Big winter smallmouth bass Not always the most ideal place to find largemouth bass during the cold, winter months, but ideal places for locating both spotted bass and smallmouth bass, often in schools, feeding as they fatten up for the cold, winter months ahead. Winter bass sometimes move horizontally along the bluffs, but the fish mainly make more verti… Ice fishing for bass is quite a bit different than fishing for them in the summer! I did not say it’s the best method or the only method so don’t accuse! Bass bunch up and suspend along the rock walls where they can move up and down the water column without swimming very far. It’s often said that in most cases catching them isn’t as tough as finding them. During the winter, bass tend to be closer to the surface so they can absorb the sun’s heat, as well as near rocks and structures which also absorb heat. G3 Sportsman Scott Turnage and Jeff Williams use electronics to locate white bass up the rivers in Oklahoma source. I’m talking about deep water areas with a flat bottom. You will find bass on this great body of water from the dam to the upper reaches of every … They might move shallow to feed sometime during the day, but on those bright, sunny, bluebird days, you will find schools of bass just ripe for the plucking with a spoon. Bass bunch up and suspend along the rock walls where they can move up and down the water column without swimming very far. Finding Winter White Bass. Unless you are on a lake filled with standing timber, visual clues are unavailable when searching for offshore bass in the winter. Usually located along current edges or around wood and rock cover. 7 Tips for Catching Shallow Winter Bass 1. The ideal locations will have deep and shallow water close by. MLF Big 5 Pro Circuit angler SPENCER SHUFFIELD joins the Bass 365 crew to share his pro tips and secrets on how he find bass in late winter and the best techniques and lures for you to catch more bass this winter … How far up they move depends upon the lake or reservoir you’re talking about and how cold the water ultimately gets. When it started to turn cold and the water temperature dropped they moved out towards deeper water. How To: Finding Smallmouth in Winter Rivers A main lake point with a river channel swinging close to it will hold the most bass in the wintertime. Ditches featuring stump rows or sunken brush piles are also ideal winter havens for bass in lowland reservoirs. If you look for winter smallmouth in all the usual summer places, you'll spend the day making cast … Keep Moving. In fall you should be looking shallow. Bass in the vast open water of lakes and reservoirs could be swimming anywhere in the wintertime. We’ll continue this discussion next time. You can certainly fish deep water schools and catch a bunch of bass. Rock walls usually feature ledges where winter bass can move up to absorb the heat of the sun. Winter fishing is the time of year where you have the chance to catch your biggest bass. It must be down with the bass. But now finding them is a little tougher, and that can be frustrating. FINDING SMALLMOUTH BASS. Unless you are on a lake filled with standing timber, visual clues are unavailable when searching for offshore bass in the winter. Fishing First Aid: What You Need To Know And What You Need To Bring, How To Find Winter Largemouth Bass In Open Water, Mystery Tackle Pro Box Unboxing (Multi-Species January 2021), Mystery Tackle Box Bass Elite Unboxing (January 2021), Mystery Tackle Box Bass Unboxing (January 2021). Wintertime bass... 2. There might be only a 2-foot drop from the edge of the vegetation into the hole, but bass will seek refuge there because it is the deepest water in the area. Winter bass locations are very site specific. Bait fish will be hanging out in the … Don’t confuse the two. Even though bass tend to be deeper this t… Among winter-fishing targets composed of popular eater species like walleyes, trout, and panfish, largemouth bass generally get short shrift. Areas such as humps, underwater islands, and long points are good places to start. One benefit of fishing in winter is that there is generally very little fishing pressure. A river or creek channel usually runs along a bluff so bass also have deep water access when the weather turns nasty. When looking for locations for winter bass fishing, two things are most important; baitfish and deep water. Fishing points can be tricky, but when the temperature drops it is worth it. If they’re in a big, long creek, that might be from a tributary channel out to the main creek channel. https://www.bassmaster.com/greg-hackney/finding-winter-bass-part-1 https://fishtackly.com/how-to-find-bass-without-a-fish-finder Good electronics will help you find open water bass … Some bass will set up their winter homes along long sloping points dropping off into deep water (30 feet or deeper) or a point that splits two coves where two creek channels swing into each side of the point. 