BASIC BASS'N.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

DORENA LAKE - This didn't look like bass fishin' - at least not like the kind of bass'n you see on cable TV, where anglers in jumpsuits adorned with sponsor logos move more than an aerobics instructor, a blur of constant casting, retrieving and racing to another spot.

This looked more like the fishing you see in a Normal Rockwell painting - a bobber, a worm and fishing rods at rest.

Just like the anglers minding them.

And should their attention wander to the pair of bald eagles sitting on a snag or to the patterns formed by clouds passing overhead - of even if one should nod off for a few seconds - no harm done.

Once they taste that worm, bass voracious after a long winter aren't apt to give it back, even if they feel the presence of hook or line.

Indeed, once the bobber disappears below the surface, Eldon Hunter suggests waiting a good long while before setting the hook.

"I give 'em 'til about (a count of) 10," said Hunter, who has had great success with this most basic of bass'n methods in area reservoirs over the years.

"Eldon has has caught 'em here by the bucket full," said Todd Linklater, a salmon and steelhead fishing guide whose idea of a "day off" in early spring is several hours of low-key bass fishing with buddies like Hunter and Bob Wiltshire.

Linklater says he likes the simple bobber-and-worm method because it provides an opportunity to "come out here and converse with Bob and Eldon and relax and fish."

The trio of sometime bass anglers didn't catch bucketmouths by the pail-full Thursday, but they didn't get skunked either. And they got in plenty of relaxation and conversation in between releasing fish that were too big to be legally kept. (All bass over 15 inches long must be released at Dorena Lake, where a mercury contamination warning is in effect for all fish species. See page 16 of the current angling synopsis for details).

Now is the time to start getting serious about bass fishing in southern Willamette Basin reservoirs, says Jeff Ziller, district fish biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Springfield office.

"April is generally a pretty good bass month," Ziller said, because the fish become more active as water temperatures start climbing toward 60 degrees. Sluggish during the long, cold winter, the bass go on a feeding frenzy once the water warms.

"The time is right to find those nice little warm spots in the reservoir where bass are active," Ziller said. "Those south- and west-facing coves with a little more shallow water in them."

The temperature around the edges of Dorena Lake ranged from 48.5 to 51.5 degrees Thursday, according to Linklater's boat instruments.

"It needs to be about 48 degrees before bass start coming out of their lethargic state," said Joe Hubacek, co-owner of 2 Bros Tackle shop in Eugene, which specializes in bass fishing.

Local bass clubs started holding tournaments on coastal lakes in mid- to late February, Hubacek said, but bass'n doesn't really get going in valley reservoirs until several weeks later because of the cold run-off from the mountains.

By April, however, warming water and rising water levels combine to "kind of trigger them to start getting ready for pre-spawn," he said. "They start eating to put on body fat to get ready for spawning. ... They actually gorge themselves."

When bass are in that aggressive mode, "chasing stuff around," Hubacek said, anglers will do better with "crankbaits" or "spinnerbaits" - lures that can cover large areas while being cast and retrieved. Worms are often more effective later in the summer, he said.

When bass are "on the bite," however, Hunter and Linklater swear by the basic bobber technique, with a fat worm on a hook suspended about six feet below the float. They also fish close to the shoreline, which the bass cruise looking for food.

"But I'm not an ace bassmaster," Linklater said.

"Don't let him fool you," Hunter said. "That guy can catch fish out of a 5-gallon bucket in the middle of Willamette Street."

Bass are present in most area reservoirs.

"In the Valley, probably the best places to be doing a little bit of spring bass fishing is Fall Creek Reservoir," Hubacek said. said. "It's getting pretty good right now."

Lookout Point is "a tough reservoir to fish," but can also be good for those who know how to fish it, Hubacek said. "Cottage Grove and Dorena (lakes) both can be good in spring. But it can be hit and miss. If you get a week of good weather, it can be pretty good, but the minute you get a little bit of cold weather, it shuts right down again."

And, if you want to learn more about how serious bass fishermen go about catching largemouth in the area, hook up with one of several bass clubs in Western Oregon. See www.oregonbassfederation.org for a list and contact information. Or, check out one of these club bass tournaments being held in local waters this month:

April 7 - Emerald Bass Club at Siltcoos Lake and Central Valley Bass Club at Cottage Grove Lake.

April 15 - Willamette Valley Bass Trackers at Cottage Grove Lake.

April 21 - Umpqua Bass Club at Lookout Reservoir and Tenmile Bass Club at Cottage Grove Lake.

April 21-22 - Polk Bass Busters at Tenmile Lake.