Fall/Winter fishing

[lovecranking]

Another question. Let's say you never use live bait fishing for bass in the fall. Is crankbaiting your best option? Do you think plastics is a waste of time?

[roadwarrior]

River fishing is a little different. The commonality is the enormous quantity of baitfish which makes it extremely difficult to distinguish your lure presentation from the natural forage. Minnow immitations are the best solution to this challenge. A little different size, color or action would seem to be key. Crawdad immitations (grubs, Hula Grubs, tubes and jigs) appear to be less successful in early fall, but by winter come back into play. I fish live bait and the native yellowtail catch fish, every kind of fish in the river. Store bought shiners provide an edge, probably because they stand out in the crowd.

Structure providing ambush points is where the smallmouth stage. There is just so much bait available, I do not think they chase the baitfish. I think smallmouth hide and wait on the prey to come by in current. Strikes are very aggressive in the fall, I believe they are all feeding strikes.

Winter is interesting on the Tennessee River. The baitfish seem to disappear, maybe migrating downstream to deeper water. Many of the predators, especially catfish and drum follow and very few are caught in the winter. However, smallmouth do not seem to follow the bait. Perhaps there is enough residual prey to maintain the food base. Rather than heading to the deeper water of the lake, smallmouth feed in relatively shallow water and stage in deep water near gravel flats. It seems they spend December and January preparing for spawn in late February and March. Our best fishing is in November and January (December is probably great, but it is usually just too cold to fish).

If you want to fish artificials, crankbaits and jerkbaits would be my recommendations. I watch a lot of guys throwing plastics with very little success. Jigs? Well, maybe a little later, but not now. If you want to catch big smallmouth, it's live shiners that work.

[Chris]

Now that we narrowed down some of the water and pinpointed prime spots to fish slowly what the heck do we throw. Here is the who, what, where, when, and why's that you never wanted to know ... well maybe you did ;D First thing I am going to tell you is it's easier to fish for cold water bass in clear water than heavy stained water.

OK what to throw:

Suspending crankbaits: What you need to understand with this style of crankbait is that it will run a foot or two deeper than a floating crankbait of the same style. This can be important when your trying to reach a depth but want to use the same profile of a floating bait. A great way to catch bass is to use a suspending crankbait like a worm. Cast the bait out and reel it down to the max depth then stop the bait. Now drag the rod to the side and stop the bait. Fish it this way all the way to the boat. Depending on the mood of the fish you need to adjust how far you pull the bait and how long you pause it.

Swimming jig: This style of fishing gets better as the water gets colder. I use either a pork swim chunk, or a zoom swim chunk. If I am fishing points I try to swim the bait as close to the bottom as I can. If I am fishing a bluff I count it down and keep my rod high to feel the bite. The bait will swing to the boat and the bite will either feel like a tap or the bait will just stop. Mess around with how deep you count it down until you make contact with the fish. With just shallow points and humps I just count it down and with my rod low and just reel and lift the rod if needed to move the bait over stuff.

Spinnerbait: Laydowns is where I throw this bait. I slow roll the spinnerbait making sure its tight to the tree as I bring it out to the end of the tree. I then drop the bait and let it free fall. In cold water I use a #11 pork chunk for a trailer and a single colo blade. If I am fishing the edge of grass I use a double colo bait and just slow roll it.

Carolina rig: Cold water I use a fry or a do nothing worm. A senko works great too. Short drags I found works the best or long pauses while you shake it in one spot. Points, roadbeds, dragging it on the edge of a drop or bringing it to the drop from the shallow side is where it shines.

Drop shot: If you never took the time to learn this technique summer and winter is prime for this rig. Remember that bass school up tight in the winter and this rig can rope in the whole school. Points, roadbeds, patches of grass, humps, it works great. You can keep the bait right in the fish's face for a long time which is key. Something I do a lot is position my boat right on a drop and toss my rig on the shallow side. I then push my boat out on the deep side and hang the bait out suspended over the edge.

Deep jig: When I fish a jig in deep cold water I use a 1/2oz jig or 1oz. I am not worried about the fall rate because I am fishing the jig on the bottom. I am worried about feeling the bait and the bottom so that's why I do it. I use short hops (the jig moves inches as it hops) and if I am fishing a hard bottom I try to make my jig tap the bottom. Sometimes I shake the bait as I lift it so that it just skims the bottom. This is also when I use a pork trailer.

