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Old 02-20-12, 12:32 PM   #1
FishinFreak
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Default Mild Winter question

The weather has been very mild this winter here in Northern Illinois. I normally do not like bass fishing in the severe cold because I think it can be a waste of time. But like I said the weather has not been that cold around here at all. Our normal temp ranges right now anywhere from 32-48*. Today its 48* and I feel that itch to go out. Do you think its still too cold to go out or could I expect a few bites? Also, does this mild winter mean that pre-spawn will come early this year???
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Old 02-20-12, 02:34 PM   #2
joedog
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FishingFreak, I live in South Central Wisconsin.
Fished yesterday, found open water on 3/4 iced pond.
Temp was 41 degrees and water was 41 degrees.
Caught 14in and 16 in., too cold to weight.

Caught both on Rattlin Rapalas 3/8 oz. bluegill.
Yo-yoed basically but both bites came on the Rapala after a dead stick pause. (see yesterdays thread,'Should I be concerned').
Jerkbaits are good, lipless are good, drop shot 'should be good', jigs fished very slow should work, frankly try anything you would fish a cold front with.
Another post tells how fronts have an effect on even Iced over water.
Bottom line, GO FISHING!"
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Old 02-20-12, 07:39 PM   #3
keithdog
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Hey FF, if you have open water then by all means get out there man! Here in NW Indiana, I start catching bass as soon as the ice is gone. Slow is the key. A suspending jerkbait like a Pointer 100 or something similar worked with a series of jerks with pauses in between works great right after ice out. Chatterbaits crawled slowly along the bottom just fast enough to keep it up and off the bottom has been a killer technique for me as well. Lipless cranks also are a proven lure for cold water fishing. Try various retireves to see what works best that day. I usually do best with a yo yo retrieve. Jigs pitched into woody cover also has worked well for me. Woody cover holds heat on sunny days and can hold bass. Also, even though it is very cold, I still take a few on a medium diving crankbait worked in mid depths around staging areas where bass might be holding before moving in shallow. And lastly, I always have a spinnerbait tied on no matter what. It's a go to lure for me, although, I generally have better luck with spinnerbaits after the water rises above 50 degrees.
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