This is the weather we have been waiting for. Surface water temperatures are on the rise and the big sow bass are spawning.

When the first wave of fish move to thin water searching for a suitable spawning area they will be very spooky. Any movement from above the surface or any noise will send the fish streaking across the flats.

Dial your trolling motor down to the lowest speed possible, or better yet, use the wind to position your boat.

The bass will be on the move a lot and if you can find an area where the fish are filtering into a flat or protected shallow cove, try dropping an anchor or tie off your boat.

The less noise you can make during the early stages of the spawn, the better off you’ll be.

Another tip is to scale your tackle down a bit. If the water clarity is not that good, you can get by with 15 to 20 pound test line and big lures.

But if the water is clear, you’ll get more strikes and catch more fish with light line and small lures.

Jigs, soft plastics like the flipping tubes or creature style lures and soft jerk baits are good lures to use when the bass first move to shallow water.

If the wind isn’t bad, go with the lightest lure you can get by with and still make accurate casts with a quiet presentation.

The best situation that will help you catch bass during the spawn is find an area where the wind is chopping up the surface. A choppy surface will help cover up any noise you make and fish don’t spook as easily in the windy areas.

Last weekend surface water temperatures averaged about 52 degrees.

The warmer weather this week raised the water temps to 55 to 58 in the main lake areas and as high as 60 degrees in the wind protected spawning flats.

At 58 degrees the big sow bass and the smaller male fish move shallow to look for a place to build their nest and spawn.

Of course, we need to practice catch and release over the next month or so. The sow bass are loaded with eggs, so bring along a camera in case you catch a big sow so you can release her.

If you’re fishing Lake Concordia, just bring your catch to Lakeview Lodge and they will take a digital picture for you. Send the picture to me at eddie@fishingwitheddie.com and I’ll put it on my Web site www.fishingwitheddie.com.

Things are going really well with my new job in Gonzales working with Thomas Marine.

I’ll be back in town next weekend to try the spawning fish on my home lake — Lake Concordia. See y’all then.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached by e-mail at fishingwitheddie@highstream.net.