Flip jig: Mainly I am talking about pitching a jig around docks, rock banks, ends of trees, or rock bluffs and the like. You can slow down your jig by bulking it up, use a bigger trailer, or use a lighter jig. There are times that the fall rate is everything. This time of the year it is that important.

Grubs/swim bait: Don't overlook these baits in cold water because sometimes its the only thing that will work.

Cold water balsa: The thing about balsa (wood baits in general) is that it takes very little movement to start a wooden bait. With most plastic baits you need to reel it some to get the bait to start wiggling and it also needs to be reeled at a certain speed for it to maintain the wiggle. If you slow down the bait it doesn't wiggle as much or stops wiggling. A wood bait still maintains its wiggle even at slow speeds. This means you can slow the bait way down and the bait will still have a good action.

[Chris]

Jigging spoon: This is a great tool for cold water and in the summer. If you pay attention to your depthfinder you can watch your spoon fall to the depth that you see the shad on your graph. It looks like a thin solid line. Make sure when you jig this bait that you follow it down with your rod on the fall. It is a boring way to fish but if you locate a good school of fish it can be deadly. This is a great tool for suspended fish. Standing timber, creek channels, drop offs, humps, and points this bait works.

Jerkbait: I love this bait ;D The thing to remember is you need to mess with the way you work it a little to figure out what the fish want. The colder the water the longer I let the bait just sit in one spot suspending. This is a great bait for points, or suspending bass. Do not overlook the spoonbill model of this bait. The spoonbill I reel it down to the max depth and stop the bait. I then sweep my rod between 1ft to 4ft depending on what the fish want then let it sit there suspending.

Deep cranking: My bread and butter In cold water I try to reel this bait just fast enough to just touch the bottom. Pay attention because the bite takes concentration to feel. Fatfree shad, DT, and a Bandit are what I throw the most this time of year for deep water. I mainly fish them on clean bottoms or I try to bump stumps and structure with them. If what your throwing can't touch the bottom change to 10lb test line or another bait. Just remember slow down its not a race.  

Pumping a trap: A rattletrap style bait is another bait that you can count down to a depth and you can also jig it like a spoon. In cold water fishing it that way works but what I found to be the most productive is pumping the bait as I reel it in. I cast the bait out and count it down then sweep my rod to a 11 o'clock position and let it fall on simi slack line then reel up then sweep it again.

Thin crankbaits: In clear water this can be the way to tempt cold water bass. I use more flat sided baits than thin but it is what you should throw. I guess I am just thick headed :-/. A thin bait mimics the slight tight action of a shad this time of the year.

Lure speed: Cold water everything is moving in slow motion including the bass. If your bait is moving like it was living in hot water your not going to get many bites. You need to remind yourself to slow down.

Countdown baits: You know those PITA (Pain in the butt) bass that suspended out in deep water? Well, this is a way to get them to bite. Not always but it does work. Mark the fish on the graph and count down your bait to their depth. This is not a dead on accurate way to hit the depth but if you work at it the bait will be close enough in the zone to tempt a strike. This is when I break out the countdown Rapalas. I cast the bait beyond where I had them marked and count it down to the zone. As the bait falls strip out line other wise it will swim to you under the tension of the line. After you count it down to the zone start reeling at a slow pace and about every 10 ft of line recovery count it back down 2 ft. Another way to work the bait is to cast it beyond the marked fish and engage your reel then raise your rod to a 11 o'clock position and count without reeling. Let the bait fall with tension on the line then start reeling when it counts to the depth you need. Watch for your line to tick (Its a bass). The third way is to cast it to the bass let it fall and raise your rod then follow your lure with your rod as you reel. Your bait will jig up and down much like a spoon.  

Topwater tips: When fish are busting shad I like to use a Spit'n image (not pop'n image). I use this bait over a spook for one reason you can make it closely match a shad. What I do is cast the bait beyond the schoolers and spook it like normal. When my bait gets to where the bass are slamming shad I position my rod to the side and drag the bait. When I do this the spit'n image turns on its side and skips the surface just like a shad trying to get away.  When I am just trying to get a topwater bite in cold water (not schoolers) I use a spook puppy or a pop R and walk the dog. Buzzbaits I use black for no other reason than it works. I tip it with a pork chunk to help slow it down also and or double skirt it.

