Strategy For My Northern Brethren

[keithdog]

I know several of us northern bass fisherman would like to get out again this weekend before it gets too cold. With temps being so unusually cold, and lake water temps dropping like a rock, several anglers are wondering where to start? So I'd like to give you this account of what happened to me today. It may very well be a pattern for you to look into. I drove out to a city park located on an 85 acre lake just north of my home to try out a new reel I recieved this week. I was casting a few shallow and mid depth cranks from shore. Having recieved no action I walked over to the pier just off the beach. It's an old beach with vegitation now taking hold. I made a few casts and again nothing. Next I tied on a Rapala size 8 shallow X Rap. This lure suspends well and I worked it back with a series of short jerks and pauses from the end of the L shaped pier. Again nothing. Just for kicks, I let out about 4 foot of line and plopped the bait into the water right next to the pier and started to walk along the pier slowly while I gave the lure short pauses and twitches. I hadnt walked two feet before a pickeral nabbed the offering. Releasing the pickeral I continued down the pier working the lure the same way. About 3 foot more and a nice little chunky bass grabbed it. By now I was thinking I'd stumbled onto something. Long story short, between two piers and an hours time I landed 6 more bass, just walking along the pier and twitching that X Rap along the pier about 12 inches below the surface. The end of the piers are in rather shallow water of only about 5 foot at most. But the bass were hiding there under the piers. After several days of cold rain and record cold, I didn't expect to find them there, but they were. So I wanted to post this info incase it might help others fishing up here in the cold north to locate bass. Suspending lures worked around and under piers and wood could very well be the ticket for you too as well.

[Jim80]

Good idea Keith , I am hoping to make it out this weekend and a few more before hanging the rods up for the winter . It snowed here yesterday and that had to be about the most depressing thing I have seen in weeks .

jim

[BeaverIslander]

Its been snowing a few flurries here the last few days, but I've been on the lake and finding some aggressive bass in just a foot or two of water.

It went from being really nice and warm to cold rain and snow in just a weeks time and this caused the lakes to turnover super quickly. It threw the bass off, the sudden change. But they still need to eat and they're hitting search lures like spinners and jerkbaits.

[muddy]

Pretty Cool!!

I have another Rapala that works good in the same situation:
TWITCHIN SHAD, I only have the olive one, got it as a gift. Since I am off the water until spring ( blown out shoulder) I cant tell you about its fall effectiveness, it worked great in the spring when the water temps were cooler.

[DaveW731]

Once the leaves turn, the temps drop and the lily pads curl, I lose my enthusiasm and either switch to steelhead/salmon, start getting my icefishing gear ready or go hunting. Bass fishing for me is warm days, early dawns, late sunsets, T shirts and sunglasses.

[rodnreel]

Keith, are you able to see/feel the bottom? If there are rocks along that pier then that area will produce year round with the crankbait. I use a shallow running Bandit 100 series around rock and timber this time of year and always catch a ton of feeding bass. I use a simple silver/black back color as this matches the forage in my lake. Banging this thing off rocks and brush really get's a lot of attention, especially in fall. I caught 4 bass and 3 crappie just last night doing this.

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by rodnreel

Keith, are you able to see/feel the bottom? If there are rocks along that pier then that area will produce year round with the crankbait. I use a shallow running Bandit 100 series around rock and timber this time of year and always catch a ton of feeding bass. I use a simple silver/black back color as this matches the forage in my lake. Banging this thing off rocks and brush really get's a lot of attention, especially in fall. I caught 4 bass and 3 crappie just last night doing this.

I can see the bottom easily. There are no rocks, but rather sand and mud. The lake is basically a mud bottom lake with some laydowns. No rock to speak of with the exception of some rock a guy installed behind chain link fence to protect his shoreline on the other side of the lake. I've fished off this pier and the point nearby for many years. My first approach to the pier has always been to fish along the edges before walking out onto the pier. Up untill now, I've never caught anything from the pier itself which is in very shallow water untill you get to the end of the pier where it is about 4 foot deep. Normally the bass come out in front of the pier in the deeper weedbeds.