Have a good selection of lures to choose from, so you'll have confidence in what you're using. The colder the water gets, the shallower the bass suspend.” Throughout this year’s Classic, his theory held true. Cold Water Bass Fishing: Blade Bait. A spinnerbait is probably my most favorite cold water bait. As we begin the … Record bass have been caught during winter months. As the water temperature plummets, the need for frequent feeding diminishes, and bass become exponentially less active. The bass will spend mornings and evenings in the shallower water and head out to deeper, cooler water during the hot afternoons. Cold water is a good example. When that happens, I revert to winter presentations, fishing a jerkbait or a Red Eye Shad as I discussed in the previous article. It’s what they’re about. However some bass remain shallow no matter how hot it gets as long as the fish have plenty of cover. Because our water is so clear now, it’s really important to use smaller profile lures. In general, I like to hit the water when the pressure has been stable, around 30.00 for three days, ahead of a low-pressure front. In general, I like to hit the water when the pressure has been stable, around 30.00 for three days, ahead of a low-pressure front. One of the most valuable tools for finding early spring bass is a water temperature gauge. Hybrid stripers are fair with live bait in the main lake around 23-35’. Pro-Bass fishing tournament. After experimentin… Large bass are among the first to move toward the shallows. User account menu. Largemouth will seek the warmest, most stable water they can find, and that usually means deeper water, so for many anglers this is the first daunting challenge of winter fishing. Look for areas where bait fish are concentrating like creek channels, swings and rock to sand transitions. What Should I Fish? Crappie are … Once the water temperature reaches 75 degrees or higher in the shallows, most bass will move off shore to deeper water. But when they do, good things can happen. Day 2: How to Fish for Crappie and White Bass in 30 Degree Water at Lake Springfield February 5, 2019 Editor’s Note: Twenty-seven-year-old Reagan Smith (Reag’s Guide Service) of Tremont, Illinois, says he’s been crappie fishing forever, and he’s been … The multi-lure rig has been catching quality bass in cold water for the past couple of years. The A-rig, for example, has dispelled that belief here and across the south. Here in southern Michigan, our smaller lakes are developing sheet ice while the bigger bodied waters are more open. Fall Bass Fishing Tip. Night fishing is especially effective for anglers that enjoy shallow, power fishing techniques. Obviously, you have to dress properly but today’s cold weather clothing does an outstanding job for keeping the body warm. The multi-lure rig has been catching quality bass in cold water for the past couple of years. Yes, in some cases they have to drive their boats over thin ice to get to open water. Lethargic and much slower to strike, fish in cold water aren’t looking to actively feed as much as looking for an opportunity at an easy meal. These are the best late fall bass fishing lures because by late fall, when you’re experiencing near freezing temperatures at night, bass have likely retreated to the shallowest area of the water. One day, three of us sat in the boat and threw at the same spot. This is the main reason bass school up in deeper water during the warm weather months. During the fall it can feel like you have the whole lake to yourself. When many of us think of bass fishing in cold water, we envision uncomfortable temperatures, finesse gear and deep water. The main difference between jerkbaits and swimbaits is the presentation. Instead of a 3 1/2-inch tube, we use 2-inchers. Black bass are fair working brush and man-made structures with crankbaits, spinners, and worms. Good luck. In 80 degree water a bass digests its food in about four hours. I had limited success with a twin-tailed Hula Grub on a shaky head, the same grub on a swing jig, and an unweighted T-rigged Senko. In the winter the cold water makes the bass very dormant and lethargic, and they like to hover at the deep water levels where the water is the warmest. They cast them, then rip them a few inches off the bottom and allow them to flutter back. There are also shifting or gusty winds and a rapid rise in barometric pressure with cold fronts. What you see on the surface isn’t indicative of what the temp is 20 feet down. The fish will take advantage of a few degree temperature change to put some food in their stomachs. 1. Now, if the water temperature is dropping, the bass will back off the flats and hold on the first available drop or structure closest to deep water. The type of fish you pursue can make a difference, too. Shallow water is much more apt to change temperature then deeper water. Since fish aren’t rushing to slam any lures in the cold, fishing jigs in winter takes a different presentation turn subtle strikes into successful hooksets. 