cold water bass

[mferris]

just spent the last 3 days fishing a 480 acre lake,water temp 46 degrees,ice out about 2 weeks ago..only caught a couple perch...no weed growth to speak of and the deepest spots are 35 ft but i usually don't fish any deeper than 12-14ft...any suggestions?..was only out a couple hrs each day cause it was pretty breezy...tried spinnerbait,worm,jig,lizard,various crankbaits from 3ft to 12 ft....is it just too early..this happens to me every year

[Kenny418]

Try to find shallow water with rocks or shallow humps with rock. Really effective when you start to get 1 or 2 warm sunny days. These areas will warm up first. Slow Slow Slow on your presentation.

[DINK WHISPERER]

Any wood in the water will also hold heat so look out for that as well!

[Crestliner2008]

46 degree water is still pretty cool. Have you tried hard jerkbaits? Fish these with long - 30 sec. or more - pauses inbetween twitches (not jerks!). You have to have patience to fish this way, but it will produce. You might also want to try a drop shot if you know where they are. Use a Senko on it. Have you seen any bait balls on your sonar? If so, the drop shot can be dynamite this time of the year, under those conditions!

[mferris]

thanks for the advice....i idled around for awhile,didn't see any bait..not any rock piles or wood that i know of...i suspect the bass are just sitting on the bottom in what little weed growth there is.....i did try a jerkbait but wasn't patient enough

[zaraspook_dylan2]

I'd try to find rocks. They give off heat.

[Blade-Runner]

Nothing-looking, worthless-appearing banks w/ little-to-no cover but dark mud bottoms. NE to NW orientation. Shallower water but not *too* far off the main lake. Pre-spawn crappie-ish areas but use bass-size lures and abnormal patience...It will work. At least for a few fish.