shared with you.  Experiment with other techniques and find a couple that will give you the confidence to land fry guarders.

Remember To Immediately Release Fry Guarding Males So They Can Continue Guarding Their Fry!!!