Graphite for light bites: Most bites in cold water are very light and almost feel like pressure. They can be hard to detect so you need to be in tune to exactly what your bait is doing at all times. If you like to use a glass rod it would be wise to put it up just because of the light bites. I do understand the benefits of glass but if your having a hard time catching fish don't say I didn't warn you. In deep water it's almost critical to use graphite.

Tubes: This bait can be killer in cold water. A tube don't have the action of a curl tail or legs flopping around it's kinda a do nothing bait. Well, a shad or other baitfish in cold water moves slow and don't do anything fancy and that's what this bait mimics. You can jig this bait over suspended fish which works also. What I do most of the time is fish it like a crankbait on a jighead. I cast it out and count it down then crank. Sometimes you can drop it down to the fish as you watch it fall on your depthfinder (it looks like a thin solid line that arching). When it reaches the right depth hop it to make sure its where you want it while you watch your depthfinder. You should see that line on the graph move. Now just slightly shake the tube and hang on!

[Matt Fly]

I never use live bait at any time when bass fishing.    Your region and lake dictate your best approach.  In Texas, primarily north and east texas, we have great populations of shad and crawdads.  With that being said.  Which one meets the needs of a bass in the winter time in consideration of the eggs that are developing.  Shad, brim, crawdads?????   Which one is going to provide the most protien???  If fishing grass mats in the winter, a jig is a good choice.  Yes bass will live in the 10' zone during the winter and year around except duing the spawn.  

You must learn what each lake offers as its main source of food.  

Plastics mimic just about every food source availabe.   Flukes, sluggos, banjo minnows and others mimic bait fish.   plastic frogs, horny toads, hawg craws, crawfish.   Tubes, brushhogs.   Swim baits.  

Suspened fish can be targeted with spoons, flukes, CB's Spinner Baits,  swimming jigs, bucktail hair jigs,

Drop shot rigs.

Let the fish tell you what they want.  Ever catch bass and feel the bellie.  Its not hard to tell when a bass has eaten crawfish.  Most bass will throw a few shad up if put in a livewell.   Pretty good sign on what they have been eating.  Last week had a crawdad in the live well, a pretty deep reddish one.  Could that be why I throw a black/brownish jib with a black and amber pig.  

All those things in the the tool box are tools of the trade.  Some days a jig is the producer,  The next was a small spinner, the next day was a rattletrap.

I don't think patterning fish is that hard in the hard winter.

You need to be aware of your temps daily.  Water below 55 degrees really slows a fish betabolism.  Below 50, fish look for the warmest water availabe to feed.  I know that a fish that was "needing to feed" every day or two no longer has to.  It will now feed opportunisticly.  Once every 4-6 days as warmer weather dictates.  I mentally know that I'm not going to get alot of bites.

There are a lot of good plastic fishermen in the warm months.

Some of those same fishermen couldn't tell they had a bite in the frigid waters.  Bass just aren't as aggressive when their metabolism is slowed.  They in-hale it slowly, you almost need to see line twitch to know.  Therefore plastics often don't get used as much with success.  Crawfish offer the most protien and is sought by large bass, all bass love crawdads, especially large ones.  (the jig/pig)

There is a mental process for the tournament angler.

There is a mentlal process for the guy who seeks trophies.

One is seeking numbers, the other is looking for the big bite.

Big bites in our neck of the woods, #1 is the Jig.

Top producer for numbers is the rattle trap.  Yes, I believe I have patterned fish successfully during the winter.  The pattern I follow depends on the good days of sunshine.  It may go a week before my pattern sets back up, but its a pattern, just not the every day approach of a summer pattern.  

Another question. Let's say you never use live bait fishing for bass in the fall. Is crankbaiting your best option? Do you think plastics is a waste of time?

They all produce, some better than others on certain days.  If your lake has been at 50 degrees for weeks, and you have several days of 60 temps due to sunshine, bass are more apt to chase a slow moving bait, spinners and cranks.  When they get lathargic(sp) a good carolina rig that doesn't move six inches a minute maybe the trick.  But can people slow down that much?  Takes a patient person to fish plastics in down right cold waters.  Why do shad go deep in the winter?  Every wonder whiy?

