Jigs in Winter - Yay or Nay?

[Pat Brown]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Pre Spawn is a specific seasonal period that follows the winter/cold water period. Pre Spawn isn’t the female egg growing period that starts in the Summer Period a different seasonal period followed by seasonal period between Summer warm water period and winter cold water period.

Don’t confuse a basses calendar with a human calendar.

Cold water under 50 degrees slows the bass metabolism because bass are cold blooded, body temp is the same as the water temps they live in.

Bass still eat in cold water just not as frequently.

I use the same size/weight jigs year around and change the trailer size to suit what the bass want to eat and generally at a slower pace.

Tom 

 

 

 

I've come to understand pre spawn as more of a modus operandi that dictates large female bass behavior sometimes and more or less if they not on bed or nearby recovering, they are pre spawn.  Sometimes a big female is pre spawn and post spawn multiple times in a year across multiple seasons right?  Not all fish do the same thing at the same time at the same place so it's not really hard-line attached to summer or spring or fall or winter.  Isn't pre-spawn just what happens when water temps drop too low for big females to want to do the egg laying and bass stop thinking about reproducing until that first warm front, whenever it may be?

 

To me pre-spawn starts as soon as water temps start to drop below 50 and lasts til the peak low temps are affected by the first couple warm fronts in the spring and then you're more or less beginning to get into spawn territory depending on surface temps and how they generally affect your local bass populations.

 

I caught fish on bed in 48° water during warm fronts in early February/late January and nobody was out fishing for spawning bass and to me it's more dictated by photo period and sunlight angles so long as you get some accompanying warmish fronts/sunny days and some decent water clarity during the late winter.

 

I might be overthinking this but I tend to think it's different for every fish every year.

 

Sorry to derail your thread @LrgmouthShad 😂 I really do think they're good all year long when bass are on a jig bite.  There's almost always a jig bite happening somewhere on every lake!

 

The thing about jigs you have to remember is that some days you're going to skunk with a jig locked in your hand.  I also tend to find that when they aren't biting at all on anything that usually catches numbers, a jig is the best lure to throw.  Kind of like when you get one bite all day on a buzz bait in the fall during a cold front and it's a 6 lber.  It can be both skunkbeater and giant slayer at the same time on really odd days weather wise.

[rangerjockey]

For me pre spawn is when the water warms enough for them to start to stage up off the points and creek mouths.

Anway, around here they will bite a jig year 'round.  I fish a smaller. lighter and more compact jig with a smaller trailer. Something like the Eakins jig . or the 1/4 oz Onieda snak jig with their trailer.

[Catt]

23 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

For me pre spawn is when the water warms enough for them to start to stage up off the points and creek mouths

 

For the bass it started when they began to move towards staging areas. 

 

[rangerjockey]

13 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

For the bass it started when they began to move towards staging areas. 

 

That would be winter or transition.

[ChrisD46]

Jigs in the winter ? Absolutely - football jigs and arky style jigs in black & blue or green pumpkin variants .

[TnRiver46]

Yay

[king fisher]

The only bass I ever caught while ice fishing was with jig so Yay

[river-rat]

23 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Whatever jig I use must come through grass. 

 

I use a jig 12 months out of the year. I don't care what season it is, a jig is a primary weapon.

 

I highly recommend Oldham's Jigs if you are fishing grass. Either the Trailer Hitch jig or the Eye Max jig will come through grass as well as any jig on the market.

 

Being that you are in Texas, you can probably find them locally since they are made in Wimberley, TX. If not, you can order direct from Terry Oldham.

 

oldhamjigs.com

 

 

[LrgmouthShad]

@riverat yup I’ve got Oldham jigs from local tackle stores and I placed an order from Terry not too long ago. They are some of my favorites. Great in the grass

[Catt]

When it comes to jigs everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion!

 

What I look for in a jig is a smooth transition from the line to the eye & around the belly, which requires the eye (either one) to be slightly rolled forward. The reasoning is I want my jig to follow the line up to the cover & then slide over or through the cover smoothly. 

 

 

[Siebert Outdoors]

Yes for jigs in the winter.  I throw my Sniper or Lil Man.

[Bird]

I throw nothing but jigs in winter months, nothing else.

They catch big fish.

[Catt]

@Siebert Outdoors

 

 

[NorthernBasser]

On 10/8/2023 at 12:32 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

We know that Northerners do, because they will skip real good across the ice. Good practice 😁

 

 

I do still use the jig still in early Nov. if that counts. 

[Munkin]

On 10/8/2023 at 1:32 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

This one's a bit early. I never can make up my mind if jigs are a good winter bait. Sometimes seems like there are better options. Do you like jigs in the winter? We know that Northerners do, because they will skip real good across the ice. Good practice 😁

 

You are in Texas now so there is no such thing as winter fishing.

 

Allen

[Bluebasser86]

Jigs are historically not a good winter option for me. We get too much snot moss on the rocks to make them a good option. A few hours south in the Ozarks, one of the best options.

[Catt]

On 10/10/2023 at 9:34 PM, Munkin said:

 

You are in Texas now so there is no such thing as winter fishing.

 

Allen

 

Yes there is!

It says so on the calendar 😉

[Munkin]

15 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Yes there is!

It says so on the calendar 😉

 

Unless you are hitting ice with your boat it doesn't count.

 

Allen