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. You will always find spotted bass at Lake Martin in twenty to thirty feet of water. The easiest way to think about this is to realize that the shorter the creek the more the bass will move towards the main lake. Learn how to spot shad on your SONAR unit and … Electronics will allow you to cover more water and search for these fish-holding structures as well as locate schools of fish. On natural shallow lakes, the best winter bass hideout could be a hole 6 feet deep at the edge of hydrilla. I like to use a 1/16 or 1/8 maribou jig as a count down, fish the water column until you get a strike, then fish the area at that depth with a jerk bait, rapala’s usually, … Winter. You see, they go their deepest when the water first turns chilly. You do also need to keep in mind, that besides spawning, the time of the year still does affect where you can find bass. If they’re in a smaller creek it’s more likely that they’re out where the creek channel meets the main lake channel. They are hard to find (for me anyway) until there is a 4-5 day warming trend. Depending upon where you live they might already be there or they might be a couple of weeks away. He said the school was about 400 yards long and 100 yards wide. However, icefishing and largemouth bass … I don’t know how many bass are in some of them, but I know a guy who found one in Toledo Bend. We’ll start by going back and thinking about fall. Finding Fall Largemouth. In bowl-shaped lakes ringed with dying vegetation, Brosdahl expects the bass to hold on whatever structure the lake’s middle offers. First you have to find the fish. It’s hot now but in no time it’ll be fall and that means good river fishing. Finding deep holes adjacent to shallower water is the key to pinpointing large concentrations of bass during winter. Sensing winter is close, their metabolism will slow down; bass prepare by feeding heavily on the big baits when the water temperature is in the 50s. Bass are no different according to Bassmaster Classic champion Jordan Lee. At this time you’re not looking for breaks or swings. Share this: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in … by Devin Acton January 8, 2021 Fishing is all about selectively … Finding Winter White Bass. Bass typically avoid the shallows during early ice, as toxins from massive weed die-offs push them to deeper flats. That's largely because some of the big bass get shallow and little easier to access for a few weeks out of the year. Locating Winter Largemouth Bass 421 Save In the winter, when the water reaches the low 50s or lower, largemouth will retreat back to deeper water. Both of these are keys to finding bass in winter, and if you find both in one area, you have a prime fishing spot. Here’s a look at four of the best places that provide winter bass with quick access to both shallow and deep water. On those flat places they’ll often hold in massive schools. As … Finding Winter Bass by Greg Hackney. By looking at a topographical map or an electronic map card in your GPS unit, you can easily find likely locations. One of my personal favorites for the cold water is a jigging spoon. Find The Baitfish And … JOIN TODAY! Bass will move up on the point and feed along the bottom on sunny days but will head back to the drop-off and suspend in the channel after a cold front passes. A good method for locating the fish and the depth … Membership Includes 1 Year Bassmaster Magazine, Plus $50 in free gear. BBM Staff Member. Watch the channel and watch for the shad. Get a lure down to them and they’ll bite. Look in deep basin areas where there are likely to be large schools of smaller fish for the white bass to feed on. Use soft plastics and jigs as a fallback, but go against conventional wisdom. In winter bass are usually suspended over creeks or on the edges of flats close to creeks or deeper water, usually bright sunny days they suspend up and feed. Scott Turnage Nov 28, 2016. Those are two different things. Depending upon how deep the deepest water is that lure might be a crankbait, a spinnerbait or a jig. The biggest difference in the way that you catch bass … In the wintertime, white bass move into lakes and are usually found under large schools of baitfish. The winter to spring transition can be one of the most exciting times for bass fishing. Be the first to rate this post. For a while they were fairly easy to find. The … Rock walls usually feature ledges where winter bass can move up to absorb the heat of the sun. Focus on shallow water close to deep water Where to Find Winter Smallmouth Bass. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! A winter smallmouth bass guide detailing the best places to find them at lakes, what lures to use, techniques, tackle, and more. My experience on big lakes in the winter probably reflects the truth that the author was sharing. In winter bass are usually suspended over creeks or on the edges of flats close to creeks or deeper water, usually bright sunny days they suspend up and feed. Most people think that prespawn is the only chance to catch a big bass. 