Cold Water Bassing

[A-Jay]

Cold Water Bass – We are always talking about how ‘lethargic’ bass can be and how the cold water slows down their metabolism.   Accordingly, the advice most often given to would be cold water bassheads is to ‘slow it down’  -  fish that jerkbait with a good pause.   Slowdown that jig presentation.  Don’t over work that lipless bait.  Reduce the size of the hop on that tube; maybe even want to drag it. 

I’ll say at one time or another, I prescribe to just about all of that.  And for good reason; I’ve caught some very respectable bass in cold water doing it.  

 So the other day I watched a video shot by Aaron Wiebe host of the Uncut Angling Youtube channel.  (Great channel btw)  Anyway, he was ice fishing up in Manitoba.  The AquaVu footage, besides being pretty cool, showed very clearly just how slow bass are in cold water.   Obviously,  the presentations mentioned above are not for ice fishing, and although the water temps I’m fishing in early season are warmer than the ice water shown,  sometimes it's not by much.   

 I think these images can help to demonstrate to (or remind) us Bassheads, just what a ‘slowed down bass’ looks & acts like.  It really does look like slow motion.  I do believe that although the bass I’m fishing for early season are definitely ‘warmer’ and seem a bit more active than the fish shown here, I think that seeing this can help remind me to fish appropriately ( slow), especially after the first fish catch of the day, which often sees me starting to want to fish a little faster; and then wondering why I'm not getting bit anymore.

I started the video at a spot to show the slow motion bass - but the rest of the video is certainly worth watching.

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

[scaleface]

Very entertaining video . I wanted him to catch that burbot . Ive never seen one .

[lonnie g]

they were slow in texas , even at 58 degree water. some times all you felt on the bite was the slightest tic. or line just felt slightly heavy. I guess this is where patients really comes into play.

[papajoe222]

Great video, but like all general rules in fishing there are exceptions and cold=slow is one of the ones where I encounter numerous exceptions. 

Slow and deep is a great starting point, but if it isn't producing (in cold water one fish an hour, I feel is producing), I'll speed up and/or move my presentation up the water column. 

My point being; good information is invaluable, but not infallible. 

[Will Wetline]

Sound advice, A-Jay.

 

That is a great video.

[MassYak85]

Watching those ice fishing videos over the years really does put in perspective how slow and lazy they can get. And even more frustrating, will often show just how long they will just sit and stare at a bait. 

[TOXIC]

Exactly why my favorite crank in cold water is the SPRO Little John.  Thin sided, slow wobble, computer chip bill.  Can be retrieved very slow.  I actually like cranking more in cold water than warm water.  

[A-Jay]

23 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

  I actually like cranking more in cold water than warm water.  

Me too ~ But I stopped talking about it a few years ago.

A-Jay

 

[Dogmatic]

There's a good cold water/winter kayak fishing vid. Guy is river fishing for smallie, but in it he comes across a crayfish. He shows how absolutely, and I mean almost imperceptible a craw moves in winter. Puts it in perspective how slow you should be fishing.

 

*Appears roughly half way through vid if you want to skip ahead.

[Catt]

One must clarify the term "cold water", what you Yankees face is far from what us southern boys face.

[WRB]

7 minutes ago, Catt said:

One must clarify the term "cold water", what you Yankees face is far from what us southern boys face.

Or SoCal 50 degree water cold! We ice in drinks.

Tom

[RoLo]

36 minutes ago, Catt said:

One must clarify the term "cold water", what you Yankees face is far from what us southern boys face.

 

 

How True!

When water temps plummet below 70 deg, Florida-strain bass begin to get cantankerous.

In water temps below 60-deg, you might as well pack it up, and go home 

Mother Nature accommodates every niche on the planet  

 

Roger

 

 

[everythingthatswims]

He is a great fisherman but Aaron Wiebe sure is a strange dude. There was a definite turning point where he went off the deep end starting with the carp-chair-swing video

[TOXIC]

Bottom line....Bass don't hibernate and they gotta eat!!  So "something" is always going to catch them unless you are home sitting on the couch.  

[Hawkeye21]

Cold water bass fishing in Iowa is upper 30 to low 40 degree water.  When I got out on my kayak over a week ago the water temp was 41.5 and I managed to catch 5 small ones.  I caught them using a chatter bait, lipless crank and square bill crank.  I caught most on a small retrieval but I varied my speed and managed to catch my largest one while reeling faster.

[GHOSTRIDER71]

Here in Memphis, Tennessee the water is cold. I have had luck with the Ned Rig using a California Craw Color and Junebug, but I must tell you to slow it down! The bass are not as aggressive in this type of water temperature and I am catching them in about 6-8 foot of water. The silver rattle trap with black back is working also, but very slowly. I have actually had fish hit the bait and swim off after missing their first attempt.