WRB-2.0

If threadfin shad are the baitfish, then structure spoons, jigs, drop shot and swimbaits are my first choices for post turn over fall to winter period bass. Tom

While I agree Bo letting the bass choose, it's a very limited choice when you only have 1 size 3/8 oz jig to use and already made up your mind to use a Zoom Chunk. To be honest I haven't fished with a Zoom Chunk and unless someone gave it to me, because I didn't have any other choice, may never use it. I am not a fan of soft plastic "chunks" that look like a pork frog...use a pork frog! Far better off than any soft plastic chunk with claws/ tails. The grub style trailer with claws/ tails is a better choice, easier to thread onto a jig hook. The reason I suggested a smaller size trailer is based on colder water, however we don't know where you are located and that also factors into what you start with; size, color, style, etc. Tom

Every lake is different in regards to jig trailer size preference. During the cooler or cold water period start smaller, fish deeper. A 3/8 pz jig is light weight for this period, so definitely use the junior size trailers that do not extend the jig beyond 2 1/2" beyond the skirt and no wider than 3/4" Tom

Neighbor is a figure of speech, like your community or members of this site that my live on the east coast. Sandy is a big storm regardless if the media hypes it or not. Sea water pushing into low laying coastal areas will have a lasting impact. The eastern front of this storm has cold weather, snow, that can drop small water bodies several degrees over night. If the core water temps drop more than 10 degrees it become a survival issue for LMB. Tom

This is not a time to be concerned about how this storm affects your fishing, you should be concerned about how you can help your neighbors. Consider your bass fishing season as being over until after winter. Tom

Fishing slower doesn't mean you react slowly to any strike. If your Line moves, you feel a tick...set the hook, there is no reason for the bass to reject a fly lined lively large night crawler! Tom

The key to catching big bass on live night crawlers is to present the crawler so it looks and acts like a live crawler falling down through the water column. This presentation requires the use of lighter line, smaller hooks that allow the night crawler to move naturally. Where you fish live bait like large crawlers is just as important as how you fish live bait, or any other presentation to catch big bass. This site has several expert bait anglers; Matt has responded, Fish Chris is a dedicated night crawler trophy bass angler, you search the site for posts on this topic. Tail hooking with a #4 or #1 drop shot style octopus hook or needle worm blower to inflate the night crawler, same type of hook both works when fly lined on 6# to 8# mono or FC line. Adding a small round split shot may be needed depending on wind or current. Live bait fishing is a slow presentation and few anglers today have the required mind set to locate big bass and present live bait effectively. Tom

I still have some new lures made in the late 40'scand 50's when I bought them; wooden Bombers, Whooper Stoppers, Creek Chub Pikies and Injured Minnows, RivervRunts, Jetter bugs, Arbogast Hawiian Wigglers, etc, etec. I fished some late 1890 to Early 1900's era wooden plugs that my grand dad had, lucky that I didn't loose any and now cherish in my collection. Tom

Looks like the folks NY, NJ & states north east could get a bad storm, be safe and stay off the water! Tom

Anchoring works if you are fishing a lake, not a river, in the wind. With a low bow boat like a Jin boat you may want to use a bouy on the anchor line. I have used a large plastic bleach bottle ( 1 to 2 gallon) and tie* the bottle to the anchor rope ounce the rope is out at a 45 degree angle, then let out another 10' of anchor rope. This has 2 uses; keeps the anchor rope from pulling the bow down and you can release the anchor rope from the boat if necessary and go back and retrieve the it without lifting the anchor. A 15# navy type anchor works good. I keep mine In a plastic milk carton crate, hold everything you need. I also use this anchor kit in my bas boat when night fishing in the wind at times, very handy. Tom * shoe lace tied to the bottle handle, you simply wrap the lace around the anchor rope a few times and tie a shoe knot, holds the bottle onto the anchor line and easy to remove. I like 3/4" rope, easy on the hands, about 75' long. Coil the rope into the crate and set the anchor on top.

Safety first, if you have concerns heed your own warning. If your aluminum boat doesn't have a rear rudder, like a small outboard motor, you need to make up a clamp on rudder to keep the stern straight. Stay safe, stay dry. Tom

Predator fish like bass can change coloration somewhat to suit the bachground, this takes several days it's not a quick change like some creatures. Your bass are going through a transition from summer conditions where lots of cover was available to winter where very little cover is available for the bass or the prey to hide in. Open water bass tend to be lighter coloration or a pale appearance, during the cold water periods. Muskies can also make a coloration change depending on water chemistry and clarity. Lake of the Woods in Ontario Canada has a diverse ecosystem where clear water areas are next to off color water with heavy vegetation. Sabaskon bay region is off color water, however Camp bay that is directly connected has clear water and is only about 7 miles long. The muskies that live in Camp bay are spotted with light verticle bars, greenish golden color, beautiful fish. Outside of Camp bay the muskies are dark redish brown with golden highlights, very muted spots and dark verticle bars. These are the same muskies, but change coloration to better suit the background. Tom

When water reaches 39.4 degrees a change is density occurs and as the water cools below this temperature it becomes less dense, lighter and goes towards the surface where it will freeze at 32 degrees. If this didn't occur, lakes would freeze from the bottom up and aquatic life as we know it would not exist. Another factor is underground water is usually about 60 degrees, Look for underground spring water warms the deeper water zones. The core water temps In a lake never drop below 39.4 degrees, unless the entire water column freezes. Tom

When the core water temperature, not the surface water, drops below 55 degrees. Send me a PM and I will send you my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calander showing each water temps for seasonal periods. Tom PS; take a look at the winter thread on this page a few posts below this thread.