The only time a muddy bottom and bass get together is the winter.  Bass like hard bottoms usually.  North banks, coves, creeks offer protection from the cold north winds,  find that stinky black mud on the northside and you'll find  warm water that can be 5 degrees warmer.  The mud absorbs the heat fast.  10:30 thru the afternoon is prime time for locating shallow fish.  There is a difference in sandy bottom and muddy bottom.

The same applys for grass, by now, the grassline is under the surface again.  Bass will come up on top of the mats to warm, and a red trap produces well.  The mat traps heat from the surface down to the mat.  Don't know if that helps the Northern guys or not.

That means more active fishing.

[Chris]

Posted by: Cujo13 Posted on: Today at 9:34am

Chris I have a question.  When a lake turns over in the fall or winter (depending on location) you said that fish can be hard to find because of the homothermous temperatures.  This I understand, but here in the south, most of the lakes are monomictic, (meaning they only turn once a year)therefore they would mix throughout the winter until spring comes.  Would this cause the bass to be roaming the entire winter or do they seem to stage in similar places as you mentioned earlier?

Bass still need to have a comfort zone. There will always be an area that has a temp that will hold the most fish. Sometimes weeds or dark bottoms hold heat and draw bass because of the temperature difference. Other times bass will suspend because at that depth is the temp they like. The difference is that in the northern lakes temperature, oxygen, and what the baitfish can tolerate are the driving factors of where the fish will move to. Southern water don't have the dramatic change in temp and oxygen but they still move to warmer water if available. Bass still stage and move in the same way but on a different scale.

[Guest whittler]

I'm with you Chris on those cold water crankbaits. Most guys give up cranks in cold water, right when they can be the most effective.  A properly designed crank for the conditions can load the boat.

[Chris]

Following my own advice I went out today for about 4 hours throwing a jerkbait caught 14 bass on points. On steep banks I caught 1 on a jig. Water temp was 57 degrees in some places and 55 degrees in others. I hope this stuff works for you also  ;D

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Right on man, I'm going to give it another try this weekend and then again the weekend after w/ senko77.  Maybe he can give me a crank lesson.

[bassindude]

;D WOW  ;D  I marked this site a while back but didnt have much time to visit.  Man I'm glad I came back.  Chris, I havn't looked at your profile yet but you sound like a true Pro.  I've bass fished for many years, and the info contained in here is right on the money.  If I dig down deep in my brain  ??? All of this stuff is in there, but being able to retrive it when I need it is whats tough for me.  I'm going to print this out and keep it in my boat for when things get tough.  I'm also going to search the site in hopes of finding more info about other times of the year.  Just wanted to say thanks.

[Raul]

Chris is Rick Clunn ................. but don 't tell anybody.  

[Chris]

River Fall/Winter

Fall: If there was ever a time to fish a river fall would be prime. Here is why rivers have current and current positions fish. Most of the time the bass will position on current breaks. Rivers are easier to fish because the current narrows down where the fish will hang out. In a lake bass can be anywhere but the rules change in a river. Fall also brings high water in some places that will position fish in backwater areas. Rivers usually are the first to cool down so early fall the fish are more active than the lake. Some rivers are stained and for this reason also promotes plankton growth. (stained lakes do the same and also position fish shallow a river is no different) Its the plankton growth and high oxygen and cooling temps that push the shad into the rivers. River fish are more aggressive than lake fish. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, jigs are what I throw.

Winter: When winter kicks off most of the backwater fish move out to the channel. Fish turn sluggish but still can be caught. Most of the shad have moved to the main river channels. Steep banks, bends, and deep drops and "wintering holes" are places to look for fish. Most of the time the water turns clear this time of the year in some rivers. In smaller rivers I just hop around from deep hole to deep hole. In larger rivers I find places that the channel swings close to the bank or channel bends. Jigs or crankbaits (slow on the bottom) are what I use mainly in rivers this time of the year.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Well I'm pumped to go fishing!!!!! Anybody else? ;D  Great post!!

Has anyone ever messed with C-rigging a shallow (square billed) crankbait?

[Guest whittler]

Probably use the c-rig more with cranks than anything else. Its a great way to check bottom contour and type while fishing, to me that is the best use for the c-rig.

[Bass Hammer]

This thread proves why this is the best forum hands down!

Thanks Chris.

