Water temp below 50 degrees?

[DeanFishesNY]

Of course! I catch bass ice fishing all the time. When it's right after ice out I tend to catch more by downsizing some and fishing slower than normal.

[Crestliner2008]

I don't ice fish, but my son consistently catches bass (and other species) through the ice (he caught 3 yesterday!). His fav bass & walleye lure is the jigging Rapala, during this hard water period. So I guess the answer to your original question is - absolutely yes!

Now, that being said, I love fishing water between freezing and 50 degrees. Very productive time of the year for me - IF - you know your quarry and it's habits. Bass have a tendency to bunch up in deeper holes when the water cools down. This is because it likes stable water temperatures & conditions. They do feed quite a bit less, but are suckers for an easy, non-energy expending free meal. You've just got to put it where they are.

Try casting the jigging Rap, or Silver Buddy (both snap jigged off the bottom, if the bottom is gravel or sparse weeds); also try the drop shot, and/or jigs. Another alternative is to use suspending jerk baits, which are very productive up here. Regardless of what you you use, a slow and methodical presentation will definitely put the odds in your favor.

It's all about location during this cold water period. Always keep in mind that a bass's nature is such that it cannot pass up an easy meal, regardless of the water temperature. And also keep a positive attitude.

[Tin]

Everyone should drag hair jigs painfully slow. It is the only way to catch fish in cold water.  :  ;D

[Jared]

C-Rigs, Texas Rigs and Jigs.  Remember to Fish slow.  If you think you are fishing slow, slow it down even more!

[Glenn]

Might want to check this out:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/shortsleeve1.html

[Paul Roberts]

The more I've bass fished the more I've come to realize that bass are catchable all year long. I have friends who have broken ice to get at bass and done well. I've noticed that fishing does slow as water temps drop below 50.

There are lots of really good threads from previous years you can search as we've discussed this many times before.