From the January 2011 issue of Susquehanna Fishing Magazine:
http://susquehannafishing.com/
By Nathan Follmer
Winter – There’s a lot of certainties with it upon us – freezing temperatures, face numbing winds, blinding snow squalls… Ok, maybe it isn’t that bad, but there is one thing we can count on – big fish! Winter is usually a time for hunting or tackle organizing and cleaning. Many people miss out on some great fishing opportunities that can be had during the coldest months of the year. Winter fishing doesn’t have to mean ice fishing, you just have to know where to go and what to use.
Proper lure selection and presentation is vital during the winter. Most species (especially warm water species like largemouth) are in a near state of suspended animation to make it through the winter. This doesn’t mean they won’t eat though. You have to make their efforts to eat worth their energy loss. You have to put big, bulky baits right in front of their face and do so very slowly. Here are a few of my favorite winter time baits:
- Stick Baits – The best way to use stick baits in the winter is to wacky rig them and just let them sit. Let the current wiggle the ends and only pop the bait every 20 to 30 seconds. For colors, I like to keep things dull. Aquatic life tends to lose their vibrant colors in cold water, so keep your colors the same. Green pumpkins, blacks, and dark greens all work great. If you can find these colors without flake in them, they will be even better.
- Jigs – Jigs will work just about any time of the year, you just need to change your presentation and trailer. During winter, use a heavier jig with a trailer that has a lot of appendages. Anything that is going to move in the current with minimal effort is going to be a great choice. Brush hogs, hula grubs, even tubes, all make great trailers. Again, keep the colors dull and the action slow… painfully slow.
- Carolina Rigs – This can be an absolutely deadly technique in the wintertime. I love to throw a Carolina rig with a huge worm on the hook. Keep your leader a little longer than you normally would to get some distance between the lure and the weight. Since this will most likely be sitting for long periods of time, you don’t want the weight to be seen.
- Suspending jerkbaits and crankbaits – A good quality lure is needed here. One that you can use slowly, but still get action out of it. It also must be a suspending model so it can sit motionless without floating to the top. Keeping the lure in the strike zone for as long as possible is key, so keep the movement slow and the pauses long. You’d be amazed at how long a fish will sit and look at your bait until they decide to commit!
Ok, we have the baits covered, now where should you be looking for fish? That all depends on what type of water you are fishing and what kind of bass you’re looking for.
If you’re going after some quality river smallmouth, there are a few factors that are going to put the fish into the perfect feeding positions. First and foremost, the fish are going to be most comfortable out of current. Good spots to start looking are the tail ends of islands, bridge pilings or any other big structure points that are going to create current breaks. If you can find one of these areas that gets sun for most of the day, you can bet that some big smallmouth are going to be holding tight in this area. It may take multiple passes with your lure to get these pigs to attack, so take it slow and be very disciplined in covering an area thoroughly.
If you want to hit a lake that hasn’t frozen over yet and try your luck with some largemouth - you need to look in a few different areas. The first place to start looking is the mouths of creeks that enter the lake, especially if these are fairly deep. The bass will more than likely be suspended off the bottom, so the Carolina rig would be a good technique to try in this area.
Didn’t find any bass at the creek mouth? Follow the channel out into the main lake and find the lake’s main point. Take out your jig that you should have with you and hop it slowly down the point until you find the magic depth. If that doesn’t work, use your crank or jerkbait and parallel the point as best as you can.
Still didn’t find the fish? Never fear! Head for the dam and find the spot that gets the most sun throughout the day. The rocks that formed the dam will be holding heat from the sun and the largemouths should be taking advantage of this. Deploy your wacky rigged stickbait and you should come up with some fish.
I hope I’ve persuaded you to put down the rifle and pick up a fishing rod this winter. Winter bass are some of the biggest fish of the season and many trophy sized fish can be caught – all it takes is a little preparation and a lot of discipline (remember to go slow!).
Nathan Follmer is the owner and creator of ‘Fishing In Pa’, a website dedicated to all things fishing in Pennsylvania. Nathan is an avid bass and trout angler, but will fish for any species. Some of his favorite places to fish are the Juniata River, Raystown Lake and Penn’s Creek. Feel free to contact him with any questions at Nathan@fishinginpa.com.
