Frosty waters could produce hot fishing action
Popular belief states that bass turn sluggish in cold water and drop to the bottom where they find more comfortable, stable temperatures and wait to slurp something easy that passes temptingly close.
That’s true, but not for all bass. Many bass go deep, but they also stay active during the winter. Bass cruise around looking for baitfish, which also go deep to stay warmer. Oily shad help bass build their energy reserves before the spawning season.
“LiveScope taught us a lot about fish movements,” said Tyler Stewart (318-267-6757), a Vexus Boats pro from Ruston, La., who also guides on Caney Lake and other north Louisiana waters. “Much of what we always thought our whole lives is just not true. Before LiveScope, we didn’t realize how many fish are just out there roaming around in open water on nothing. They aren’t always holding on something obvious like a stump or rock. I’ve seen fish act more aggressively out in deeper water in January than during middle of the summer.”
In January and February, anglers might not land as many bass as they would in the spring or fall, but they could possibly lip a lunker on any cast. In fact, six of the top 10 largemouth ever caught in Louisiana hit the deck during the winter or early spring. This includes the long-ranking state record 15.97-pound bucketmouth that Greg Wiggins pulled from Caney Lake in February 1994.
“January and February are the best months to catch really big bass,” Stewart said. “In my opinion, the biggest ones aren’t as hard to catch in the winter as they are in the summer and they weigh more than they would in the summer. They are feeding up to prepare for the spawn and females swell with eggs.”
Staging areas
When people think of Bayou State bass fishing, they usually envision working a topwater bait in 2 feet of water across the surface of a marsh pond or dropping a jig next to cypress trees growing in 3 feet of water. However, many lakes in Louisiana hold extremely deep water, such as Toledo Bend, Caney Lake and other reservoirs.
“In the winter, most bass in the northern Louisiana lakes seem to get out deep and chase bait around in 20 to 35 feet of water,” Stewart said. “When water temperatures get below 60 degrees, bass turn way more active. In January, most bass are gorging on bait and trying to put on weight before they hit the bank. They will be in a lot of staging areas like channel swings and secondary points leading back into the creeks. I scan deep water with my electronics for bait.”
Even in south Louisiana, people can find deep water in river channels and a multitude of canals where they might catch bass. Along major rivers, like the Mississippi and Red, numerous natural oxbow lakes hold deep water. Centuries ago, they existed as part of the main channel with powerful currents roaring through them scouring the bottom.
“Typically, an old oxbow will have a flat side and a deep side,” said Dakota Fleming, a bass pro from Oak Grove, La. “The outside bends will be deeper and the other shoreline will be shallower because of the old river currents that ran through it. When fishing an oxbow in the winter, I fish the deeper side. On rivers, fish the little cuts and flats just off the main channel and outside of the current. Fish as close to the main channel as possible with Chatterbaits.”
Deep diving baits
Anglers fishing deep water during the winter can catch lunkers many ways. They just need to get their lures down to the fish. When bass chase shad to fatten up before spawning, throw something they want.
“When I’m fishing in January, I normally have several rods on the deck,” Stewart said. “One has a ¼-ounce jighead with a 4-inch soft-plastic shad-type swimbait trailer on it. Another will be a Carolina rig. I’ll also have a football jig rigged and a 10XD crankbait.”
Depending upon the line one uses, a Strike King 10XD crankbait can dive to 25 feet deep. Monofilament line tends to float. Fluorocarbon sinks, making it an excellent choice for deep-running baits in the winter. Also, fluorocarbon virtually disappears in the water, making it perfect for tempting finicky fish in clear water.
“If fish are suspended, I throw the 10XD,” Stewart said. “For colors, I stick with shad colors like white or blue. Also, when bass are chasing bait, I throw a jighead with a soft-plastic swimbait. I keep the swimbait just above their heads and working it away from the bass.”
A blade bait, such as a SteelShad, Silver Buddy, Gay Blade or Heddon Sonar consists of a flat piece of shiny metal with a weight on the head of it. Blades create very tight wobbles. When bass feed upon shad, blade baits work like dynamite. Anglers can run them at any depth or speed, or even vertically jig them for deeper presentations.
“As the water gets colder, bass prefer a tight subtle wobble to more erratic action,” said Greg Hackney, a bass pro from Gonzales, La. “A blade bait is a perfect bait for fishing deep schools when bass are chasing shad in cold water.”
Stir up the bottom
Combining the motion of a deep-running crankbait with the snagless attributes of a Texas-rigged worm, a football head jig can catch fish at all depths. Anglers can rig it with the hook exposed or weedless with the hook inserted into a soft-plastic trailer. For tempting lethargic largemouth on the bottom, jig it slowly along the contours.
The ultimate deep-water setup, a Carolina rig consists of a heavy slip weight on the line above a hook. Attach a barrel swivel to the end of the line to keep the weight from sliding down to the hook. Attach a 24- to 60-inch length of fluorocarbon leader to the swivel. Many people add multicolored plastic, glass or metal beads to the line either above the sinker, between the sinker and the swivel, or both. These beads clack against the weight and each other, producing sounds and fish-calling vibrations.
Sweeten the hook with a lizard, creature, craw or other soft-plastic bait. Insert the hook into the plastic as with a Texas-rigged worm so the bait slides over objects on the bottom. One cannot possibly move a Carolina rig too slowly.
“Keep the bait in contact with the bottom,” said Roger Stegall, a bass pro from Iuka, Miss. “Just drag it along the bottom and stop repeatedly. The bead makes a clicking sound against the weight, which stirs up the bottom. Often, people don’t even feel the strike. It just gets heavy, but it could hold a big fish.”
A subtle presentation
When fish turn finicky in cold water, try something more slow, subtle and lifelike. The opposite of a Carolina rig, a drop-shot rig consists of a small lure, such as a grub, worm or other soft-plastic finesse temptation, tied about 12 to 48 inches above a weight for vertical fishing. A drop shot makes a more subtle presentation than a Carolina rig and keeps the small enticement in the strike zone longer. Just shake the line so that the attraction vibrates in a bass’s face. When fishing for cold fish, just the slightest quiver might provoke an angry reaction.
For probing the deepest holes, few techniques work more effectively than ¼- to 1-ounce chrome jigging spoons. Small, heavy and compact, a jigging spoon sinks quickly and flutters down like a dying shad. Light dancing off facetted chrome simulates the flash from baitfish scales. After catching a few bass, look to see if they spit up any shad or other prey and use spoons approximating that size and color.
Find heat
Cypress trees line the shorelines along numerous Louisiana waterways. They can grow in water up to 7 feet deep. Even on the coldest days, tree trunks and other hard objects like stumps, riprap or fallen logs absorb solar heat and radiate that slight warmth into surrounding waters.
Wood retains heat, but rocks, concrete and metal retain more heat. Pilings on deep structures like bridges, docks and platforms can hold bass on cold days. When bass hover next to vertical cover, they won’t move very far or chase fast baits. Use something subtle and put it as close as possible to any structures.
“When I’m fishing on a cold day, the first thing I’m going to do is look for rock,” Fleming said. “Finding rock is not always possible in many Louisiana waters. In Louisiana, people find a lot more old metal from pipelines, pilings, platforms, hurricane debris, partially sunken boats, especially the southern part of the state. They all hold heat. When I see metal barges in the winter, I run immediately to them.”
Tempting largemouth in frigid conditions might take considerable endurance and persistence, but any cast could bring huge rewards. Nothing warms up a cold bass angler like a giant bucketmouth, perhaps the fish of a lifetime, pulling on the line.
