How to bass fish in the Winter.
If you want to catch bass in the winter then you will have to find them down deep and fish for them very slowly. Winter bass do not want to waste a lot of energy chasing down your live bait offering or your bass fishing lure. This means that you have to make it easy for them to get hooked by fishing slowly down deep where the water temperatures are steady.
Lots of bass fishermen are a little intimidated about Winter fishing for bass because they think that they won't catch any.
It is definitely harder in the cold months just because the bass are cold and lethargic BUT they still have to eat every now and again.
If you want to learn how to catch a ton of bass in the winter months, then keep on reading this article.
There's no reason why you can't get them to eat whatever you are selling to them, right?
You just have to find out where the majority of the fish are during certain times of year. If you fish in those high percentage areas, then you will catch more bass.
My buddy Robert caught his very first bass from shore using a piece of hot dog when we were catfish fishing in the pond behind my house. That's him in the picture.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been catching bass for over 40 years. Winter bass fishing has its challenges but once you know the cold water bass patterns you can increase your bass catching ratios.
In the article below I will tell you all that I know about bass fishing in the Winter. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more bass in Winter.
If you want to catch bass in the winter then you will have to find them down deep and fish for them very slowly. Winter bass do not want to waste a lot of energy chasing down your live bait offering or your bass fishing lure. This means that you have to make it easy for them to get hooked by fishing slowly down deep where the water temperatures are steady.
Lots of bass fishermen are a little intimidated about Winter fishing for bass because they think that they won't catch any.
It is definitely harder in the cold months just because the bass are cold and lethargic BUT they still have to eat every now and again.
If you want to learn how to catch a ton of bass in the winter months, then keep on reading this article.
There's no reason why you can't get them to eat whatever you are selling to them, right?
You just have to find out where the majority of the fish are during certain times of year. If you fish in those high percentage areas, then you will catch more bass.
My buddy Robert caught his very first bass from shore using a piece of hot dog when we were catfish fishing in the pond behind my house. That's him in the picture.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been catching bass for over 40 years. Winter bass fishing has its challenges but once you know the cold water bass patterns you can increase your bass catching ratios.
In the article below I will tell you all that I know about bass fishing in the Winter. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more bass in Winter.
How to find bass in the Winter?
Generally speaking bass will be deep in the Winter months so you will have to fish deep to catch them. Any deep lake structure is where you can find the fish. Bass are looking for steady temperatures and the water temperatures in the Winter vary less down deep.
Let's break about Winter bass fishing by water temperatures. Let's talk about water temperatures below 50 degrees and from 50 to 55 degrees. I consider those Winter water temperatures for most of the United states and there is a big difference in the way bass will act within that temperature spectrum.
Less than 50 degrees:
Here in Florida our Winter is different from other people's Winters so this part is for more Northerly Bass Fishermen. I like to break it down to temperature ranges. Let's say the water temperature is less than 50 degrees. You can find bass in some of the deeper lakes down as far as 50 feet if it is a clear lake. In murky lakes they will usually be higher in the water column.
The bass want to be able to go up and down in the water column without too much effort because they are cold and not functioning at full capacity. A nice sloping bank is a great place to find bass in less than 50 degree water.
Another place to look for them is a vertical drop off of some kind. Think standing timber or rocky cliffs and bluffs. Remember these fish want to move up or down in the water column based on rising and falling temperatures using as little energy as possible.
What are the best lures for less than 50 degree water temperatures?
This is a good time to use spinner baits for suspending bass. Use a spinner bait with Colorado blades because you can fish them more slowly than spinner baits with willow leaf blades.
Just make sure to use a slow retrieve because the bass are moving slowly and won't put much effort into chasing a fast moving bait. You can cover a lot of water with a spinner bait too.
Another great bait is any weighted grub type of lure or bass jigs or even spoons. All of these lures are great for searching the depths for cold but hungry bass. Just make sure to fish these lures veeerrrryyyy slowwwwllllly!
A Texas rigged crawdad, salamander or worm will work just fine in deeper water too. Remember to focus the lion's share of your efforts on deep structure to increase the probability of finding cold water bass.
50 to 55 degrees:
This is a critical temperature range for bass whether it is in Florida or Pennsylvania. The reason this temperature range is so important is because as the water gets over 50 degrees bass behavior changes from Winter mode to Pre-Spawn mode. This means that bass fishermen's behavior must change from Winter fishing patterns to Pre-Spawn fishing patterns too.
The main underwater topography feature that bass anglers need to consider for pre-spawn bass is flat areas. Bass want to spawn in flat areas wherever they are. So you will want to still focus on fishing deeper structure but you will want to find structure that is adjacent to some flats. Bass want flat protected bodies of water areas to build nests and keep their babies safe when the spawn starts.
The bass will start to move from their deep water Winter homes to shallower water based on temperatures. You might be catching bass in 54 degree water and getting no bites in 52 or 53 degree water. Every degree counts in the Winter months.
I hope that you have an underwater thermometer. I like to use one that is on a string so that I can find out the temperatures in different depths. Like I said, every degree counts in the Winter.
Try to avoid areas that are wide open to the Northerly cold fronts that are moving through in the Winter. Let's say that there is a thick wooded area on the North part of the lake that you are fishing. That is where you want to fish because the South part of that lake is more exposed to those cold winds. Every degree counts.
Bass will start moving from wherever they stuck out the Winter into the shallows and they are HUNGRY! Down here in Florida they move from the deeper lakes and rivers into canals and small ponds.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail how to catch a largemouth bass. You can read that article by clicking right here.
