Lures and techniques for cold water bass

Living in Minnesota, cold water can be an understatement when nearly half the year our lakes turn into frozen meadows and tiny little communities begin to form on the frozen surface in search of the fish that lie below the frozen surface. Although ice fishing is a great sport and can provide a lot of action, it is not what we are going to focus on today. With our bass fishing season shortened considerably in our region for the winter, we need to take every opportunity we can to get on the water. I do a lot of fishing in water that is in the mid 30s to low 50s in the spring and fall. Many of my co-fishers turn to hunting or other forms of recreation during this period, just before the ice forms or just after it clears, when the fish can be a little harder to catch. The truth is that the fish tend to group together and are a bit more difficult to locate, but with a little effort and knowledge you can locate them and catch some trophy largemouth bass.

The thing people ask me most when it comes to cold water fishing is where to fish. Traditional areas that you would normally fish in the summer will rarely produce fish in the cold months. Taking a few minutes to look at a good topographical map of the lake you plan to fish in will greatly reduce your time locating fish. First, the fish will generally be near their wintering grounds in feeding areas, such as rocky flats in 10 to 20 feet of water and steep banks. One of the first places I notice in lakes and rivers is steep drop-offs or cliffs with a drop of 40 degrees or more that have access to deep water. I also take note of how quickly that area can heat up during the day due to the sun. Bass will migrate to these warmer areas later in the day in search of a quick slice of a clustered bait area. Another place I’ll look is the deepest part of the points. Transition areas are also another great place to locate winter bass. Transition areas can be defined as an area where the bottom structure changes from soft to hard or perhaps from flat rock to a steep drop. If I am not finding bass deep in a natural lake, I will try to locate some green vegetation that produces oxygen in somewhat shallower water that may hold fish. For river fishing, I tend to gravitate towards some of the same type of areas I look for in lakes, but I also focus on eddies, breakwaters, and big drop offs of wood and boulders. Sometimes you may find a warm area around a dam or hydroelectric power plant that has water flowing into it. Just remember to slow down your search and use your electronics to locate the fish. Bass will usually be tightly packed together and a little harder to spot than summer bass, but with a little persistence you can catch a few.

In early spring, the best time to fish seems to be during warm fronts, when air and water temperatures have been rising for several days and the sun is shining. The bass will generally move up a bit and become more active. The bait fish that they may have been feeding on all winter have run out a bit and they need to start looking for other food sources. In the late fall or winter months I tend to prefer cloudy days with lower barometric pressure. Try to fish at different times of the day, but I can tell you from experience that the latter part of the day will be most productive, followed closely by the mornings.

Once I have determined the places I want to try, I usually rig my rods with the same 4 types of lures tested. My number one lure of choice for largemouth bass when the water is stained or muddy is a rubber skirted jig and trailer. My personal favorite is the new Strike King Hack Attack Jig in 3/8 oz size and a baby trailer. I tend to reduce the weed protection and make the bait a bit more compact by trimming the skirt. We fished this setup with Vicious fluorocarbon line in a medium to heavy weight on a baitcasting reel and a medium to medium weight rod. My favorite colors are blue black, pumpkin jack green, and Texas jack. When fishing this bait, it is very important to fish it very slowly, bouncing it off the bottom from time to time or giving it a little tug when it finds cover. The next weapon in our arsenal is the hair stencil or ponytail stencil in ¼ oz or 3/8 oz sizes. If smallmouth bass are present in the waters you’ll be fishing in, you can’t leave home without this bait. The bait is extremely effective at turning on smallmouth bass due to its compact size which matches the smallmouth bass’ reduced metabolism. We base our choice of color on the forage in the lake and usually try to mimic a crayfish or minnow. We will generally fish this bait in water 10 to 15 feet deep in water around 50 degrees and even deeper in 40 to 45 degrees, sometimes as deep as 30 feet. I like a 6′-6″ stiff spinning rod with a 6-8lb test monofilament line for the smaller jigs and may go for a small baitcasting reel with a medium to medium heavy rod with a test line 12 lb for the heavier jigs. water. If I find the fish are holding in a more suspended pattern and the lake is clear or slightly stained, I resort to using a suspended jerkbait. I generally like to use a Kevin VanDam Wild Shinner on a sexy chrome or chrome and black tarpon pattern.This bait is ideal for catching slow moving winter bass.The properties of this bait allow it to sit motionless in the water column right in front of that fish, resulting in on instinct attack.We use a medium spinning rod and med sized spinning reel equipped with 8lb test line to fish these jerk baits.Fish this bait slow and pause 5-6 seconds between retrieves. short slow motions 3 to 4 feet. It sounds like a long pause, but it gives the fish time to react to the bait. Lastly, I never leave home without a big sty the bait in a ¼ ounce jig head for both smallmouth and largemouth bass. This bait will sometimes produce when no other bait works. Its simple design reproduces a minnow and can slowly bounce off the bottom or the deck. Always use the tip of your rod to slowly move the bait instead of a wobbling action. We will use a color that resembles the bait fish that bass usually feed on in that particular body of water. If the water is colored sometimes we go to pumpkin colors. We tend to fish this lure on medium spinning gear with 6-8lb test monofilament line.

With these tips and a little patience, you will soon become an expert cold water fisherman. He doesn’t forget the cold weather gear and always has safety in mind. Whenever fishing in cold water conditions, wear your life jackets. Today’s compact inflatable power jackets, like the ones we use from Mustang, are very comfortable and don’t affect your ability to fish effectively. Be sure to dress warm and dry and you’ll start to enjoy these days and extend your fishing season for a few extra weeks or even months.