cold water baits

[camf30]

Just wondering if u guys have any good crankbaits or plastics that you like to use in cold water ? Up here where i live we just got rid of the ice Was going to go out this weekend . Just want some ideas on what to use or what not to use. wost of the places if fish the water is stained .
thanks

[senko]

Try slowrolling a spinnerbait

[carolina-rig-01]

jigs worked slow and suspending jerkbaits worked slow with long pauses.

[InEccess]

The Strike King series 5 worked well for us this past weekend over here in PA. Water temp was in the mid to upper 40's.

[bassintom]

Try a fat albert grub on a jig head.I prefer chartreuse w/pepper.I have caught many fish in 36-38 degree water this way fishing deep structure.Fish slowwwwwwwwww.

[basstech]

4" worms and 3" grubs on jigheads, Jig-n-pig; dropbait-spinnerbait, lipless vibrating crankbaits, DT-10's and 16's (worked as slow as possible).

[toneyoutdoors.com]

1. Jig fished slow around rocks and riprap

2. Shakey head will always catch fish

3. Jerkbait will long pauses.

[BigBassin144]

These are what I've done good on so far:

1. Zoom Super Fluke: watermelon candy
2. Dropshot: Zoom Trick Worm: grn pump. purple flake
3. PNJ: Black and blue

BB

[lizardsrule]

What's cold water? Oh yeah now I remember it bites LOL. Now when I was up north I actually caught bigger bass on average during the colder water periods, than the warmer water. A fluke wokred super slow was always my go to bait after Ice out.

Lizards

[keithdog]

Right after ice out my favorite baits are the chatterbait fished slow, and both a floating stickbait and suspending stick bait. I use the floating stickbait in water shallower than three-four feet, and the suspending stickbait in four to six foot depths. I will also have a tandem colorado spinnerbait to work shallow areas with brush and other cover. I'll also have a jig-n-pig tied to a rod as well as a couple crankbaits rigged up to work mid depth ranges near breaks. Today I'm also going to have a lipless crankbait ready to go as I have read much about using this bait early in the year in cold water conditions to get reaction strikes. As the water warms over the next few weeks, the chatterbait bite usually slows down for me while the spinnerbait goes into high gear.

[Buckeyefishing]

When the water is cold in the late fall to winter before the ice forms a vibee works well up here. I would think it would work in the spring after ice-out.

[Sinjin Kim]

Hey guys, new guy year. Great site!

As for the question, a tip I hope will help you catch more fish is to boil many of the plastics you fish (especially Zoom products). Fishing cold water often times means "dead sticking" plastics and with a plastic that has been boiled, you will get much more action and the fish will tend to hold onto it longer as it will feel more natural to the fish.

Here is a little post I made on a local message board I am a member of. Hope it helps:

************************************************** *****

My girlfriend and some friends think I am crazy and obsessed with fishing. I am. I think about fishing more today than I use to think about sex when I was a teenager.

With my compulsive fishing disorder I am constantly trying to get the most out of my fishing gear. Many of you guys know about my surf fishing background. I've fished with the same group of guys for several years and they were puzzled why I was hooking up more halibut when we were all using the same gear and plastics. Here is the secret, BOIL your plastics!

A lot of plastics on the market today are a bit too hard and/or stiff to my liking (especially Zoom). But there is a simple fix.

BOIL the plastics. The longer you boil it, the softer your plastics will become. Don't worry, the plastics will not melt. Get a pot of boiling water going and then stir the plastics of your choice (I've done this with all types of worms, creature baits, swimbaits etc...) and then lay them on a flat glass or ceramic style counter and let it cool at room temperature. You will notice the plastic will become STICKY. No problem, simply add a thin coat of oil based scent or even vegetable oil and store in a Ziploc bag.

Zoom products are very popular and the fact that you get a lot for a dollar is another plus! However, I wasn't too thrilled with the stiffness of the plastics and the strong chemical smell. By boiling these plastics, most of the chemical smell will be removed you will be amazed with the softness (action) of the plastics. Softer plastics will have more action and the bass will hold onto it longer. If you like wacky rigging Finesse and Trick Worms, boiling these plastics is a must! (especially when using the Neko Rig).

If you have plastics that are creased/bent, boiled them and lay them in the manner you want them. Everyone talked about Gary Yamamoto Twin Tail trailers used with jigs. Although I've caught fish using the twin tails with my jigs, I wasn't too confident because the tail held too much salt and killed the action. The tails would kick heavily and seemed very unnatural. Because of this, I often resorted to going back to using pork trailer. After boiling the twin tails and hopping or dragging your jigs in shallow enough water for it to be visible, you will be pleased with the action!

*I would not recommend boiling plastics where the salt content helps it sink. Ikas, Senkos, Kreatures (if used weightless), or any other plastics you would use weightless.

*During the colder winter months, dead sticking plastics is a very productive way to get bit. T-Rigging, C-Rigging and dropshotting plastics with little to no movement of your rod tip is often times a must to get bit at lakes such as DVL, Pyramid and Castaic. This is also the case for night time anglers. If a presentation calls for a slow drag/pause, softer plastics will have a more natural appeal to the bass.

*I was never a fan of plastic chunk and craw jig trailers because the plastics were too stiff and in the cold water, they would tend to become even stiffer. Although I once strictly used pork trailers, I've found out boiled plastic chunks and trailers had equal or even better movement in the water than pork (Super Pork and Uncle Josh Phantom Craws).

*Some pork trailers are a bit stiff out of the bottle. You can bend and try to pull on the legs of the pork to assist with the action, but here is a tip.
-Remove the pork out of the bottle and save the brine solution. Place the pork trailers in your palm and add a few drops of DISH WASHING soap and rub vigorously. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and place them back into the brine filled bottle.

There is no end with what you can do with the plastics on the market today. If I were to fish for trout with a lead head and trout worm, you bet I would customize it by boiling it. If I need a saltwater swimbaits such as Big Hammers and Fish Traps to kick more naturally, I'd boil it.

I purchased some Osprey 6" Tournament Talons, Dinks and some of the older school models while I was at the Delta a few weeks ago. Although they swam well, there was room for improvement. I was quite thrilled with the results after boiling them for a few minutes. Remember to remove the eyes prior to boiling it.

A lot of people would spend extra money on hand poured plastics simply because they are softer than mass-produced plastics. True, most are softer but I find many of today's hand poured products are not designed as well as some of the mass produced plastics.
Moreover, many of the hand poured plastics are not that durable. They tear too easily and the plastic won't hold on the hook properly. Do yourself a favor and boil your favorite mass produced plastic and compare its action and durability to hand poured plastics on the market today.

Warning!
*Before you start boiling all your plastics, check with the lady of the kitchen, lol. If you are married, you don't want your wife screaming at you for using her favorite pot. For you younger guys, ask your mother ahead of time and ensure her that the pot will not be ruined.

[Lilmoosecountry]

The suspended Rogue is king in cold weathor. My color choice is the Bleeding Clown.