Go fishing with Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Paul Mueller. Good luck buddy, come to Fontana sometime! As the water temperature plummets, the need for frequent feeding diminishes, and bass become exponentially less active. I need to know what to use today. Your email address will not be published. Top Winter Bass Baits Topics. Largemouth will seek the warmest, most stable water they can find, and that usually means deeper water, so for many anglers this is the first daunting challenge of winter fishing. As the water temperature drops, their digestive process slows dramatically – according to “Bass Professor” Doug Hannon, it takes a bass about four hours to digest a meal in 80-degree water, four days in 50-degree water! I’m fishing a spring fed pond in the NC mountains. Smallmouth guide Blaine Mengel defines winter fishing on the middle section of the Delaware River as the period when the average daily water temperature falls below 45 degrees and remains there. While 48-degree water borders on dormancy for Florida-strain bass in the south, 48 degrees is still pretty warm for smallmouth in Michigan. Winter Bass Fishing Lures, Tips and Tactics. As the water temperature drops, their metabolism slows dramatically and their energy level is greatly reduced. The best pre-spawn bass fishing … Once you key in on those fish you can start making that pattern and just destroy the competition. Also, look for bass to hang deep to stay cool. Small baitfish and panfish will concentrate in these areas, and the bass will follow. “I’ll pair it with some kind of plastic trailer that doesn’t have a lot of movement,” Scroggins said. The truth is that you can still go down the bank with a crankbait and get bites in 45 degree water. You can keep them in the strike zone, lift and drop your rod tip, and they will flutter as they fall. 45 degree water temperature and cold winter air temperature driving it down further can make for a tough day of bass fishing. When the water is very cold, a 3- to 4-inch curly-tail grub on a ¼-ounce jighead is one of the simplest and most effective presentations for large and smallmouth bass. It is Major League Fishing and it showcases the world’s top bass anglers as they take on the challenge of finding big fish on new water. Swimbait. We have several lakes to choose from and each one is different. Hey Jerry Griffin. The lures you … Don't think there are but two or three lures that work well for winter bass fishing. This is a good time to bust out your topwater baits. Although many anglers expect cold water bass to suspend in deep water, his experience tells a different story. The type of fish you pursue can make a difference, too. What would a good set up for bass I the winter? And I will slow down, but not a whole lot. Every year as the water warms from winter to spring the bass move up on top of humps and ledges and you can have a blast fishing top water baits. If someone can help me out I would certainly appreciate it, Thanks. 1:05 Rigging top to bottom; 1:55 Match the hatch; 3:15 Specific cold water baits When looking for winter bass, I focus on finding cover or structure in deeper water. Water stained; 48 degrees; 1.45′ low. You can use a blade bait, or a 10XD, a dropshot can be deadly as well. No limits. Top Water Fishing in 50 Degree Water. The temps from today to friday are going to be 60 degrees. These are all places where they can make a major depth change by moving up or down: In cold water, bass are lethargic, and won't swim long distances to change depths. Cold Water Bass Fishing Lures Overview. count ot ten slowly,give it acouple of slight jerks ,then pause again for a count of 8- 10 seconds. They are versatile because they can be fished like a crankbait or dropped into a deep hole and jigged vertically. In 50 degree water it takes about four days. One degree in water … Yesterday I filmed this short video covering some of my two favorite cold water techniques. Black bass are slow with minimal success coming bottom, bumping the with worms or trolling crankbaits close to the floor. I also live in NC, I am on the Bass Fishing team of Western Carolina University. Walleye are slow. Sunfish and crappie are fair on minnows searching ledges and submerged brush. The key is knowing where to look, what to use, and how to use it. I might switch from a wide wobbling crankbait to one that has tight wiggle in cold water. Jerkbaits can match the lethargy of coldwater bass while keeping your bait in the strike zone. Grass health and water temperature dictate where the bass are located. Still, you are not willing to wait for spring. Sounds good from home, but how do you get them to bite? They will be relating strongly to vertical and fast sloping structure: rock bluffs, river channel dropoffs, standing timber, 45-degree rock or earthen banks, or standing timber. As the lake level rises, bass will still relate to the old bank line even when water becomes so high it inundates miles of land in the back of the creeks. For me, cabin fever sets in firmly by January, leaving me torn between spending another day organizing my tackle or pulling the cover off my boat and squaring off against the cold winter winds. The white bass and hybrids are slow in 25-35’ with live bait and slabs and over humps, ridges, and near main lake dropoffs. Similar to the grub, the blade bait is an often overlooked option for anglers. It also makes it easier to stay connected to your bait, which can be very tough in windy conditions. When the water starts to rise on some reservoirs in the spring, you can head for the backs of creeks and search for 45-degree banks. I like fishing suspending jerkbaits in the winter because they allow you to cover a lot of water and they draw strikes even when they’re not moving. “Like Grand Lake, Lake Norman is a deep lake,” Cherry said. Bass in colder areas live under the ice in the winter, so they're used to it. Required fields are marked *, Copyright © 2021 On The Water, LLC. I purchased some suspended jerkbaits but they don’t go down fast enough and so I am not in the strike zone, Even when I count down 1000 one 1000 two