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. Finding at least one of these clues will eliminate a lot of dead water and pinpoint the largest concentrations of wintertime bass. Winter bass use these drop-offs to move up into the shallows to feed on sunny days; when inclement wintry weather hits, the fish leave the shallows and suspend out over the deep holes. The bass move out to their deepest holding places of the year. Let's take this from the top. They’ll bite for sure if you can find where they’re holding. You have to know your lake and spend time with your electronics if you’re going to be successful. When looking for winter bass, I focus on finding cover or structure in deeper water. While they’re doing this, though, they’re relating to the bottom, not the shore. Winter bass don’t like to move if … You will find when winter bass fishing that bass will also bunch up around the same type structure as they do in spring only deeper. This is when you will want to key in on deep structure on your chosen lake. If the shallow bite isn’t … Warmer water means active bass Winter Bass Fishing for Giants: Tips for Finding Big Bass in Cold Water By Jason Sealock • Jan 12, 2021 Winter fishing is the time of year where you have the chance to catch your biggest bass. The specific lure isn’t as important as its depth. Even though they’re deep like that the water is still warm enough that they’re feeding. https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/wintertime-bass-location.html … 960px-largemouth_bass_fish_underwater_micropterus_salmoides.jpg, 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. That statement has never been truer than in the winter. Not always the most ideal place to find largemouth bass during the cold, winter months, but ideal places for locating both spotted bass and smallmouth bass, often in schools, feeding as they fatten up for the cold, winter … What really happens is that as soon as the water drops below its fall temperatures, maybe the low 50s, the bass head for the deepest water they can find. Finding river smallies in winter requires covering a lot of water, but not always from the kayak. And, I know him well enough to know that he’s telling the truth. In winter bass are usually suspended over creeks or on the edges of flats close to creeks or deeper water, usually bright sunny … A river or creek channel usually runs along a bluff so bass also have deep water access when the weather turns nasty. Every minute you spend looking is a minute not catching. So, if winter is fast approaching, but you’re not ready to put away your fishing gear, keep reading and find out how you too can catch a few bass even when the lake is frozen.. How to Catch Bass Under The Ice. Winter bass sometimes move horizontally along the bluffs, but the fish mainly make more vertical movements since they frequently suspend off the bluffs over deep water. In a lot of cases they stopped over or on the channel swings as they exited. In most places they were back in the creeks. For example, points, humps, drop offs, bluffs and creek channels. Somewhat shallow areas close to deep-water access and relatively sunnier days are the keys. Thread starter kipp; Start date Dec 15, 2016; Tags bass fishing winter bass; kipp Boating Moderator. That's a shame—whether due to the catch-and-release mindset of many bass anglers or the largemouths' undeserved reputation as a muddy-tasting morsel. Winter is a time when humans slow down, try to stay warm and or course eat. When the fish suspend over the deep water, keep your boat out from the bluff, cast directly at the rock wall and work your lure all the way back to the boat. His approach to winter fishing relies … A good method for locating the fish and the depth the fish are holding is to use a countdown lure. This is a roundabout way of saying winter smallmouth bass want to gobble a meal close to their deep-water winter haunts and are more likely to feed up into the early afternoon when sunlight penetration is highest. Nov 25, 2019. Staff member. No votes so far! Community … After a time, as the water gets colder and colder, the bass move off of those really deep spots and move up shallower. Something happens at this time of the year — early winter — that some anglers don’t understand. Share this: Click to share on … I’m not talking about a traditional flat. He fished it every single day for a month, and it was still producing when he quit. Good electronics will help you find open water bass by scanning for two underwater clues: baitfish schools and bottom structure. What you want are flat areas in deep water. This can be a great time to throw a soft … What’s even more frustrating is that when you do find them they’re biting. On sunny days, position your boat close to the bluff and cast parallel to the rock wall to target shallower fish on the ledges. Photo: Jeff Little. Sometimes bass will move into very shallow water in the winter if the surface temps climb 3 or 4 degrees over several days. 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