When you have a small body of water like that, it can be really responsive to the weather. If we start warming up in the next few weeks, I would be looking for bed fish in early February. Since the lake is small, it will warm up to spawning temperatures quicker than a larger reservoir. The Gitzit is what I catch 90% of my bed fish on, but I will use a large swimbait, or jig to fire-up a bass that is not paying attention to the Gitzit.
As for the bed-fishing debate, for me it is not the most enjoyable way to fish. However I don't believe that fishermen can ruin a spawn by sight-fishing. The mortality rate of fry that does hatch is still nearly ninety-nine percent, and most of the lakes I fish, Casitas, Castaic, Cachuma, and Perris all have incredible fish populations in spite of heavy bed fishing pressure each spring.