Riprap is where the fish are

Riprap is one of those places where fish just congregate - all year round. Those rocks have everything a bass needs: cover, access to deeper water and food. As the weather starts to warm up a bit, I head straight for the riprap.

That's mostly because my favorite riprap is on Lake Michigan, where the cold winds you need can be almost unbearable too early in the year.

However, riprap is good any season, so here are five baits you must use when fishing the rocks.

Crankbait

A good crankbait is one of my favorite ways to fish riprap. Select your crankbait based on the depth of the riprap and how big of a dropoff there is. You want that bait running so low it bounces off the rocks or swims just barely over the top of them.

When you throw a crankbait, try two patterns. First, cast directly to the riprap and reel the bait directly outward -- perpendicular to the shore. With a good dropoff you can run right down it in the perfect spot. Second, fish parallel to the riprap. Get a little closer to the rocks and throw that bait parallel. A lot of bass will hang out in the rocks and pop out to snag your bait.

Spinnerbait

Spinnerbaits make one of the best baits for working riprap because of their diversity in action. The key to a good spinnerbait day is choosing the right color and blade type.

If the water you're fishing is clear, go with a more natural color. With darker water or water with a lot of waves crashing, throw more of a shock color like junebug or even hot pink (no joke, just try it out).

When selecting your blade, I recommend using a Colorado blade. A Colorado blade is more rounded, where a willow blade comes to a point. The way that separates the water and creates vibration is awesome for working riprap.

When you get the right bait, slow roll it over the rocks, making sure you can feel it hitting them. Try a similar pattern to a crankbait.

Football jig

The football jig is designed for working rocks, so it's no surprise that it pops up here as one of the best. It's all in the shape of the head.

That football head is designed to not only stand up well, but avoid fissures between rocks that might snag a smaller-headed jig. The key to fishing a football jig in the rocks is remembering how to get unsnagged.

When the jig gets snagged, let it fall and then just pop your rod tip slightly. Don't pull or reel fast as this will just jam the jig. Work on this technique because I promise you're going to get snagged.

Work the jig slowly across the rocks hopping from rock to rock. I like to use craw trailers because crawfish live in there and bass sure love to eat them.

Goby baits

Especially in the Great Lakes, you will find a substantial goby population. And the bass there have made it their mission to eradicate it.

These little fish will hang out near rocks and protection areas. The key to remember is dead sticking your goby bait. Gobies hang out in pretty shallow tide pools and stick close to cover.

To mimic this, move slowly around the rocks flipping your bait right into cracks and crevices when possible.

Buzzbait

Top-water baits make a nice addition to this list of riprap baits. There is generally a lot of wildlife around riprap and the buzzbait can take best advantage of that.

Cast your buzzbait much like a crankbait and choose the size of your bait based on the water conditions. If it's rough seas, not only will it be tough to fish a buzzbait, but you'll need a big, loud bait to get attention. If it's more calm, scale down your bait a bit and work it a bit more slowly.

Always remember...

You are fishing on rocks, so remember to check your line frequently. I tend to use pretty big line -- i.e. 20-pound test -- but still check it every three to five casts. The rocks are very abrasive and no one wants to lose a fish on snapped line.