What would your answer be if you had to pick one part of the fishing season that is the hardest to put bass in the boat? I would say that would be the early season cold-water period. You’re battling to stay warm and get comfortable while fighting with the bass to get them to bite. Let’s talk about cold water baits and how to get more bass in the boat.
Dress Warm
First up, let’s address staying warm. You have to go up against the bass. You don’t want to battle to keep warm at the same time. I have always benefitted by buying superior quality clothing, and AFTCO gives you many options you can depend on to stay comfortable in any weather. If you invest in quality, it will pay many dividends along the way. I’m also a firm believer in overdressing. That way, if I get too warm, I can take clothes off, but on the other hand, if I underdress and don’t have anything more to put on, the cold factor has just won the battle. Dressing in quality clothing and properly dressing allows me to fish comfortably; the only battle I face is with the fish.
Crankbaits
A crankbait is one of the first baits I grab when looking for signs of bass. The main reason is that I can cover water quicker than if I’m fishing a jig. I do a few things to make my crankbait more productive. When faced with fishing on the outside weed edge, I put a lead strip under the bill. It changes my bait's angle in the water, getting it to dive faster. This adjustment also makes my bait tick the deeper edge of the weeds and makes it easier to break it free from the weeds and get it swimming again. This slight adjustment makes me more efficient and helps trigger bites on the outside edge of the weeds. I also change my hooks to Gamakatsu EWG trebles.
If the bass are holding on the edges of changing bottom areas, there is no better way to pick apart these areas than with a crankbait. I can cover areas quicker and trigger reaction bites. If I get into an area where I get a few bites, I follow up my crankbait with a jig or a Carolina rig to see if I can get a few more bites out of the less active bass that may be holding in the area before I move on to my next spot.
Carolina Rig
A Carolina rig is a go-to of mine that has faded off many anglers’ lists. When the bass are holding on the edge of the weeds that are butted up to hard bottom areas, a Carolina rig is my go-to rig. My number one bait is a 6" Power Lizard or a 4" Missile D-Bomb.
One of the biggest keys to success with a C-rig is using a monofilament leader. Most anglers today are grabbing a section of fluorocarbon line and using this as their leader. Fluorocarbon sinks, thus keeping your bait on the bottom. I use a mono leader; monofilament floats, so when you’re fishing a C-rig, your bait stays higher up in the water column, triggering more bites. You can use an old-school Carolina Rig float by Betts to enhance this when needed. It keeps your bait off the bottom and makes it more visible, creating more strikes when the bite is tough.
Jigs
Once you find an area with some bass, you must slow down and break down the area better. A jig is one of the best baits for this. Carry jigs that allow you to fish different types of cover.
Arky Head
The Arky head jig is suited for fishing both weeds and rocks. The wide footprint of the head allows it to get through the weeds and keeps it from wedging in the rocks, not falling in between and getting hung up. Pair this with a skirt and a trailer to match the forage the bass are targeting, and you’ll be in business. Try to match the local colors of the craws that the bass are targeting. One way to get a read on this is to put a bass or two in your livewell and see if they spit up any craws. Try to match the colors as best you can with your skirt and trailers.
Ball Head Jig
A ball head jig is an excellent go-between for a rock or weed jig. You can fish a ball head in either application, making this jig a must-have in your jig box. In this case, I use a cut skirt when rigging my jig during the late season. I match my trailer with what I’m trying to imitate. If it’s a craw, I use a finesse version of a craw. If it’s a baitfish, I often use a grub as my trailer.
Football Jigs
I choose a football jig when the bass hold and feed in or around rocks. In this situation, craws will be the bass' primary focus, and a football jig is the best at imitating a craw's movement in the rocks. The built-in back-and-forth walking action of a football jig head teamed with a craw imitating plastic and a skirt is my go-to. I often search through the area with a crankbait and try to dial into the area that the bass are either holding or feeding on, and then I grab a football jig and break the area down further.
Shaky Heads
I carry two shaky head jigs in my jig box: a ball head and a football head. I use the round head to fish a worm or fluke bait in or on the weed edge. I use a shaky football model when I want to fish a craw, creature bait, or lizard. The shape of the football head fished across rocks will give the bait the same action and movement of a craw's natural action as it moves across the bottom.
To get the maximum feel out of my shaky head jig, I fish it on a 7ft medium-action baitcaster that is teamed with a baitcaster reel spooled with 20lb Sunline Asegai braided line with a 10lb fluorocarbon leader.
When fishing a shaky head, try a few different retrieves to see what the bass prefers. Try a drag-and-pause or a slow drag, then a hop-and-stop retrieve and see the results. If the bite is super tough, I use Spike-It to highlight the craws or tails of my bait. It adds an accent color and scent to my bait. More times than I can remember, this adjustment has been a factor that has helped me get a bite in extra tough conditions.
Drop Shot
I use a drop shot as a cleanup bait to help trigger bites when bass won’t strike other baits, or as a follow-up bait to try to get an extra bite or two out of a school from a piece of structure. Using my electronics and forward-facing sonar, I can zero in on the bass in the area and see how they react to my bait. I can adjust my presentation and get the bass' attention to trigger bites.
My number one bait for this is a 6" Missile Magic worm, either nose-hooked or threaded onto a drop shot hook. Let the bass tell you how they want the worm rigged. There will be days when they want more of a natural worm action. In that case, I nose-hook my worm. If the bass are looking for a subdued action, I’ll use either a Texas rig or a worm threaded onto the hook. This rigging will dampen the worm’s movement and action.
If they don’t want a worm, I’ll use a 3" Fluke-style bait that is either nose-hooked or threaded on the hook. Let the bass tell you what bait they prefer and what action will trigger more bites.
On Tops Of The Weeds
Sometimes, you’ll get bass targeting food sources off the edges or on the tops of weeds on calm sunny days where the water will get the added advantage of the sun’s power and make the upper few feet a couple of degrees warmer than the water below. Spinnerbaits and vibrating jigs are a few baits to throw into your mix. When faced with sunny days and little wind, carry a few of your favorite baits for this bite. If you have found deeper bass, try moving up to the edge of the weeds and make some casts across the tops of the weeds looking for signs of feeding bass. Bass will hold in the upper water layer, sunning themselves to soak up the sun's warmth on a calmer day. Baitfish will also take advantage and feed on newly hatched bugs that will be close by. I have succeeded by staying off the edge of the weeds, making a long cast shallower, and working my bait back out to the boat. The more contact you can make with the weed tops on the way back to the boat, the more bites you’ll generate.
These tactics will help you find schools of bass to start your Spring season. Once you contact the bass, you can start following their movements towards the shallows to set up your Spring season. Pay special attention to the weather and adjust to bass migrations by water temperature and the weather.
