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Chillin’ For Bass - by Rob Brewer |
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| With the winter well upon us, the area lakes have chilled down to the lower forties and the cold water season is upon us. If you want a change of pace from the tree stand or just have a case of cabin fever and want to bust some lips, here’s some helpful hints to key on that will tilt the odds in your favor. First of all, be sure to dress warmly in layers. Pile it on, you can always remove layers as you warm up. Zipping down the lake creates quite a chill when you consider the wind blowing on you. Also pack some foods high in sugar and carbohydrates. Don’t forget a thermos of hot coffee or tea. Be sure to pack along some water. Dehydration is still a factor in the cold. Finger-less gloves are nice too. Now that you’re dressed for the occasion, lets get ready to go fishing. There’s no need to be on the lake early like you wanted to in the summer. Hit the water about eight or nine in the morning. The water will still be cold but the sun will be high enough to shine on you and begin warming the water. If you know of some deep spots check these first. By deep, I mean twelve feet or more. Motor over these holes and see if you can mark any fish. Winter bass tend to be congregated in large schools in a small area. Spend your time looking for such a spot; don’t worry about covering a lot of water. You want to thoroughly cover the few spots that you believe have bass stacked up on them. If you don’t mark any fish don’t give up on the area. Sometimes they’re actually sitting on the bottom as opposed to suspending. As far as lure selection goes you’ll only need a few different lures and maybe four-rod combos. Two of which should be spinning outfits spooled up with 6-10lb mono. You’ll want to try a variety of lures and retrieves (we’ll cover both) in the few holes you’re going to. For starters, rig up a spinning outfit with a 1/16-ounce slider jig head (or even an unweighted worm hook) and put on a Zoom Super Fluke or 4” finesse worm. This rig will sink ever so slow and entice any bass who watch it fall. The way to fish this is to cast it out and let it fall on a slack line. Watching the line for a “tap-tap” indication of a pick up. If you are unable to discern any takers with the slack line, let it fall on a tight line. But be sure to let it fall all the way to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, gently pop it once and let it fall again. Fish this all the way to the boat like such. The retrieve should take a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t you’re fishing it too fast. On your other spinning outfit tie on a marabou crappie jig or similar lightweight leadhead, above this, attach a small foam float. Experiment with the depth the jig is under the float. The beauty of this rig (aka floating fly) is the lure remains suspended at whatever depth you rig it. It is awkward to cast when there’s any distance between the float and jig. If it gets too cumbersome try letting the wind drift it away from the boat for you. Some who specialize in this technique have custom rods made on fly rod blanks. The long rod aids in casting this rig when there’s ten feet between float and jig. A slight wind action or wavelets make the marabou plumes undulate while the lure remains pretty much stationary and suspended at the depth you’ve adjusted it to. One tactic is to cast this out and let it “dance” while you work another lure. When the bobber disappears, set the hook. Another popular lure choice is a suspending jerkbait or countdown Rapala. Cast these out and work the water column from six feet down to the bottom. You’ll want to fish these with short twitches of no more than 6” at a time with a pause anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds between twitches. Be sure to have sharp hooks on all baits. Since most bites are light and occur on a slack line. Be prepared to lose some baits to pickerel. Silver buddies, Cordell Gay Blades and Heddon Sonars are popular with many local anglers. They’re compact, heavy baits that get to the depths quickly. The disadvantages are they are easy for bass to spit out and are difficult to fish slowly without vertically jigging them. They’re also prone to snagging often. Nonetheless, you’ll find many area experts with at least one rod rigged with a silver buddy. I have not figured out the “secret” to these baits yet and am not likely to use one. But you can bet there’s half a dozen in my box during winter. Something I need to force myself to fish more often. Let’s not omit the ever-productive jig and pig. This is a great winter bait. The key is getting the right weight/ trailer combination to get just the right fall. Start with a 3/16 jig and put on a Strike King baby Pork-O for a trailer. This will fall ever so slowly. Take a pair of dikes and cut the weedguard off flush with the leadhead to aid in hook ups. Remember that most bites will come on the fall and that weed guard won’t help things. The large pork trailer does run the risk of bunching up in the fish’s mouth and fouling an otherwise “textbook” hookset. If you are missing fish, assume this is the case and try a smaller trailer. File some lead off the head to get the same slow fall if necessary. My own designed “winter jig” is a 4/0 Gamakatsu worm hook with only a black/blue spinnerbait skirt slipped over it. Add to that a bit of power worm on the hook’s shank and a #11 pork frog. You now have a “slow jig fizz”. Try a white skirt and trailer to simulate a dying shad. Fish this the same as the Slider jig previously mentioned. That’s about all the lures you’ll need to be successful. I’m sure there’s more that will produce. I’m only going off what works for me. The two most important factors are finding the proper depth holding the bass and fishing slowly. Focus on those two items in that order. It takes a great deal of discipline to fish as slow as is necessary. Be aware of that and force yourself to slow down. Just when you think you are fishing slowly, kick it down another notch. If you’re doing it right, each retrieve will bore you, that is until you catch a fish. Spend your fishing day on a few choice areas probing the depths thoroughly. You’ll gain a better understanding once you hook a coldwater bass and notice how lethargic they are. Once you catch a fish, don’t move on! More bass are there where you caught the last one. Know up front that you aren’t going to catch significant numbers of fish. Six bites is a great day. A safety note. Coldwater fishing is dangerous. Hypothermia is a rapid killer. You’re survival time in forty degree water is reduced to about fifteen minutes for a healthy, physically active individual. Most of us will succumb sooner. It would be wise to pack a set of dry clothes and a towel or two. If fishing alone, be certain to wear your PFD. It works as a great insulative vest when worn under a jacket. Use extra caution at this time of year; tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back. Don’t forget your cell phone either. Remember to fish slow and enjoy your day out on the water. Fishing is life. Rob Brewer |