What are the best lures for bass in 50 to 55 degree water?
This is when you can bust out your crank baits because the bass can expend more effort into feeding as they warm up. The later part of the Winter is when the crawdads come out of hibernation. Those red crank baits work really well for pre-spawn bass with a hankering for crawdads.
Bass will also be feeding on the shad that survived the Winter months. Your spinner baits are another good choice for these water temperatures. You can start using your willow leaf spinner baits because you can increase your retrieval speeds.
I like to use a white spinner bait in clear water and a blue or black spinner bait in darker water.
All of your jigs will work well in this temperature range too. AND you can work them faster and cover more area as the bass get all warmed up.
Now is also a good time to start working your suspending baits if those are your go to lures. We are getting close to the temperatures where all of your lures in your tackle box will start working again.
Don't forget about your Texas Rigged crawdads, salamanders and worms. You can work those on the pre-spawn bass and catch a ton of them. The bass down here in Florida like to warm up around the dark weed mats and the dark muddy bottoms if it is a sunny day.
That's why when you punch your jig through the weed mats you often get a hit right as it comes through. There was a hungry bass there warming themselves up on the underside of the floating weed mats.
This is a critical temperature range for bass whether it is in Florida or Pennsylvania. The reason this temperature range is so important is because as the water gets over 50 degrees bass behavior changes from Winter mode to Pre-Spawn mode. This means that bass fishermen's behavior must change from Winter fishing patterns to Pre-Spawn fishing patterns too.
The main underwater topography feature that bass anglers need to consider for pre-spawn bass is flat areas. Bass want to spawn in flat areas wherever they are. So you will want to still focus on fishing deeper structure but you will want to find structure that is adjacent to some flats. Bass want flat protected bodies of water areas to build nests and keep their babies safe when the spawn starts.
The bass will start to move from their deep water Winter homes to shallower water based on temperatures. You might be catching bass in 54 degree water and getting no bites in 52 or 53 degree water. Every degree counts in the Winter months.
I hope that you have an underwater thermometer. I like to use one that is on a string so that I can find out the temperatures in different depths. Like I said, every degree counts in the Winter.
Try to avoid areas that are wide open to the Northerly cold fronts that are moving through in the Winter. Let's say that there is a thick wooded area on the North part of the lake that you are fishing. That is where you want to fish because the South part of that lake is more exposed to those cold winds. Every degree counts.
Bass will start moving from wherever they stuck out the Winter into the shallows and they are HUNGRY! Down here in Florida they move from the deeper lakes and rivers into canals and small ponds.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail how to catch a largemouth bass. You can read that article by clicking right here.
What are the best lures for bass in 50 to 55 degree water?
This is when you can bust out your crank baits because the bass can expend more effort into feeding as they warm up. The later part of the Winter is when the crawdads come out of hibernation. Those red crank baits work really well for pre-spawn bass with a hankering for crawdads.
Bass will also be feeding on the shad that survived the Winter months. Your spinner baits are another good choice for these water temperatures. You can start using your willow leaf spinner baits because you can increase your retrieval speeds.
I like to use a white spinner bait in clear water and a blue or black spinner bait in darker water.
All of your jigs will work well in this temperature range too. AND you can work them faster and cover more area as the bass get all warmed up.
Now is also a good time to start working your suspending baits if those are your go to lures. We are getting close to the temperatures where all of your lures in your tackle box will start working again.
Don't forget about your Texas Rigged crawdads, salamanders and worms. You can work those on the pre-spawn bass and catch a ton of them. The bass down here in Florida like to warm up around the dark weed mats and the dark muddy bottoms if it is a sunny day.
That's why when you punch your jig through the weed mats you often get a hit right as it comes through. There was a hungry bass there warming themselves up on the underside of the floating weed mats.
Watch the video below for best tackle tips.
What is the best tackle for bass fishing in Winter?
The quick answer is the same tackle that you use for the rest of the year. You might need to use the super heavy 50 pound braid like you do when you are fishing thick vegetation in the warmer months especially if you are in the Southern parts of Florida.
Like I mentioned above, Florida bass like to warm up under dark weed mats on sunny days. You need a stout rod and a heavy braid to get those swamp donkeys out of the weeds sometimes.
You can get away with much lighter tackle if you are targeting bass sunning themselves on the dark flats in late Winter in Florida.
I get asked what's in my bass tackle box and most people don't believe me but here goes. All that I use is white, chartreuse and blue spinner baits. I have both Colorado and Willow leaf bladed ones. I also have an assortment of plastic crawdads, worms, frogs and salamanders that I rig with either a Texas or Carolina rig. That is it. My entire bass tackle box fits in a big zip lock bag.
When the bass are on their shallow water beds I also like to use a white buzz bait just to see the top water explosions as the bass try to kill my lure.
Watch the video below and catch more bass with crawdad lures.
Conclusion:
Bass fishing in the Winter months can be tricky but if you follow the information that I have given you about water temperatures, then you can increase your catch percentages. That is really all that you are trying to do is catch more bass, right?
The bass will act differently in deep lakes then they do in rivers and tidal areas but most of the same assumptions will hold true for you. You will have to fish where the water temperatures are stable. You will also have to fish lures much more slowly than you would normally. These may be over generalizations but they will produce more fish in most circumstances.
Just remember that 50 degrees and above is your key to catching hungry pre-spawn bass. Bass need to beef up for the coming spawn and they didn't get to do much eating over the Winter.
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