etc, I am not deep enough to reach the bass. If the weeds are near deep water, then you’ve found a winter hotspot. The colder the water gets, the shallower the bass suspend.” Throughout this year’s Classic, his t… Many anglers overlook blade baits because of their weight and aggressive vibration, yet these lures are so effective for the very reasons many overlook them. For places that experience varied temperature swings and can be cold, the bass will be acclimated to 45-degree water and still actively go after bait. The biggest question we get asked by anglers is when to throw what bait. While the surface temp may be 33 degrees, the water is warmer … Some of the worst conditions you can face. On deeper lakes or ponds (which take longer to freeze), largemouth as well as their prey bunch up tightly around vertical structure and offshore structure like humps, and rock piles. After all, the water is cold, maybe 45 degrees or even lower, and they are not exactly on the feed. Your email address will not be published. I have a question. I chirp it off the bottom just fast enough to make that blade move. It took me a while to get comfortable with this bait, but I have come to count on the blade bait for bites from largemouths and smallmouths in extreme coldwater conditions. Largemouth bass are good, dropping under vegetation, points, and drops on topwater, spinners, and crankbaits. You will have to experiment with the length, but I have paused a jerkbait for as long as 60 seconds in order to draw strikes. Fishing this bait is largely the same as during other times of year, but the biggest difference is the length of the pause between snaps of the rod. The bass’ need for food decreases, and though they feed less, they will still feed. Hop or swim it slowly around the rocks and along drops to probe for bites. a. A drop shot, or a heavy swimbait is a good choice to get down there to catch some fish. Fishing the 50-degree Temperature Break: Buzzbaits and Jerkbaits John E. Phillips “Cast and retrieve” is a tactic that generally catches anglers the most bass, but not in the wintertime. He considers landing a dozen bass a good day, and says 20 fish is outstanding. I know last year, in my backyard, I can just walk out and fish where 6 lakes connect together. I see many anglers fishing these baits too aggressively throughout the winter. Cast your bait beyond your target, crank it down to the depth you are targeting and then give a snap of your rod tip on slack line. COOPER: SLOW. Bait will then leave to the mouth as the water cools back down. Want to know how to catch Northern largemouth bass in cold/clear water? Females deposit eggs into roughly 3-foot diameter nests created by the males in shallow water. If your local honey hole isn’t covered in ice and you are prepared to face the cold, wintertime in the Northeast can still provide exciting bass fishing. I really like the Strike King Shadalicious in either the 4 1/2- or 5-inch sizes, opting … 70 – 80+ Degrees. It is intense, dramatic and highlights the fierce competition in professional bass fishing when pros try to outwit and outlast their competition. Catfish are good on stinkbait, minnows, and blood bait deeper than 10′. ... normally in the back of creeks. Want to know how to catch Northern largemouth bass in cold/clear water? The “jig and pig” can provide some big bites in winter. Water stained; 45 degrees; 40.19’ low. cast your jerkbait out as far as you can and let it settle for aten count . “In 38-45 degree water temperatures, I am going to be slowly dragging that jig around, never losing bottom contact.” Watch Mueller fishing for bass with a jerkbait and a grass jig.Learn all the fishing secrets from this full half hour fishing class at https://bassu.tv/ Signup for a paid subscription before Christmas and get FREE HAT as a gift! When water temps do reach their lowest point in a given region, bass will huddle up in deeper, more stable areas and become inactive. Signup now at https://bassu.tv/online-fishing-subscriptions Largemouth will seek the warmest, most stable water they can find, and that usually means deeper water, so for many anglers this is the first daunting challenge of winter fishing. Any remaining weeds can also be a great area to target. When there are windy conditions, they can be matched with a variety of weights to create some very effective finesse presentations. If you don’t have electronics, basic pond maps and cell phone apps like Navionics can be very helpful. Bass choose these areas since they can make severe depth changes by going up and down the water column to feed without using much energy. This is cold weather, post-frontal, clear water northern largemouth bass fishing at its best! Since you have a depth finder, key in on deep creek channels and river channels. Cast to the shallow edge of a drop-off and let the grub sink alongside it, raising the rod tip as the bait reaches the bottom. I live in Noth Carolina in the piedmont area. Bass fishing for Largemouth on the Bush River. Sign up for our FREE Fishing Reports Today! ... chunk-rock banks with as much as a 45-degree slope. The warmer water temperatures affects on bass fishing makes the bass become super aggressive. Mike Iaconelli is winter fishing and in a cold front with high pressure. A Lake Norman native, Cherry has spent years perfecting his cold water fishing skills. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.45’ low. I know it sounds crazy but some of the biggest stringers in tournaments are caught on top water lures in early spring. Anything I use, doesn’t work. GREENBELT: SLOW. All Rights Reserved. ... I’ve even caught bass fishing the same way with a Chatterbait. Close to the main Lake, Lake Norman is a good time to bust out your topwater.! 4 weeks ago, the water, the water is cold weather, post-frontal clear... Have the itch – the itch to do a little more movement, so ready... Lures that work well for winter bass fishing secrets the pros do n't want you to know how to it. – the itch – the itch – the itch to do a little bass fishing the same as the,... 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