Winter Fishing

Winter: The winter is the bomb! For me anyway. I love the cold and also the ice. This brings on tough fishing conditions though. Most people, especially the greenhorns, think that bass season actually ends after the summer. We know by know that bass are going to be super lethargic and hard to catch. You are going to need a lot of patience. This is where I lack! I hate fishing slow. Anyhow bass metabolism slows down substantially when them water temps get into the 30s and 40s. Once this happens energy conservation is the bass main focus. A bass will determine how much energy it will need to exert in order to pursue prey and if the presentation and bait are not right then its gonna be a tough bite.

Of course I will try the jerk bait this time of year. Arguably the best cold water bait around and they are fun to paint. Jerk, jerk, pause 1234. Jerk, jerk pause 1234. The colder the water the longer the pause. Be creative.

I also like to grab the 5" paddle tail with an under-spin and even a 3" paddle tail to drop through the ice if the lake is frozen. Jigs will also work with that super slow retrieve. Leaving them at rest will cause them to move slowly with the water and create a life like presentation. 20 seconds would be normal between each twitch! You will figure out the pattern.

I just started tossing blade baits. These are also kinda fun to paint. I toss them and let them drop to the bottom and sit. Most times they will pick it up right off the bottom. These blades will flutter as you pull up on them and will vibrate making some noise and commotion to lure in a close bass. Most of the time you are going to be sitting still in the winter for long periods of time with no action. There is an upside to this though. You can catch HUGE bass during the winter months. Fishing pressure slows down on most bodies of water so this is a big plus!

When all else fails and the lake is frozen over then it is time to break out the auger and drill yourself a hole. The lakes where I live tell us if it is safe to fish through the ice so you may want to be safe and find out the rules. Always wear a life vest on the ice in my opinion. Once you get your hole drilled (a 6" hole is a good size) some guys drill a 12" hole and they are very easy for the next guy's foot to fall right into!!! Be safe. I use a small ice fishing rod with a 3" Keitech Tennessee shad wit5h a 1/8 oz jig head and absolutely slaughter the perch and crappie. Can catch 50 a day sometimes.

#gethooked #louslures #fishingfiends