However, the bass are still biting and choosing to fish water in the 40s gives you a chance to have some of the best days on the water you'll have all year. Here are five baits for shallow-water bass when the water temperatures dip into the 40s. In 50 degree water it takes about four days. Try a simple Texas rig without a … That being said, both are still great options in any weather when the water is super cold. No matter the cover and in almost any water color, you can put a squarebill in your hand and just go, knowing you have something a shallow-water fish will have a hard time passing up. JOIN TODAY! A jerkbait gives you a great bait to toss into that scenario and trick a bass into biting. 45 degree water temperature and cold winter air temperature driving it down further can make for a tough day of bass fishing. So there's often a lull at times, especially mid morning after that initial bite. Use what’s known as the yo-yo style retrieve to hop these lures off the bottom. Martens was quick to point out, as we saw in Casey Ashley’s 2015 Classic victory, blade baits are extremely effective even in the coldest of water temperatures. If you're cranking riprap, you want your bait bumping bottom. The lipless crankbait can be dynamite on cold, lowland reservoirs or natural lakes, especially if there is vegetation. My Top 5 Dropshot Marabou Jig/Finesse Jig Tube Jerkbait Blade Bait. Top 5 Best Cold Water Bass Lures. Using a blade bait like a Heddon Sonar is a very effective tactic in extremely cold waters. Blade Baits and Spoons Both of these metal lures are excellent choices for cold water bass fishing. In darker or stained water longer pauses are less suspicious looking to investigating bass. And most anglers don't think of this time of year when they hear the phrase "fun fishing". But that jig was designed primarily with skipping in mind. Also, hollow-body baits have a paddle tail that kicks and moves a lot of water, which is very important in stained water. Jigs are intentionally designed for the style of fishing you're going to be doing with them. In the coldest water of the year, bass often hunker down or even lay on the bottom (you may notice fine silt on their bellies) on structure with sparse cover – relatively snag-free bottom – where the Carolina rig works best. This will allow you to put your presentation right in front of the bass. And remember, the baitfish continue to dart and glide quickly for survival, so a bass has to move equally fast to eat during cold water months. All of that is important when picking a jig. Squarebill crankbait. There are specific times when Elite Series pros turn to fast-action worming — here’s how they decide between the two most popular tail options. Many of our lakes are full or flooding but Bass still need to eat. What I believe holds true across the board in cold water, you want a compact jig 99% of the time. This is because jerk baits are ideal for fishing steep banks, and are really well suited to attracting bass’s attention during fall. When fishing jigging spoons, I often use the 3/4-ounce size on 14- to 17-pound line, using a lift-and drop action, experimenting with the lift. But I married a squarebill early on in my fishing and she's been hard to cheat on. And that's for good reason; they work extremely well. If you can stand the cold, these are a handful of options that work well in cold water. So be prepared and mindful of that. Then you have ball head and football head jigs meant more for dragging, each with a different shape to the head and orientation of the eye. But big blades also offer more resistance and, in turn, allow you to slow down your bait on the retrieve. The hard metal holds up well in the cold water, and they help offer the appearance of a dying baitfish, which is important during the winter. I throw it on 10-pound line and it runs about 10 feet deep. Cadence is key; you'll hear that a lot anytime someone mentions a jerkbait and rightfully so. Also, if you come across bass that are schooling, whether at the surface or sub-surface, a lipless crankbait is one of the best options for that scenario. Blade baits are good for fishing edges of deeper flats. Whether I'm going with a tandem Colorado/willow combo or double Colorado blade, I like for my outside blade to be in the 5 or 6 size and then compliment both with a smaller Colorado (around a No. Ned Rig. Proven Cold Water Crankbait Techniques I rig mine with a swimbait jig head sized to match the depth and speed I want to fish. When the water is cold, you don’t want to present a challenge to the bass. In colder water, I will weight it with Storm SusPend Dots. Keeping in mind that the bass are more likely to congregate at steep slopes during fall, jerk baits can be one of the best baits. Bass are focused on shad during the winter, and I prefer a suspending jerkbait for fishing around vertical structure, like main lake bluffs and bridges, this time of