Upcoming Tourney Help!

[fishingprodigy]

Hey guys, my next tournament is this Saturday on the North East River in Maryland. I'm fishing as a co-angler so I won't really be picking the spots. The water temp right now is about 46 degrees, and may be a degree or two colder over after the cold front coming in. Saturday is projected to be sunny with a high of 50 degrees, typical post front conditions. The last tournament had 3 bass for 10 pounds being the winner, and I predict something about the same for this one.

What techniques do you recommend? I'm thinking finesse like drop shotting and shakyhead, as well as dragging some jigs covered in kick'n bass slowly along the bottom. Let me know what you think!

[bassinbob]

I've never had any luck in cold weather. Good luck, hope you win. I like the idea of a living rubber jig witha chigger craw trailer though for cold weather.

[Basscat7]

Water temps are right around 50 right now, ( Monday ) but will drop by Saturday to the 45 degree range...........
Baitfish have moved up into the river this week, the storm had dropped the water temp 12 degrees in a few days which put the bass into a non aggressive mood.
A lot of debris was still on the river Monday.

[Rebbasser]

Water in the 40s? I'd grab a jig and a suspending jerkbait. If it is post frontal I'd add a shakey head. Good luck!

[carolina-rig-01]

Don't overthink it, this is the one mistake that I make more than any other. So many times I let weather conditions or times of the year totally consume me mentally to the point that I become blind to the obvious stuff. I would imagine that shad will be a big pattern, they always seem to be the biggest player when it comes to cooling water temps in the fall. Jerkbaits are a pretty safe bet as are lipless crankbaits and even Wiggle Warts. But don't overlook topwater baits as well, they can be deadly in cooling water when the fish are keying on shad.

[lilmule]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o3NU2UGgXc

[fishingprodigy]

Thanks for the help so far guys. Yeah I'll probably add a suspending jerkbait to my list. I don't know about the lipless, I usually don't have much luck with constant moving baits when the water dips below 50 in the fall. I'll keep it in mind if I strike out with my other options though.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by fishingprodigy

Thanks for the help so far guys. Yeah I'll probably add a suspending jerkbait to my list. I don't know about the lipless, I usually don't have much luck with constant moving baits when the water dips below 50 in the fall. I'll keep it in mind if I strike out with my other options though.

A great way to catch fish in the fall/winter on a lipless crankbait is to yo-yo it rather than use a constant retrieve. Basically let it fall to the bottom and then lift your rod tip and then let it fall while you reel in the slack. This will work well on suspended fish as well.