35 degree air temp but the water is a toasty 55. FAIR. If you don't have a surface temperature monitor on your boat, get one. Of course, it's foolish to use a surface lure for bass when the water is 35 degrees, but most lures work most of the time if you just use them in the right places and under the right conditions. It is hard to quantify how the barometric pressure affects bass fishing, but it does. ... “The one thing you have to be aware of is that you can have 48-degree water and after three days of sunshine, you might get a 3 or 4 degree rise,” Murray said. TrapperJ 127 Posted March 3, 2014. The water was just a quarter of a degree over 48* today when I was out. 40-45 degree water pretty much describes our lakes for about a month after ice out, and those baits are what usually work for me. And those same areas will be productive year after year. I also suggest a facemask and a good pair of thin, performance gloves such as those liners used by downhill skiers. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Top Water Fishing in 50 Degree Water Every year as the water warms from winter to spring the bass move up on top of humps and ledges and you can have a blast fishing top water baits. The best fishing times usually occur after the third day of a stable weather period. Typically after a prolonged period of sub 40 degree weather the bass will go deep. I asked four Bassmaster Elite Series pros, whose B.A.S.S. It’s not unusual to catch 20 to 25 bass a day once you locate them and 50 a day isn’t out of the question. Under these conditions I have three favorite baits. I use 6-pound fluorocarbon because it helps me control lighter weight lures in deeper water and provide a more natural presentation. But when it comes to just "cold water" bass fishing we Bass Bums® in the southern states, at least those few who prefer bass fishing to sitting on our butts watching football every weekend (blessed be the DVR), can speak well to the subject of winter bass fishing, when the water is in the 40's and low 50's. Their body temperature, bass being cold blooded, is the same as the surrounding water, usually in the 40's. For that reason, it’s critical to use electronics to look for balls of bait and bass hanging close to these deep weed patches. Most of the fishing public believes bass activity shuts down when the water temperature gets into the mid-40s, but that’s not true. While it’s not impossible to get bass to bite when water temperatures dip below 50 degrees, there are some presentations better suited than others for the task. Picture how you feel when you wake up on a particularly cold winter day… you don’t want to get up, you barely want to move, and you definitely don’t want to work for a meal. Kevin VanDam's column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. Bass are heavily feeding in these areas, and if you’re serious about fall largemouth bass fishing, you’ll want to hit this area hard. Jerkbaits can match the lethargy of coldwater bass while keeping your bait in the strike zone. The winter thaw has ended and it’s getting warmer which means, it must be spring! Log In Sign Up. Catch more in our blog: Winter Jigs-5 Tips to Boost the Bass Bite. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. See if this helps you with some general ideas of when to throw what baits. smalljaw67 2,472 Posted February 27, 2014. smalljaw67. Acknowledging that fish in cold water are trying to conserve energy more than aggressively swallow a meal, it’s important to choose the best jig for your specific fishing scenario. Winter bass fishing marks the end of a phenomenal bite when the fish were pushed up in the shallows, chasing baitfish and putting the feedbag on. The digestive process is greatly slowed; according to Doug Hannon, ESPN's Bass Professor, it takes a bass about four hours to digest a meal in 80-degree water, four days in 50-degree water! “Like Grand Lake, Lake Norman is a deep lake,” Cherry said. Read more in our blog: Cold Water Jerkbait Tips for Bass Fishing. Working a crankbait successfully in cold water takes a different presentation to get strikes compared to fishing crankbaits in warmer water temperatures. Regardless of where I’m fishing, I target these bass with a variety of shallow baits. LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 0.35’ high.Largemouth bass are fair fishing on red/black football jigs, curly-tailed grubs, suspended jerk baits and shad swimbaits. I know it sounds crazy but some of the biggest stringers in tournaments are caught on top water … 1 6 1 161. I often speed test small bass (easy to find bc there are lots of 'em) to see if they need speed. First you need an ultra sensitive rod. When the barometric pressure is high, fish tend to be slow and sluggish. Another great tip we can offer for cold water fishing is to build your own fishing rod suited for your application – and to your liking. Those are the months they are feeding up for their winter hiberation. Most of the fishing public believes bass activity shuts down when the water temperature gets into the mid-40s, but that’s not true. tournament fishing earnings amass more than $8,000,000, which lure they would choose for winter fishing. In many cases, this will be a nearby creek or river that pours into the water. With that said, we all know you can still catch ‘em when it’s cold out and below are some simple crankbait tips to boost