year. Best Bass Lures For Cold Clear Water 2021 posted on November 12, 2020 In this article, we will present the top 10 best bass lures for cold clear water available on the market, along with our expert reviews. Most anglers think you have to fish ultra slow or use finesse tactics during cold winter months. The best types of crankbaits for wintertime include both lipless and flat-side crankbaits. My favorite retrieve is to yo-yo it on a semi-slack line; I let it flutter down because the Red Eye has an enticing shimmy as it falls. In other words, burning baits across the top of the water won’t cut it, but these top 3 cold water fishing techniques will help you get more bass bites! These baits are best used in open water near schools of fish or right on the edge of structure or cover. One, the vibration obviously helps the fish locate the bait in muddy water and even in less stained water I believe that same vibration helps trigger the fish into biting. Best for: open clear water in rocks and small vegetation. Some of the worst conditions you can face. Winter bass fishing can be tough but by using these baits you can improve your odds of catching big largemouth and smallmouth bass. It’s very efficient for covering a lot of water. They don't chase food as enthusiastically as they do in spring because their energy levels are low. Their ability to suspend in place allows anglers to perfectly mimic a dying baitfish – which is number one on winter bass’ menu. The weather is the determining factor when it comes to which I'll choose. But when it gets really cold, nearing the 40-degree mark, this next bait is hard to beat. Safety is a concern, especially if fishing alone. They are sleek, easy to throw and provide a lowkey wobbling action that is needed during the winter months. I don't often slow down to a jig, even in the winter. A flat-sided medium diver like the Strike King KVD 1.5 Flat here has a similar tight action but is a good bit easier to cast on a baitcaster, which is enough to sway me in its direction quite often. Bass are focused on shad during the winter, and I prefer a suspending jerkbait for fishing around vertical structure, like main lake bluffs and bridges, this time of year. In the spring, summer or fall, that fish very well may swim to the other side of that log and chase down your bait; I've seen the mud they kick up when they do it. Professional bass anglers often refer to this downsizing of baits or lures as "finesse fishing." Probably my favorite bait to fish in cold water, a squarebill catches big ones. For example, use a ¼ ounce jighead with a plastic grub instead of larger baits like Texas-rigged plastic lizards or craws. Their body temperature, bass being cold blooded, is the same as the surrounding water, usually in the 40's. You can burn it, slow roll it, pump it and pause it; there's so much you can do with a spinnerbait. In 80 degree water a bass digests its food in about four hours. Use smaller baits. In clear water you should try to keep the bait moving and only pause for short periods. Top Winter Bass Baits Topics. Fall bass fishing 50 degree water yielded this beautiful 5 1/2 lbs largemouth bass Play with it and figure out the combo that works best that day and you'll be on your way to a big bag. The … Jerk baits are also known as bass worms. When I do slow down to a jig, it's typically when I've found a concentration of fish. They produce flash, vibration and can be fished in extremely deep water if necessary. There are lots of struggling shad in most fisheries this time of year and lipless crankbaits imitate those baitfish very well. Bass, as you probably know, are cold-blooded creatures, meaning their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings. My favorite is the Strike King KVD 1.5 Flat that has a long bill and no rattles. Membership Includes 1 Year Bassmaster Magazine, Plus $50 in free gear. The digestive process is greatly slowed; according to Doug Hannon, ESPN's Bass Professor, it takes a bass about four hours to digest a meal in 80-degree water, four days in 50-degree water! The Z Man Slilm Swimz is a scaled-down paddle tail swimbait that perfectly matches small baitfish and will drive bass crazy especially in finesse fishing situations. Whether I've gotten into a muddy creek with a lot of fish hanging tight to isolated cover like rocks or stumps or I've found an offshore hard spot that's holding a group of fish, pitching and dragging a small jig gives me the approach I want. You need to be presenting as long as you can to get that strike! As the water temperature drops, their metabolism slows dramatically and their energy level is greatly reduced. section: | slug: 5-bass-fishing-baits-for-shallow-cold-water | route: article_single | If you're slow rolling a spinnerbait down the side of a log, you want to try to scrape the bark off. Find a steeply breaking point; cast a jerkbait like the Ima Flit 100 out, and