11-12-08, 11:44 PM | #1 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Posts: 105
|
cold water bass
Any tips on catching cold water bass. I don't think I can make it till spring.
|
11-12-08, 11:51 PM | #2 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Altamonte Springs Florida
Posts: 252
|
i would try shaky head jigs. a 3/16 oz size covers most situations. a good brand would be spot remover. and match that up with a zoom finesse worm. this combo is deadly. (for me at least).
and if you need to if this is not working i have even broken down and switched to lighter line and a grub to get that bite. well, good luck |
11-13-08, 02:46 AM | #3 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Webb City, MO
Posts: 6,387
|
my favorites for cold water are suspending jerkbaits (cold water sometimes means long pauses between jerks), jigs, and crankbaits (the colder the water the tighter the wobble you want in a crankbait). don't be fooled by thinking that you have to fish deep in cold water. i have had my butt handed to me enough times in winter tourneys by guys who fished in less than 5 feet of water all day and i spent my day struggling to fill out limits in deeper water. the fish will move in and out as the day wears on and fish tend to school up so if you catch one you need to fish that area out really well before moving on. wind will be a lot rougher to deal with in cold weather but it will help you a lot if you fish windy banks and points.
__________________
You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough. |
11-13-08, 09:07 AM | #4 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: East Tennessee
Posts: 389
|
Hair Jigs either not tipped or tipped with Netbaits Tiny Packa Chunk, a craw trailer. Worked slowly across bottom with pauses, occasionally barely twitched.
|
11-13-08, 10:10 AM | #5 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
Jigs with pork , Silver Buddys,Senkos Shad Raps,Float and Fly or jiggin spoons, these are all deadly in the winter. The fish are much more active than you may be lead to think. Here in Tennessee I catch my biggest bass of the year from December until late Feb. If you get a few days of mild weather in a row the fish may move shallow. If you get a warm sustained rain they may move back where there is run in. If it is really cold they may suspend for several days. Smallmouth will still chase a crankbait in 45 degree water. Spots are active then also. Location is everything and bait is the key.
I fish Norris and I think Smith Mountain would be very similar in the winter. When the water starts to cool the fish stay active in shallow water much longer than you might expect. It takes longer for them to move to winter patterns than it does for them to move from winter patterns to pre-spawn. Think finesse. My best winter bait is a 1/8 oz bitsey Bug or a 1/8 oz hair jig. The most consistant locations are 45 degree sloping rock banks with stair step type rock. Winter bassin is great, no jet skis or battle ships and very few if any other fishermen. Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
11-13-08, 10:16 AM | #6 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Ridgeland MS
Posts: 3,923
|
F2W, do you use a trailer for the Bitsy Bug, and if so, what? Uncle Josh, Paca Craw...? Thanks.
|
11-13-08, 10:19 AM | #7 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 8,655
|
I like to target the north east banks, the sun's angle heats up these banks a lil more than other places, esp. when spring rolls around.
|
11-13-08, 10:20 AM | #8 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
Either a Zoom skinny chunk or a no 101 Uncle josh trimmed down a little. The skinny chunk is awsome because it is long and thin, dont confuse it with a tiny chunk. Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
11-13-08, 10:23 AM | #9 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Brighton, MI
Posts: 2,414
|
Looks like everything has been covered except float and fly. I have it rigged up but have not caught anything on it yet. Same thing with blade baits, never caught any but throw them plenty this time of year. Pretty much everything comes on suspending jerkbaits worked with a series of twitches and then let it sit for 30-60 seconds.
|
11-13-08, 10:27 AM | #10 | |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,322
|
Quote:
__________________
Live everyday as if it was your last & check your ego at the door!!! God is watching. |
|
11-13-08, 11:15 AM | #11 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
Bender he FnF is not effective until the water temps get below 50 degrees. 42 to 45 are ideal.The fish you are catching with the FnF are suspended fish.Correct rigging is very important and speed of movement or the lack of is also important. If the fish are suspended. I usually determine what depth and set my down line a little shallower because the fish feed up on the rig. I dont even carry my FnF rod until the water gets below 50. The blade bait is also only effective after the water temps drop below 50. I think it has something to do with the activity level of the bait or craws.I have caught fish with a blade bait crankiing it like a Rattle trap in slightly warmer water but it is best in cold water Yo-Yo'ed or hopped like a jig. You can also jig it like a spoon. Dont over work this bait.
