Super cold water - struggling for bites

[DitchPanda]

Well we are in that time between open water and ice fishing..several ponds are already covered. My past few outings I've skunked for bass. Been throwing the normal cast of characters jerkbait, jig, Ned ..but can't seem to buy a bite. Anybody else struggle this time of year?

[Team9nine]

It's slow, but I wouldn't call it a struggle. Jerkbait, Ned, jig and a small blade bait are all I carry this time of year. Ned scored today on an open water pond after having to pass on one completely skimmed over. Small black marabou jig used to be a go to, but now days I throw hair. Some days they are active, but other days you better barely move the bait. Play with retrieve speeds to determine activity level.

 

[The Bassman]

I enjoy this time of year in IN. Water temps are stabilizing after the quick drops of the last month. I find the fish to be more predictable now. Was able to catch a couple of good ones Sat. and got into some fast action on a tiny blade bait Sun. that @Team9nine got me on to a few years ago. Also, I fish small waters so location isn't a big factor. Obviously, your window of opportunity in Iowa is much narrower than mine as well.

 

[Fat Ika]

5 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Well we are in that time between open water and ice fishing..several ponds are already covered. My past few outings I've skunked for bass. Been throwing the normal cast of characters jerkbait, jig, Ned ..but can't seem to buy a bite. Anybody else struggle this time of year?

@DitchPanda Of course. Especially from the bank. I blanked the last time I went out last week committing to a jerkbait with slow pulls/light twitches & 3-12 second pauses.....which usually works for me for at least 1 fish at this TOY and ice-out. Wed night looks like you get a nice night temp bump..... it will be a low of mid 40s in NW Iowa on Wed night. In Chicago, I'm planning on skipping work from 2 pm - dusk on Thursday and Friday. I too will be shore fishing......... fishing a jerkbait for sure and probably a casting/mostly dead-sticking a buoyant dropshot as my waters have mostly soft bottom and grass. How were the smallie rivers for you in November?

[jimmyjoe]

   Everywhere is slow right now, even the river. I went to the Sand Pit this PM. One of my friends was there, throwing a jerkbait. I threw lots of different stuff. Just before dark, I connected with a 1/4 oz. Super Spot, of all things. He zeroed.

 

   Someone needs to teach these bass to be more predictable!  ? ?         jj

 

 

[leinad]

last week or so can't seem to find any smallies in my  favorite river but the trout are extremely aggressive with my ned rigs .

[Bird]

Just like Jimmy houston always said, water temps below 58* is when the bite slows down. 

We're well below that but heading out Thursday for an unseasonably high of 60* and from past experience.....don't have high expectations because water temps are much more stubborn and less likely to be influenced by 1 warm day.

Having fun however carries some merit. Lol

[LrgmouthShad]

I think I made the mistakes last winter of saying too much "I know they're here" and "they just wont bite this", or "they're deep, I see them on my fish finder, they're not shallow." Too much placing blame on one thing and not being free-thinking enough about depth and location and too much free-thinking on tackle choice. If I fished my confidence more and simply focused on location more last winter, I think I would have done better and I'll be working to correct those mistakes this winter break. But, I'm also going to target big ones since this will be the time of year for me to do it, along with prespawn next year.

 

Winter fishing can be a grind but I also find cold water fishing immensely rewarding. It's a mind game, you have to stay positive that the cold water is not going to prevent you from catching them. 

[DitchPanda]

I did manage to catch 1 dink today  in a different pond over brush in shallow ish..5-6 fow. Sure I caught it on a wax worm fishing for gills so that's cheating!? But most importantly it told me that some bass are still reachable and catch able from shore. Just not 100% sure how.

[813basstard]

Still don’t see how y’all can handle the cold.

Water temps were 72 here and I caught fish with mittens on. 

[CrashVector]

I switch to bluegill fishing.  I leave the bass alone in the dead of winter.

 

They're too on/off for my level of patience,so I catch myself dinner instead lol

[DitchPanda]

10 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

Still don’t see how y’all can handle the cold.

Water temps were 72 here and I caught fish with mittens on. 

The way we handle it? Stay inside with the heater cranked, only go out after copious amounts of alcohol and spend the entire winter whining and complaining about how cold it is!

 

 

Just kidding...........kind of.

[PaulVE64]

our ponds are crusted over now, the riverbanks will start crusting soon. on days like this i am praying for a sunny day to draw the bass onto a bridge pilling i know of that is built on a rock shelf. they are drawn to the warmth i think. and the piling gives them a current break.

otherwise i can't find them. I'm very curious to know where they winter.

[PaulVE64]

55 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

Still don’t see how y’all can handle the cold.