Hammer

[Chris]

I wrote a thread somewhere explaining a Carolina rigged crankbait. I couldn't tell you which one to be honest but in a nutshell it was a way to counter balance a floating crankbait so that you could fish it deeper. I have found that a suspending jerkbait works the best because at a pause it will be positioned naturally in the water instead of nose down. This when fishing on the bottom. For just casting and reeling it is easier to adjust the depth with a floating bait. Adding a free sliding bullet weight infront of a crankbait will make it dive deeper without messing up the action same as a carolina rig.

[jcrazy]

what should i concentrate on for ponds?

[Chris]

Most people think that fishing a small pond is way different than a large lake which is false. A bass is a bass and much of the stuff I learned about bass fishing was learned in small water. Small water is just a scaled down version of big water. You still have flats, points, drops, trees, weeds, but the difference is that your dealing with less water volume and because everything is scaled down it makes it easier to figure them out. Instead of miles of weeds you might have a defined weed line or just a couple trees or a drop that is only a few feet. The tactics and movements are the same the fish move because of food and comfort. Ponds that do not have the shad still have bluegills and other small fish from last years hatch. As a juvenile they still school up and the bass school up to eat them. Bass still stage and feed in the same areas.

[Chris]

This is a good post that might help you this time of the year.

[basser89]

Thanks for bumping this one Chris! This is a rough time of the year for me. I spent some time reading some of the articles to set my mind for the next few months. This post is a nice bonus to what I've read!

[jomatty]

yowzer this thread is solid gold, thx for the bump.

[papa p]

Thanks Chris for sharing this wealth of information!

[Catt]

Wintertime Jig Fishing

Believe it or not, winter provides some of the better months for jig fishing. The reason is that the water temperature is cold, the bass don't normally bite well, and they aren't aggressive. So slower, more precise presentations are usually the best ways to catch them.

Jigging spoons or the jig-n-pig (pork frog) are probably the two most popular methods. If you want to get into the finesse end of things, fishing a small grub can also be good. But my favorite, naturally, is the jig-n-pig (or craw).

Vertical Fishing

On most bodies of water in winter we're looking at a vertical situation as far as cover types go. To explain: Bass usually move deeper during the winter months. On some lakes that may mean they pull into creek channel foe the winter.

On other lakes, where everything is pretty well shoreline-related, they might move to steeper banks, 45-degree banks or bluffs, which are the areas where they're probably going to spend the winter.

One thing you can just about bet on is that wintertime bass are going to be close to deep water. I'm not saying you can't catch them shallow because if you get a few nice days during the winter some of the fish will move up. They may also get on shallow targets next to deep water.

Keep deep water and a slow retrieve in mind, and you'll be a little better off during winter months.

Fish on the Bottom

When I'm fishing during the wintertime, I usually relate to the bottom. That's where I'm trying to find the bass I'm not looking for suspended winter fish. I'm looking primarily for fish that are relating to some type of structure, whether it is a brush pile or a treetop that has been put on the bottom. For some reason, rock cover is very attractive to bass in the colder water situations. Some of my best winter fishing has been on steep rocky banks.

Remember that deep is relative to the part of the country you're fishing. Five feet may be deep on some Florida lakes while in the Midwest you could be looking at a 25- to 30- foot zone.

The weight of the jig you fish should change with depth. If I'm looking at the 5-foot zone, a heavy jig could be 3/8 ounce. If I', looking at 25 feet, I'm probably going to be looking at a ½ to ¾ ounce bait.

Fish Slowly

I want to get that bait down to the fish. I want to maintain contact with the bottom. Try to crawl the bait along the bottom in short spurts, basically dragging it. You don't want to sweep it off the bottom like you would during the summer.

To repeat: winter jig fishing means a slow, tedious retrieve with pauses between movements of the bait. Often that's what it takes to get some of the sluggish wintertime bass to bite.

Keep in mind that the bass are well grouped this of year. It can be a long time between bites, but when you get a fish to hit, there are probably a bunch of them down there. So stick with it.

[roadwarrior]

Catt,  Welcome aboard!

Your winter fishing technique is how I fish year around. Deep structure is what I like.

[Catt]

Thank you roadwarrior  ;D

I've been reading the articles on the main page for years but just realized there is a forum. The only time I fish a bank is during the spawn.