Where to find winter bass

The number one rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. Bass like cover, whether that is grass, wood, or docks, but rock fixtures and formations in the water tend to provide good natural cover for them. Some lakes only get ten feet deep, while others are forty or fifty feet deep.

If bass like to spend their summers at a depth of ten feet in a given lake, head out to where it gets thirty or forty feet deep. You also have to monitor water clarity. As a general rule, the dirtier the water, the shallower the baitfish will be. The clearer the water, the deeper the baitfish will be. Like everyone else, they just like to be near their food source, and, for this, clarity is a better determinant than water warmth of how deep the bass and the baitfish will swim.

In the winter, bass turn to much of the same food sources they do at other times of the year; they just eat less of it. Crawfish might go away for the winter, meaning the crawfish baits may work. However, shad or baitfish imitation baits are a safer bet. This means that bass will be eager to find and eat more baitfish, making shad and baitfish imitation baits good choices.

Umbrella rigs are also a good idea, as they imitate schools of baitfish well. On a good day, you may get ten bites. A great day might look like twelve to fifteen bites, with an amazing day being at around twenty bites. The average size of the fish tends to be better in the winter. Finally, remember that bass need access to deeper water. Remember to select your bait for the slowed digestive system of the bass and head out at daylight or during the afternoon.

Bear in mind that necessary depth is relative, and that water clarity is, in many ways, even more important than water warmth. Follow the feeding patterns, which also have a lot to do with the temperature and water clarity. If you do all of these things, you stand a much better chance at a good day of fishing and catching sizable winter bass.

Break-Up Country. Elements Agua. Elements Terra. Shadow Grass Habitat. Explore All Patterns. Back About Our Story. In most places they were back in the creeks. When it started to turn cold and the water temperature dropped they moved out towards deeper water. In a lot of cases they stopped over or on the channel swings as they exited. For a while they were fairly easy to find. Watch the channel and watch for the shad. But now finding them is a little tougher, and that can be frustrating.

Every minute you spend looking is a minute not catching. Instead, they will simply feed less. But no matter where the fish are, some of the fish will be engaged in feeding behavior albeit a lower percentage than there would be during warmer times of the year. You will still be able to find some fish that are behaving as they do in summertime, actively pursuing food, willing to chase fast-moving baits, Jones said.

But as a whole, they are not showing that aggressive behavior. Jones said that during these times of the year, bass seek out the warmer water, though they may not confine all of their activities such as feeding to these areas.

In rivers, bass will migrate to a sheltered bay to avoid moving water that tends to be colder; in lakes, they will move to deeper portions of the fishery where, at times, large groups of fish will congregate in the same pockets.

They will produce in the coldest water with longer pauses, when they should sink slightly. Once he has found a few spots that hold a concentration of bass, Lester switches lures to work them over. Jigs — both bucktail and skirted — are good choices. So are jigging spoons, which can be fished vertically, if you can hold your boat above the bass without spooking them, or casted and retrieved with short hops, like how larger structure spoons are fished in early summer.

Historically, soft-plastic lures have been reserved for warmer water, but compact ones have a place in wintertime fishing. A simple grub threaded on a lead-head jig is probably the best. Sickle-tail grubs produce, but ones with flat, spade-like tails can be better at times. Traditionally rigged tubes and small worms fished on a drop-shot rig will have their days, too.

Fluorocarbon line is the best choice for moving baits. It sinks, which keeps your lure down and in the strike zone. Use braid for slower-moving lures. Braid works with spoons and blade baits, too. Even the slightest move of your rod tip will be reflected in the lure because the line has no stretch. One of the most important aspects of finding wintertime bass is keeping your head in the game.

The same goes for toughing it out on the water, shivering and thinking about being in your warm truck. Dress for the conditions by wearing insulating layers, such as fleece, covered with a rain suit, which will keep wind out and trap warm air inside. Tuck hand warmers in your pockets for your fingers, but also put a few between layers. They will help keep your core warm, which will keep your extremities warm.

Bring several pairs of gloves, including fingerless ones for fishing and full ones for running. That also will allow you to swap a wet pair for a dry one. He does advise avoiding rods with microguides. Their small openings freeze close with only a small amount of water. Your boat needs tender loving care during cold weather, too.