Some cold Water Baits
When you’re on the water and the wind is blowing, it’s cold and your trying to get a fish to bite one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to downsize your bait selection. Find some small profile baits that match the hatch and can be easy food source for bass. There is no doubt that bass like easy pray in the cold of the winter just like they do in the heat of the summer. Cold water slows their metabolism and feeding does not occur like it does when the water warms.
Let’s start with the most obvious, if you have been fishing a big monster worm and not having any results, downsize to a small finesse worm the change in size will be an easy meal for a lethargic bass. I personally like to Texas rig a fluke in the winter, its small, it gives some different movement and not everyone weights a fluke and fishes it on the bottom. There is something about a fluke that is lightly weighted dragging on the bottom.
On Guntersville because of the grass we have a tremendous amount of fish living in or near the grass in the dead of winter, that is scattered or dying. They don’t always go deep, and grassy lakes tend to keep the bass shallow hence making a fast-moving bait deflecting off the grass like a rattle bait the ideal winter cold water bait. It represents bait moving around the grass and causes strikes when it shanks sideways after it deflects. When we see this cold water the smaller the rattle bait, the better the bite as its easier to keep up off the grass and pulls through and deflects to one side quickly.
One of my favorite small baits in the winter is a ¼ oz. short arm spinner bait, bass hang around in groups in the cold of winter and a small short arm spinner bait worked slowly and dropped into the holes of the grass is an easy enticing meal. In fact over the years the helicopter drop of small spinner baits has caught more fish over 8 lbs. in the cold if winter than any bait I fish. Think small downsize and work your baits so they are an easy meal and you’ll love the results.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry