One of my favorite lures to use this time of year is the XPS Skirted Double Tail Grub. I use it on the back of a jig as a trailer. It can be fished shallow or deep, and it's made of an excellent-quality plastic. The lure is soft and scented, and very attractive to the fish.

Tracker Marine pro Stacey King.

This lure can be fished on spinning or baitcasting tackle, shallow or deep, depending on the head you put on it. I like to just let it sink to the bottom, and move it a short distance and stop it, move it again and stop it, in a very steady, slow retrieve that imitates a crawfish. You need to let the fish tell you what kind of retrieve they want.

Typically this lure is fished on a rock or gravel bottom, but you can also use it around wood cover or aquatic vegetation. If you're fishing real shallow, you may want to go down to an 1/8-ounce weedless jig; if you're fishing deeper, you may want to put it on a 1/2-ounce jighead.

The size and action of this lure gives the fish something different to look at. The tails are cut to give it a nice vibrating action. And it's a great crawfish reproduction. My favorite colors are greens and browns, the ones that look like a real crawfish. The watermelon, the darker browns and the pumpkin colors are very effective, too.

The tube bait is another year-round lure that's especially effective during the pre-spawn and spawn. There's something about a tube that bass really can't resist when they're in a spawning mode. I like to blind-cast tubes to bedding areas with a fairly light weight on the lure. Or, if the water's really off color, I may go to a magnum flipping tube and pitch it around on heavier tackle. You can catch some really big fish on tube lures.

Bass Pro has a couple of excellent tube lures, including the Magnum Flipping Tube and the XPS Lazer Eye Tender Tube, which is the best baitfish reproduction in a tube on the market.

Many people want to know how to use a flipping tube. Typically, these lures are Texas-rigged. You use a pretty good size offset hook with it, with weight that's not too heavy, a 3/16 on up to 3/8, depending on what kind of cover you're fishing. I like to pitch this bait to areas where I feel bass are moving in to spawn. You just work the lure slowly through the area, giving it a pause or a hesitation, until the bass tell you what kind of presentation they want -- whether they want it fast or slow, or whatever. This bait spirals as it falls, which triggers a lot of strikes.

I fish this lure on Johnny Morris Signature Series rods and reels. When I'm fishing light tubes or the smaller-size Tender Tubes, I usually throw them on spinning tackle. With lines up to 10-pound-test, I use spinning tackle. Anything over 10, I use baitcasting. Bass Pro Shops fluorocarbon, 8- to 10-pound test line, is excellent for finesse fishing. It has little stretch, low visibility and is nearly invisible underwater.

The XPS Squirmin' Lizard is another one of my favorite springtime baits. I use it during the pre-spawn and the spawn, and in all sizes. I use the 6-inch version in the green-pumpkin color most of the time. Sometimes I'll dye the tip of the tail in chartreuse to give it a little more color. Occasionally, I'll even go down to the 4-inch lizard.

The XPS Lazer-Eye Twin Tail Shad is another wonderful pre-spawn and spawn lure. These lures are molded and crafted to where they look just like a baitfish in the water -- it's the most realistic soft-plastic jerkbait on the market. We catch lots and lots of fish on that lure. We fish it on about a 4/0 offset hook, typically without any weight. Sometimes we insert a nail in it if we want to fish it a little deeper. We cast it on baitcasting gear most of the time, on 12- to 17-pound line, depending how big the fish are and how much cover is in the water. I like to use XPS Fluorocarbon line for this, too, because it sinks and due to its low stretch, you can get a good hookset. Just twitch it slow and let it fall. Twitch it a couple of times, let it dart and flash. It's a killer bait.

Buy the Bass Pro Shops XPS Skirted Double Tail Grubs

My favorite color is the albino shad -- the shad-type colors are usually the best. The bubble gum is another great spring color. There's something about that color that springtime bass have a hard time resisting.

I also catch a ton of fish this time of year on the XPS Single Tail Grub. It comes in a 4- and 5-inch size. It's a subtle lure that really looks like a baitfish or a crawfish swimming through the water. It produces a lot of fish year-round, but it's especially good in winter and spring. You can fish this lure anywhere you'd find pre-spawn bass -- off the points, into the spawning pockets, on the sides of the points. During the pre-spawn, bass migrate from the winter haunts out on the points and gradually come into the spawning areas. This lure will really catch 'em. Smallmouths and spotted bass love it, too.

Tracker Marine pro Stacey King of Reeds Spring, Mo., is a consistent money winner on the tournament trail. He is a nine-time qualifier for the BASS Masters Classic.

The article is courtesy of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Site. For great fishing gear, shop our co-branded store today