Water temps were 72 here and I caught fish with mittens on. 

when the line freezes in the guides its time to stop. (then you go grab a can of PAM)

[GreenPig]

My wintertime bass numbers typically increase while the size per bass tends to decrease. Here in Central Ga. our water temps usually gets down to 45 - 47. We've just dipped below 60 and the LM are still actively feeding shallow, but the Spots have been alluding me. I fish a spoon year round but as the water temp drops below 55 degrees I really lean on it and at 48 degrees it's really all I need to put in the boat. But right now I'm still catching them on Super Flukes, Spinnerbaits, Walking baits, and Buzzbaits. 

[Bluebasser86]

That's crazy that it's that big of a difference from Iowa to NE KS. Water temps are still high 40's here and fish are very active. 

[Junk Fisherman]

Caught a half dozen or so of these this past weekend on jerkbaits.  40-42 degree water temps.  I agree with others in this thread- jerkbaits, bladebaits, Ned, and an A-rig is what I'm throwing.  

[Fat Ika]

2 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Caught a half dozen or so of these this past weekend on jerkbaits.  40-42 degree water temps.  I agree with others in this thread- jerkbaits, bladebaits, Ned, and an A-rig is what I'm throwing.  

@Junk Fisherman I grew up in Tinley Park. 1/2 a dozen! That's a smash fest. I'm an embarrassment with the bladebait. What kind of structure were you fishing the blade around?

[Junk Fisherman]

22 minutes ago, Fat Ika said:

@Junk Fisherman I grew up in Tinley Park. 1/2 a dozen! That's a smash fest. I'm an embarrassment with the bladebait. What kind of structure were you fishing the blade around?

 

LOL- that picture was my biggest.  I caught 6 or so from 14" up to 19".  My top 5 would of been 13-15 lbs which I will definitely take at this time of the year.  I was fishing deep dropoffs and points where I suspect the fish spend their winter.  I was throwing the bladebait in 25'-30' of water adjacent to the points and dropoffs.  If I went too shallow I would get grass everytime.  I used the jerkbait and Ned in the grassy areas of the dropoffs.  Got bit off by a musky and a pike as well.  Those fish have really come alive over the last couple weeks.  

[T-Billy]

If you have shallow wood available, a t-rig, jig or a stupid tube can be big players. Especially if that wood is laying on a clay bottom. Sunny fairly calm afternoons are best for this bite.

[Mr. Aquarium]

It honestly could be the pond you fish, I’ve have ponds where I only fish in winter. Some ponds I love the rest of the year are devoid of life in the cold.  Some spots the pond could be 75% covered with ice and I’ll get em.   

[DitchPanda]

14 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

That's crazy that it's that big of a difference from Iowa to NE KS. Water temps are still high 40's here and fish are very active. 

Just googled it from Olathe lake to my door is 340 miles North. We passed several small ponds yesterday that were completely shut. Sunday morning on my way to work it was 19.

[bigspirit]

21 hours ago, GreenPig said:

My wintertime bass numbers typically increase while the size per bass tends to decrease. Here in Central Ga. our water temps usually gets down to 45 - 47. We've just dipped below 60 and the LM are still actively feeding shallow, but the Spots have been alluding me. I fish a spoon year round but as the water temp drops below 55 degrees I really lean on it and at 48 degrees it's really all I need to put in the boat. But right now I'm still catching them on Super Flukes, Spinnerbaits, Walking baits, and Buzzbaits. 

What kind of spoon are you talking about? New to Georgia and a little north of you but this is my first year throwing a flutter spoon and have enjoyed it so far. Just wouldn’t have thought to use it in that cold of water

[GreenPig]

2 hours ago, bigspirit said:

What kind of spoon are you talking about? New to Georgia and a little north of you but this is my first year throwing a flutter spoon and have enjoyed it so far. Just wouldn’t have thought to use it in that cold of water

Cotton Cordell jigging spoon in Silver & Gold. I fish the 3/8, 1/2, & 3/4 oz after I upgrade the hooks. I use a tiny Spro Power swivel connected to a tiny VMC snap and never have a problem with line twist. My spoon box weighs 20+ lbs and has spoons from micro to 9"ers but the CC consistently out fishes them all. 

[PressuredFishing]

On 11/29/2021 at 5:57 PM, CrashVector said:

I switch to bluegill fishing.  I leave the bass alone in the dead of winter.

 

They're too on/off for my level of patience,so I catch myself dinner instead lol

This is kind of the same for me, if we get a warming trend it can be decent but I don't bother when it's 50-60 degree daytime temps, I'd rather just drown worms for panfish