Winter fishing from shore.

[jooleyen]

I can only fish from shore during the winter. I know the bass go deep in the winter, but I can't go deep because I don't have a boat to use in the winter.

What would you tell me to do? I was thinking slow rolling spinnerbaits, jig n pig, and maybe a worm?

What should I look for?

Thanks-

Julien

[zooker]

jool
where are you fishing?? ponds?? lake?? rivers??

zooker

[Big Mac]

Jooleyen, When fishing in the colder waters, you must use everything to your advantage. Seek out cover, structure, and food availability. Then fish in the afternoons on partial or full sunny days, after the water has warmed a bit. Fish those areas that are near to the deepest water. You might also use the natural fisherbirds or look for swirls or jumping fish as signs of activity in those areas. I use mostly reaction baits under these conditions and do not try to match the hatch. My waters during this time fo year are deeply stained and have floating trash in the ofrm of plant material from passing storms. I use mostly jigs in the 1/2 oz range and pitch and flip close to the objects I mentioned. If the activity or predator action is further out I use lipless cranks or spinnerbaits to criss cross the area. I also cast to the same area from different points along the shoreline, sometimes they will not hit a biat going from right to left, but will hit one going the opposite direction. You might also remember that the surface is not the only area to cast to, the water has depth. If you do not get a hit then on the next cast let it sink for a 2 count and then stqrt reeling, If that series fails then a 4 count, and so on.

good luck,

.....mac

[Rebbasser]

Jools-if possible fish on the NW side of the body of water you are fishing. It gets the most sun and will warm up quicker. The nice thing about winter fishing is you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to get on the water. Fish the warmest part of the day, say between 10 and 4.

Your lure seletion is spot on. I'd add a deep running crawfish colored crankbait fished shallow and a lipless crankbait in the later hours of the day.

[jooleyen]

I'm fishingn a lake. Little muskego lake. I'll send you a map showing the exact spot I fish.

[skeeter944]

try the dropshot,slow rool spinnerbaits,jigs might work. downsize your baits a bit to catch sluggish bass.

[zooker]

look for rocks -riprap- rocks or cement hold heat. and the water near them tend to be a few degrees warmer. look for deep drop offs near these struture elements. road bridges are the best location if possable as they have all ingrediants for winter fishing. deep water, rip rap, and currant..

slow is the way to go forget finesse go bigger. a nice wide wobbling crank reeled pain fully slow. a jig dragged on bottom very slowly.. a jerk bait..

put away your plastic baits in winter they are rarely hit..

zooker

[keithdog]

Since your relegated to fishing from shore, if I were you I would consider using a live minnow. Yes, ack ack, I mentioned live bait. But I have found that in the cold season of late fall through early spring, when the water is below 50 degrees, it's often the best way to tempt a sluggish bass. Just try to keep it located in an area you believe has some weeds or brush nearby. Area with brush tend to be a bit warmer than areas without. Also, if you have a warm front happen to move through the area, head to the north eastern shore if you can get there. Warmer surface water will be blown into the northeastern parts of the lake by south western winds. If you do want to opt for lures, I find that my best approach is with a stick bait. I like the Rattlin Rouge the best for this type of fishing. Just cast it out, let it settle, and then give it a soft jerk or two. Then let it rest again for a few seconds and repeat. Bass are not going to chase anything this time of year so you need to keep it slow. Hope this helps.

[jooleyen]

Hi all. I went to Little Muskego today and caught no fish. What's new? I tried Jig n Pig, jerkbaits, no crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and for some reason, a buzzbait.

Here are the pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/74201270@N00/

It was cold. Like 33 degrees. I got there at 8:40am and left at 11:00am. It was so windy after about an hour of fishing, I kept getting backlashes, and could only cast about 15 yards at best.I had gloves on. That didn't help my backlashes. I tried all over, but it was hard because there was so much ice. All of the ice was about 1 centimeter thick.

I still can't catch anything!

-Julien

[Vabass22]

I personally after looking at your lures, would throw that black/blue jig, slow-roll your spinnerbait, deadstick that Tiki Stick, and work those Super Flukes slowly along the bottom. Good color choices on those Super Flukes, they both have caught me many fish.

Alot of people like to almost deadstick baits like that Rapala, with a slight twitch every 15-25 seconds this time of year.

[jooleyen]

Thanks Vabass. I tried deadsticking and twitching every 20 seconds or so, a BPS Suspension jerkbait.