your winter bass numbers. You are much more concerned with feeling a pickup than fighting a fish at this time of year. I like fishing suspending jerkbaits in the winter because they allow you to cover a lot of water and they draw strikes even when they’re not moving. JOIN TODAY! Blade baits are a popular cold water bait for smallmouth anglers in the great lakes region but it’s also a low-key killer for fishing largemouth too. Fishing slow with plastic worms or minnows is best. Find out more in our blog: Proven Cold Water Crankbait Fishing Techniques. Thank goodness for heated power plant lakes in the winter. It is much easier to get started than you think, and very affordable. Also, our primary forage consists of crawfish, bluegills and perch, not shad. Learn more about three of the most effective cold water techniques and what rods work best with each application. I've caught my biggest bass in December and the end of November. Remember the important factor is the water temperature, not the air temperature. Also, look for bass to hang deep to stay cool. A common mistake all anglers make is we adopt preconceived notions about when the fish bite and how active they will or won’t be. The best way to start is to get a turnkey kit, which includes everything you need to build your own custom bass fishing rod. See if this helps you with some general ideas of when to throw what baits. I like really shallow running crankbaits. In fact, cold water often means the exact opposite for him—shallow water fishing. And guys wanted to know if there was a chart you could reference for when to fish certain bass fishing lures.We organized the Wired2Fish Bass Fishing Lure Selector Chart by water temperature and water clarity. LBJ: Water clear; 55 degrees; 0.66’ low.Largemouth bass are slow. However, early spring weather is unpredictable, and as the water temperature in the shallows fluctuates from day to day, bass will move back and forth between shallow and deep water. While deep fishing techniques can certainly yield nice catches in the colder months, you won’t find Elite Series pro Hank Cherry doing it. 1 Quote; Link to post Share on other sites . A drop shot, or a heavy swimbait is a good choice to get down there to … Get best fishing times with lunar fishing calendars, Daily Limit: Robertson blooms after gloom, Small crankbaits can heat up cold water fishing, Nominations open for 2021 Bassmaster High School All-Americans, Nothing better than fresh fish cooked properly. Warmer water means topwaters such as buzzbaits and pencil style baits you can walk such as the Zara Spook. Above 55 is where I start to really see it. One big myth in bass fishing is that when the water is cold a person must use nothing but light line and spinning gear coupled with "itty bitty" baits. Take your jerkbaits to anywhere you can find water running into the body of water you’re fishing. Largemouth bass like warm water. Lethargic and slow to eat anything, fish in cold water are looking more to conserve energy rather than exerting it to feed. If you want to fish when the water is this cold target another species such as Walleye or Northern Pike. you'll throw a topwater lure in!!??? And guys wanted to know if there was a chart you could reference for when to fish certain bass fishing lures.We organized the Wired2Fish Bass Fishing Lure Selector Chart by water temperature and water clarity. Best Baits for 50 Degree Water. Everything is perfectly sized and matched to make it super easy to build it yourself, so give it a try! When the water is colder, the shad suspend in the water column and if I see shad dying and gulls diving on them, that tells me the suspending jerkbait is the best choice. Fish slow with plastic worms, minnows, grubs, jigs, or a slow reeled spinner bait. Striper fishing ranged from OK to very good for people who have found the big schools of stripers in deeper water. I've caught my biggest bass in December and the end of November. They give you free finger movement, retain your feel and keep your hands warmer than you think. As water temperatures change, so does the behavior of the fish and in order to get more jerkbait bites, you need to change it up too! https://blog.mudhole.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Top-3-Cold-Water-Bass-Fishing-Techniques.jpg, https://blog.mudhole.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Mud-Hole-Blog-Logo-e1427040112760.png, The Top 3 Cold Water Bass Fishing Techniques, Rod Building: 4 Reasons to Stock Up on Kits & Save, The Custom Thread Wrap Gallery You Have to See. One of the most valuable tools for finding early spring bass is a water temperature gauge. Large Swimbaits . Bass, as you probably know, are cold-blooded creatures, meaning their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings.As the water temperature drops, so does their metabolic level. Alan HenryGOOD. The worm, spinnerbait, and jig bite slows down for most anglers once the heat of summer settles in, but that’s not the case for fishermen willing to brave the darkness. I recommend the following setup for cold water bass fishing. After ice-out in late winter or early spring, bass begin moving from deeper areas where they spent the winter toward rapidly warming shallow waters. While the surface temp may be 33 degrees, the water is warmer where the bass winter in deeper water. Bass are feeding up for the winter, and many folks have garaged their boats until the spring. If the water is open and surface temps are between thirty five and fifty degrees bass can still be caught on regular bass gear. And they don’t need foot after foot of water over them to make them happy. Although this cold snap is enough to keep some off the water, it is also a time when other anglers will switch up their tactics to catch jaw-dropping bags despite the weather. Now, these fish are moving into their wintertime haunts offshore, and preparing for colder weather. (318)560-9827 « previous next ... 