Winter Bass Tactics

[2thDoc]

alrighty all you fisherpeople. how do you catch a bass in the wintertime? i have always heard about the pig-n-jig and other soft plastics, but what do you throw?

also, with all the warm weather, am I wasting my time going in search of the bucketmouths this time of year?

slow? fast? rattle? quiet? give me some of your opinions....thanks in advance. i will post pics if it works. if not, i will pretend like i never even went.

[Chap]

Drift the "hot hole" at Keowee...

[B.S.D.]

your wasting your time with this

[Catdaddy]

I caught 5 Sunday on a rattletrap. I tried a jig&pig for a while and missed one. They bit best from 2 to 4 while it was windy.

[Spider]

jig and pig slooooow. 2 friends went last wednesday put in at packs got 2 bites,1 each, one 8+ and one 9+. knowing these guys I'd say dark blue in color,but that is a guess.

[2thDoc]

how about on a farm pond? any changes to the tactics? i am going, no matter what....but i sure would like to lip a fish.

[jwilliams]

I don't think you are ever wasting your time going after the elusive large mouth.

Typically, the rules for winter are: SLOOOOOOW DOOWWNN.
DOwnsize your line and baits

THink deeper. There will Always be a few fish shallow. BUt, they will be scattered. Your electronics are extremely important this time of the year.
Search Major creek beds. Look for structure in bends, like boulders, logs, laydowns, Jimmy hoffa, etc.

Sunday afternoon, I felt w/ water temp nice and toasty the fish would have been shallow. I didn't find em shallow. We found em about 14-18', w/ shallow water close by.

[jwilliams]

If you are fishing murray, start looking for good grass(green, not brown) near transition areas. ie deep water w/ shallow access (near points, shoals, etc)
Pull rattle trap, DD, or some crank bait slowly through it. I like to rip the bait when it gets caught in grass. You will find most of your strikes happen when you pull through grass. (NOT SMOKE IT)

[2thDoc]

thanks, Art....but you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to high-tech for me. i will be paddling around in a gheenoe in a 70 acre farm pond. i ain't got no electronics....but i gots lots of deep water in an old creek bed with shallow water nearby.

[Claimer]

I can't believe noone has said the most impotant and produktiv bait in the cold. MINNERS. They ain't just good with hot sauce. I caught 5 last week, 3 were 2 lb and 2 were 4 and 5. You will flat wear them out in the winter with crappie minners. I like artificial too but its bobber season man. I forgot to say I fished for 30 minutes. Good luck

[jwilliams]

SOrry, 2fer. I thought you were referring to Murray...I would call a friend 803-491-5732 and ask him to come help.

How deep (roughly) is your pond? Take a Deep little N and a shad rap , and a caro rig w/ a french frye type worm and make yourself stay away from the edges. That is the tough part about pond fishing, b/c you will catch some dinks on the edge anytime of year.

Your bigger fish will be off the edge in the deeper water waiting for Mother Nature to tell them it's time.

rattle trap is always a good bait anytime....

I would definitely down size the bait and line.

[duckfrye1]

A blue and chrome or black and chrome broke-back rebel is always death in the farm pond. Slow him down when it's cold and speed him up as the water warms.

[GBelly]

2th and I got on them late this afternoon. Released a few decent fish, several small fish, had several hang us up, and I had a good fish break my line(10lb. Spider Wire Mono) 8 feet from the boat.

Bubble Gum trick worms..slow..in the sticks/stumps..and on the edge of the old creek bed.

Nice to get out on the water and stretch some line. Damn, I am ready for spring.

[2thDoc]

not a bad afternoon....that's for sure. record temp of 73. like g-belly said, the ones that got away are the ones i wish we had. fish picked the bait up for only a second or two before you missed them.

[jwilliams]

GOod job, fellas!...2fer, that is not unusual...the bite is lite this time of year. Way to go.

[2thDoc]

proof! ok...so it was one of the litte ones. i took 3 more pics but the camera messed up. seriously, it did....

[Kirk]

That would have been a nice one next year.

[mirroman]

So what were you fishing with Toofer??? [img]graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[2thDoc]

kirk- i released him...and all his friends. i thought about cutting his rack off, but decided against it.

mirro-i am an old-fashioned, spinning reel, worm fisherman. i will throw it all day if they are biting or not. g-belly and i thought about throwing rattle traps and spinner baits, but i don't think i own any.

[mirroman]

It wasn't a pink worm by any chance was it???