Dont forget that in early winter before the turn over the water is cooler at the surface than at say 3 feet deep.What is the water temp in Mi now? Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
11-13-08, 11:16 AM | #12 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Jonesville, Indiana
Posts: 3,597
|
Those north banks are also not as affected by the cold north winds.
|
11-13-08, 01:08 PM | #13 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Brighton, MI
Posts: 2,414
|
F2W, It was 42 on my local lake on Tuesday evening down from 50 last weekend. Maybe I will try the FnF next time I go out. I don't have any of the Punisher jigs so I will just have to use what I got and see if I can find anything else that is effective.
|
11-13-08, 05:56 PM | #14 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
The main deal is the duckfeather jig, 1/8 or 1/16 oz. 6 pound or 4 lb floro and and the correct float. Be sure to tie the jig where it hangs straight to the line without drooping. I usually find the fish suspended between 10 and 20 feet deep. If the fish are suspended at say 15 feet I will set my down line at 13.5 or 14.usually this early in the year you ncan move the float a lot and trigger strikes. The further into the winter yiu go the less movement of the float you will need. Good luck Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
11-13-08, 08:59 PM | #15 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Thomaston CT
Posts: 3,862
|
Jig with pork , or senko's have worked well for me . I have also had good luck slow rolling a spinnerbait , you got to let it hit the bottom and reel just enough to get the blades to spin . The biggest thing about cold weather fishing is to slow down your presentation and when you think you are going slow enough go slower .
Jim
__________________
In memory of Zooker 1/11/73-7/2/2010. You will be sorely missed and never forgotten. |
11-13-08, 09:14 PM | #16 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Ocala, FL. 1/2 hour southwest of Rodman
Posts: 1,702
|
for cold weather I like small baits fished reel slow. if I can't get a bite, I put big baits deep and keep it reel slow.
__________________
Lizardsrule may not be able to drive a boat, but he can sure put you on the fish! |
11-13-08, 09:57 PM | #17 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Posts: 105
|
Thanks for the info guys I'll keep trying. I was really on the summer bass but this cold water has been frusterating.
|
11-13-08, 11:39 PM | #18 | |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 153
|
Quote:
I was out with 5 other boats the other day on a local lake water temps was in the upper 30's It was agreed that we would meet at the launch at 3pm and weigh in our best 5 and compare our bites that we had going 2 boats were fishing plastics in the deep weeds 2 boats were working plastics and jigs on the points and steep breaks And I was in the shallows and a flat working cranks and a spook. The top teams in the weeds caught 15 fish there best 5 weighed 9lbs. The top team that fished the point and breaks caught 22 fish best 5 weighed 11.5lbs and my team weighed in only 4 fish for a total 14.25lbs. My whole point is fish can and will be caught on different baits and various locations on any body of water. |
|
11-14-08, 02:09 PM | #19 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: denton nc
Posts: 13,441
|
i normally crank a wiggle wart knock off. but some fish like the shakey head and or a jerk bait. i use all three but the wart knock off seems to catch more fish for me..
zooker
__________________
the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09 |
11-15-08, 10:16 AM | #20 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: IN
Posts: 8,308
|
For years, my favorite cold water lure just before ice up and then again after ice out has been a hard bodied jerk bait, particularly the Rattln Rouge. However, the past three years my favorite has become the Chatterbait for cold water. I believe it is because it can be worked at a snails crawl and still offers enticing action. Or it can be manipulated easily to increase speed and action to get a reflex strike. I have easily trippled the number of catches with the Chatter Bait over the jerk style lure in very cold water.
|
11-15-08, 11:12 AM | #21 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
Ice up. man thank goodness we dont have that here. We get 12 months of fishing. If we had ice up I would be terminal crazy. Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
11-15-08, 10:05 PM | #22 | |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
|
Quote:
don't be afraid of the ice. It's not before it's thick enough to ice fish on. Yes, fishing, through the ice. Who woulda thunk. BB
__________________
As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com! |
|
11-16-08, 07:16 PM | #23 | |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
|
Quote:
it still gets cold in TN though..it sure does in SC
__________________
For Those I Love, I will Sacrifice: US Army since 2012 |
|
11-18-08, 11:44 PM | #24 |
BassFishin.Com Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: temple, texas
Posts: 20
|
suspending jerkbaits
rapala husky jerk rapala x rap or just a generic suspending jerkbait long pauses between the jerks rattletrap sometimes works a worm along a channel edge jig and pork combo is good and the shaky head worm isnt a bad idea |
11-19-08, 05:57 PM | #25 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Spotsylvania, VA
Posts: 4,483
|
Dshow - Up until this most recent cold front the water's been in the 50-55 degree range on the river and the same on Anna. Fish have been shallow or less than 5 feet and relating to the drop offs or channels. Crankbaits and plastics have been really good the past 3-4 weeks. This cold front will move a lot of the fish deeper so you'll need to adjust and fish deeper and a little slower.
MissBoy - I use the 2" Craw Papi as a trailer on the Bitsy Bug. |
Disclosure / Disclaimer
Before acting on the content posted, you should know that BassFishin.Com may benefit financially and otherwise from content, advertising, links or otherwise from anything you click on, read, or look at on our website. Click here to read our Disclosure Policy and Disclaimer. |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | Rate This Thread |
|
|