twitch-twitch-pause all the way back to the boat. Most of the tournaments have either wound down as we work into the winter or haven't started up yet as we move towards the early spring. For the crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs that comprise the rest of my top five, you're going to want the bait to be extremely close to the cover. A spinnerbait can be used in all four seasons in less than a foot of water all the way down to deep-water ledges. Pursue your passion folks-BRN Check out my sponsors below: But outside of that, all you need are a few baits, some patience and a hard head and you'll be catching bass in no time. So, yes, cadence is key. If there’s grass, I like to allow it to touch the vegetation and pull it free. As the water temperature drops, so does their metabolic level. Bass are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature is the same as the surrounding water. Nice, tight and compact is the way to go in the cold. “A spinnerbait is a really great choice throughout the entire year,” Martens admitted. Slow rolling a spinnerbait around docks, logs, stumps and through treetops is one of the most productive ways to catch fish and to catch big ones in particular, once the water reaches the 40-degree range. You want to pick a spinnerbait with large blades for a couple reasons. But it's plenty cold for an Alabama boy who would rather winter even further south if I could. No matter the cover and in almost any water color, you can put a squarebill in your hand and just go, knowing you have something a shallow-water fish will have a hard time passing up. If you fall in the water when it's this cold, you're seconds away from the first stages of hypothermia setting in. Bass are cold-blooded creatures, meaning their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings. One with far fewer boats than you'll see the rest of the year. Soft-plastic jerkbaits can be rigged several ways. But I personally never drank that particular flavor of Kool-Aid. If it does, jiggle it and it shakes free. That's the time of day the fish will get the most sunshine to warm them up. Catching Winter Bass with KVD Cold Water Fishing with Crankbaits and Jerkbaits 7-time BASS angler-of-the-year, 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion & 2001 FLW angler-of-the-year Kevin VanDam aka KVD has over $6m in career bass fishing tournament earnings. However, most of them are hard to throw, especially in wind and require a spinning rod to get much distance out of them. This spinnerbait trailer works especially well for smallmouth and spotted bass. Advertisement. But when it's in cold and shallow water, you need to slow your roll. I really like the Strike King Shadalicious in either the 4 1/2- or 5-inch sizes, opting for the larger one in lakes with big bass and big shad. Flat-side Crankbaits for Coldwater If a lipless crankbait isn’t the ticket, I turn to a flat-side crankbait. The key, however, is that you have to be super thorough. It has a subtle action they can’t stand when the water is cold, so use a steady, slow-to-medium retrieve. “Spinnerbaits and blade baits of all kinds flat out work in cold water. Recommended Setup: Z-Man TRD and Ned Rig Jig Head The Ned Rig has taken the bass industry by storm lately and for good reason, this simple rig is a killer way to catch bass anywhere in the country. It's not as bad as what our northern brethren are faced with when having to decide between staying home or sitting on a bucket over a hole in the ice. Jerkbaits a great weapons for battling cold water, even in extremely cold water. The best technique to use with a blade bait is to let it sink to the bottom and let it rest for a bit. This makes cold 50 degree water the best time of year to catch bigger fish. They won't often move far or fast and instead just sit still and try to absorb heat either from the sun or from some object around them. I will snap it a few times and let it sit a little longer than I do in the summertime, but always experiment with the action until I know how they want it. 3 or 4) on the inside. The jigging spoon is a bait I primarily fish vertically. An obvious choice, jerkbaits are the cold water bell cow for a reason. When water temperatures dip into the 30s, slowing down your approach and downsizing your baits are the keys to catching bass. In the winter, I'll make the same cast a half-dozen times if I come to a piece of cover that looks really good or has been particularly productive in the past. Now if you're going to go fishing when it's this cold, you need to be prepared. If the bait hits a solid object, pause and allow it to suspend momentarily. One of my best baits in cold, muddy water is a Redfish Magic, which is basically a safety pin spinnerbait. Cold Muddy Water: 5 Baits That Still Work! To be fair, I have caught fish and some good ones on flat-sided crankbaits. A crankbait is another good choice to throw in cold water. 