35… A community for bass anglers from all around the globe to meet and exchange … Press J to jump to the feed. Start way back from something like a dock and ease up to it with the trolling motor, working from the outside in. However, due to our unpredictable Florida weather, the temperature changes in our ‘winter’ can make bass change their behavior sporadically. They will be heading towards shoreline structure and will be hanging out in the shallows. I would have also (or maybe even primarily) thrown a 3/8 oz. Many anglers believe bass stay deep in cold water. 11 months ago. That keeps the bass relating to the bottom around deep weed edges and scattered weed patches lying off the drop offs. Concentrate on two styles of fishing in 50 degree water. 40-45 degree water pretty much describes our lakes for about a month after ice out, and those baits are what usually work for me. Conditions we’re seeing here in Michigan refute beliefs that bass go “dormant.” Most of the fishing public believes bass activity shuts down when the water temperature gets into the mid-40s, but that’s not true. They prefer the below 50-degree and above 40-degree water temperatures. What's the lowest water temp. Be Confident. The big fish are really looking for warmer water, so a difference of just a few degrees can really matter. Striped bass bite best when water temps are below 65 degrees. White bass are fair on slabs. If you use a heavy action rod you will not even feel the pickups and drops by Largemouth bass that have sampled your offering and declined. Water clear 52 degrees; 4.28’ low. Not everything in your tackle box will work well this time of year, but these techniques always seem to produce. You’d be amazed at how aggressive the bite can be in these cold temperatures. That’s usually true in clear water, but if the water dirties, the fish move shallower. In stained water, I like the chartreuse crawfish Series 5. Check out these good baits and techniques to continue to catch bass in 50 degree water. In most parts of the country, that 48- to 52-degree range is when fish become more active. In cold water, fish tend to slow down and feed only at opportune times that won’t require to much energy to consume. Most of our lakes don’t have current flowing through them like reservoirs, so there is a temperature gradient throughout the water column. Cold fronts, fishing weather that is the dread of all fishermen, are masses of cold air that move in replacing warm air usually moving from northwest to the southwest.Temperatures can drop as much as 15° to 25°'s in an hour. Posted by. While bass can chase in cold water to some degree (if motivated by easy prey) when water warms they seem to NEED speed more often than not. I’ve caught bass from 3 feet of water when the surface temperature was 50 degrees. The biggest question we get asked by anglers is when to throw what bait. Now, if the water temperature is dropping, the bass will back off the flats and hold on the first available drop or structure closest to deep water. In cold water, fish tend to slow down and feed only at opportune times that won’t require to much energy to consume. Close. When that happens, I revert to winter presentations, fishing a jerkbait or … Oftentimes, when fishing clear water, you have seen bass in the areas before and were unable to catch them, so you come back at a later time or date and try again. Pre-Spawn, Spawn & Post-Spawn. Of course, the weather helps drive the Seasonal Guide. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, silver spoons, suspended jerk baits, skirted jigs, and drop shots near brush, creeks, and rocky shorelines in 14-28’. (318)347-7380 You can Email Me Here Mike Cork Ph. A Lake Norman native, Cherry has spent years perfecting his cold water fishing skills. Water clear; 54 degrees; 0.41 low. Here are a few tips, tricks and tactics to help you cope with the unfamiliar lake blues. In the North, where bass are accustomed to lower temperatures, fishing can be good in water temperatures above 45 degrees. Top Water Fishing in 50 Degree Water. “People tend to get confused and think that bass always suspend in depths of 30 to 40 feet in cold water—that’s not the case. However, baits like jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits aren’t players; the fish are hunkered down so you have to get a bait that stays in their face longer, like jigging spoons, blade baits, grubs and even tubes. 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