Fishing for bass during the late fall and winter months can be daunting. During the regular season, you have an identifiable structure to fish, vegetation is in bloom, and the sun offers you shaded areas, which will produce fish during the heat of the day. Winter, however, does not give you any of those visible signs.
So what do you do? Once again, you must turn to your understanding of the bass and its lifestyle during these "lean months." When I use the word lean, I refer to the food chain, which the elements can drastically reduce. Frigid weather can kill smaller fish and aquatic life, leaving the bass only a limited diet for three or four months. You will often hear bass fishermen talking about the "big feed" before winter when bass will eat anything and everything to carry them through to spring.
Bait selection at this time is critical. Bass will move only a minimal distance for food in frigid water. The bait of choice must be equal or greater than the energy expended.
Compare your lifestyle during the winter months. You store up food and fuel for the winter to avoid unnecessary trips to the store. And you hate clearing the driveway and brushing the snow off your vehicle if it's not necessary, correct? Well, it's the same for a bass. Why should the fish dash around for small food items when it will not compensate for the energy expended to chase down and catch them?
The use of large, slow-moving baits is the key. Don't be afraid to throw 10-inch or 12-inch plastics, like the new Uncle Josh's "Incredible Creature" and "Incredible Lizard" range of lures, where you once threw a 4-inch offering. Slowly retrieve these baits, inching them back to shore. Large jigs tipped with 3- or 4-inch pork trailers maneuvered similarly will produce fish. You have to be patient.
That smaller bait should be in and out of the water during summer in thirty seconds. However, with the winters' fundamental changes, you must now leave the larger bait in the water for as long as three minutes!
A good tip here is to keep your baits warm. I place a few imitations into a plastic bag and keep them in my pocket. This keeps the bait flexible and will work well in frigid water temperatures. Remember, small attention to details like that will separate you from the rest of the fishermen, and you will catch more fish.
The key to winter bass fishing is patience. That's not an easy thing for my fellow New Yorkers! But it would be best if you gave it a try.
Bring some hot coffee and plenty of food for your energy. Remember to dress in layers. Hypothermia is very nasty and, from first-hand experience, is a condition I do not recommend!
Tight Lines!
Charles is a pro angler who fishes the B.A.S.S. Invitational circuit, the Northeastern trail, and the FOXWOODS trail. He is sponsored by Bullet Weights, G.Loomis, Gamakatsu, Lake Hawk, Chevy Trucks, Hawg-ly Lures, Uncle Josh, Ike-Con Fishing Tackle, Snap-Set Spinnerbaits, Map-Trap, Stamina Components, and Power Troll Batteries.