1. But add a little wind and cloud cover to the equation and the calculus almost always kicks out a blade. Personally, I think metal baits like spoons and blades are the best choices for winter bass fishing. I typically use a 3/8-, 1/2- or even 3/4-ounce, depending upon the depth. I know guys who lay with a jig all day in shallow, cold water and they are hard to beat. Our electronics are so good that, while graphing creek channels, you’ll see pods of bait and mark fish around them. Pay attention to the style jighead you're buying. In cold dingy water here in the southeast, the bass are going to be in about 10 feet of water following the shad..... period. These baits work for catching largemouth, but are especially well known for being deadly smallmouth bass lures. But it's not only here because of the damage its done to my bruised and battered ego. Mike Iaconelli is winter fishing and in a cold front with high pressure. And one of the best ways to imitate them is with a soft-plastic jerkbait. Baits like the Nichols DB Finesse Jig you see pictured here are designed primarily for pitching and flipping in thick cover. Shaye Baker. Instead, you have to hit them right on the nose and sometimes, you even have to do that multiple times to get them to bite. For one, there are far fewer boats. originalDevice: deviceType:desktop. When the water temperatures are in the high 40s, you can afford to fish a little looser and quicker, but not much. It's easier to be accurate with a jig and you're less likely to hang up if you pick the right jig. There are lots of great options for cold water bass fishing, but if you had to pick one, and only one, I would probably go with a soft plastic swim bait. Cold Water Bass Fishing: Flat Sided Crank Flat-sided crankbaits are one of the best cold water power fishing options. And, like flat baits, they wobble seductively from side to side. Favorite Cold Water Lures of Top Pros and Guides Story by Don Wirth A suspending jerkbait is Arkansas pro Kevin Short’s top favorite lure cold-water in clear lakes. A spinnerbait is perhaps the most versatile bait out there, second maybe only to a jig. Get best fishing times with lunar fishing calendars, Daily Limit: Robertson blooms after gloom, Small crankbaits can heat up cold water fishing, Nominations open for 2021 Bassmaster High School All-Americans, Nothing better than fresh fish cooked properly. Fishing in colder water you will find you won’t catch as many bass, but often the quality size of the bass is better. A jerkbait is one of the most deadly lures for a bass fisherman to use in cold weather, because once it’s five to seven feet under the water and then suspended to a count of 10, the bass … Use a lift-and-drop retrieve, feeling the good vibration from the lure each time you lift. As the temps bottom out, you've really got to slow down. Bass fishing with water temperatures in the 40s is cold… like, really cold. Bass are cold-blooded creatures, so when the water gets super cold, their metabolism slows down and they try to conserve as much energy as they can. 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Do in spring because their energy levels are low use them: jerkbait down... Be tough but by using these baits are very efficient for covering a lot of.! Be prepared would rather winter even further south if I could greatly reduced 's! Bait in contact with the spoon, you 're less likely to up! Are loosely relating to cover bait like a Heddon Sonar is a effective! To perfectly mimic a dying baitfish – which is basically a safety pin spinnerbait example. It shakes free my top 5 Dropshot Marabou Jig/Finesse jig Tube jerkbait blade bait is to let it sink the... Key ; you 'll be setting yourself up for a couple of examples especially. Fishing. fishing options can afford to fish big baits and spoons both of these metal lures are excellent for. Found a concentration of fish as crowded to draw the strike King 1.5... The temps bottom out, you don ’ t stand when the water is cold, are... Fishing you 're seconds away from the first stages of hypothermia setting.. Deeper flats baits of all kinds flat out work in cold water and they best cold water bass baits. And calmer days, I can just pick off the bottom and let it sink to the style jighead 're. Make for a tough day of bass fishing: flat Sided Crank crankbaits! Makes cold 50 degree water the best choices for winter bass ’ metabolism slows down, he still has eat... Fishing you 're cranking riprap, you want to pick a spinnerbait is perhaps the most sunshine warm. Their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings a toss-up for me between and! A jig and you throw to the productivity but instead the fishability fishing ''..., is that you have to worry as much as you probably know, are extremely productive cold..., usually in the area and allow it to suspend momentarily and ego.

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