Its (un)officially winter

[BUCKEYEone]

I went out to my favorite pond to fish for some late fall LMB this morning, only to drive up and find a thin layer of ice over the water.  My first year actually trying to become a proficient bass-fisherman, and it has come to a close!  I'm in  central Ohio and am not quite ready to give up my new found fishing addiction because of winter, so do any of you seasoned veterans of the bass world have any winter time tips for keeping my drive toward a bass fishing associates degree alive?  

[Tin]

Any rivers around. If they have some current it will take them a while to freeze, or any windy lakes.

[.dsaavedra.]

i learned today that powerplant lakes (lakes made to cool powerplants) are usualy very warm all year round, hot in the summer. fish in powerplant lakes spawn in january.

[BUCKEYEone]

windy lakes, yes...but I have no boat and after finding my pond frozen today I drove to the lake, and found that the shores/docks are frozen there already too.  That lake (Indian Lake, Oh) is also the start of the Great Miami River, which is a decent sized river full of saugeye, cats, and smallmouth...but I know even less about fishing rivers than I do lakes...which almost puts me in the negative knowledge catagory!  The only rod/reel I have is a light rod/spinning reel with 6 # line...I dont know how well I would fare on a river.

[Tin]

PM Sent  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

i learned today that powerplant lakes (lakes made to cool powerplants) are usualy very warm all year round, hot in the summer. fish in powerplant lakes spawn in january.

Not so much the whole lake, usually a small area near the "outflow"

[flechero]

The size and activity level of the plant will dictate how much water is warmed...  the 3 PP lakes I fish most have hundreds of acres that are significantly warmer.  And the colder it get the more water affected since that makes them fire up all 3 generators and/or run them more hours per day.  

Everyone should have a PP lake or two to fish in winter.  

[fishing man]

i know how you feel, i live near cleveland and my bass lakes are starting to freeze.

the best advice i could give it to either got steelhead fishing in the lakes or wait and try ice fishing. it is nothing like bass fishing but it at least gets rid of the itch to get a line in the water and feel fish fighting.

[Crestliner2008]

Try rivers. Right now they are hot for smallmouth bass. And some have power plants on them, with a sizeable warm water discharges. These can get you into some fine fishing in winter, providing the main river doesn't freeze up too much. However, you definitely need a boat this time of the year! Shore fishing can be almost impossible, especially if the edgeline freezes out several yards. The ice edge will slice off your line like a razor blade. Wading may be a possiblility, but it's dangerous! Above all, fish SAFE.

[Fishin-Psyantist]

  You could move to Oklahoma or Texas.  Sometimes the lakes here in  southern Oklahoma freeze over but only the smaller lakes and very rarely, and then it will only last for a week or two.  The Michelin tire plant here is hiring.

[.dsaavedra.]

i learned today that powerplant lakes (lakes made to cool powerplants) are usualy very warm all year round, hot in the summer. fish in powerplant lakes spawn in january.

Not so much the whole lake, usually a small area near the "outflow"

didnt know that either! see, ya learn somethin every day.