The winter seasonal period in climates where the core water temperature drops into the low 40's or the surface water freezes over is a difficult time for LMB, it's the one factor that limits distribution. LMB are just hanging on, trying to survive and adding fishing pressure to those bass may not be good for the fishery. Florida strain LMB are limited in range due to the fact their low temperature limit is 45 degrees. We need to acknowledge extremely cold water can make life a challenge for LMB and give them a break. Those of us who are fortunate to live where the climate is moderate and the core water temperatures rarely drops into the low 40's can continue to bass fish year around. However there are limits how deep we should fish for LMB as the bass go deeper to seek warmer water. My personal depth limit is 40', the reasons are; over inflated air bladders and brain damage due to severe pressure changes caused by being brought to the surface quickly. With that disclaimer stated, winter bass fishing presentations differ fromm other seasonal periods. Out west our reservoirs get regular* stocking of hacturary raised rainbow trout because the water is cold enough to support the trout for recreational fishing. Trout imitating swimbaits become popular during the winter period. The threadfin shad populations start to go deep and.die offs occur, deep presentations using shad imitating lures like structure spoons, ice jigs, drop shot small soft plastics, finesse jigs and now A-rigs are popular. We have both big swimbaits that look like trout and small lures that look like shad, plus jigs for bass those bass targeting Crawdads. Swimbaits, spoons / ice jigs, drop shot and jigs make up the majority of lures and presentations we use to catch basss out west. Tom * non native species folks have managed to stop the trout stocking programs in several trophy bass lakes in SoCal, for the past 3 years. The planted trout are sterile and the lakes or streams never have a native trout population.

If the bass are holding tight to any structure, including the sides of a point, they are active and catchable. Bass can get conditioned to boats approaching a point head on from deep water and move away from the structure and suspend. To avoid this try approaching the point like you are on the shore quietly and present your lure from shallow water out to deeper water so it moves parallel, slight up or down hill. The other option is what we call up and over; you cast over the point from one side and work the lure uphill toward the opposite side of the point. Bass holding against the side are waiting to trap prey as it approaches the point. This is a classic swimbait presentation. Tom

The original wiggle Wart became a top bass catching lure when the molds began to wear out and the Warts became more eratic in their movements. Today Rapala bought the Warts, retooled them and they no longer catch bass nearly as well, regardless who fishes them. Everyone works their crankbaits, but crankbaits are not equal and every pro has their pet crankbait for good reason, it out fishes the others of the same brand and color. I agree with the Bandit Maxx recommendation, excellent lures at a reasonable price. Tom

Diving crankbaits that consistantly straight with even wiggles are poor bass catchers. It's the crank bait that runs straight, but with quirks out of rhythm ossasionally that triggers strike. This is why it's pure luck to find one. Tom

My favorite structure spoon is Megabait Luna jig spoon, great colors and action. The 3/4 pz black shad and chartreuse shad are both good and I add Owner size 2 feathered treble hooks. Wards Champ spoon is similar to a Kastmaster, wider with more flutter action. Lurh Jensens Crippled Hearing falls faster than the others and is good when the bass are deeper then 30'. There are several others, these are enough to get anyone into structure spooning. Tom

Let's get thie vibration factor into perspective; no line can vibrate under water, the water dampens line vibration. What you feel is line linear movement, not line vibration. It's the lower coefficient of drag in water that increase the lines movement, less drag = more movement. Less drag also = less uncontrolled slack or belly in the line between you and your lure. FC line has lower coeffient of drag in the water, is more dense (heavier) and has a lower refraction of light then nylon monofilament line. Thee are positive factors for fishing line. The big negative with FC line is knot strength and cost. I use Sunline Shooter FC, very carefull with knots. I also use P-Line FluoroClear hybrid, P-Line CXX copolymer line and Big Game mono, depending on the lures nd presentation or day time and night. No reason to use a 100% FC line at night, or crankbaits or top water lures or in sharp rocky structure areas or off color water. Clear water, deep structure lakes fishing under lures like worms and jigs; FC line excels. Tom ,

I suggest you get Bill Murphy's book In Pursuit of Giant Bass. This book has a lot of good info on deep structure lakes and basic bass behavior that should help to answer your question. Think of the bass calendar year this way; Winter, Pre Spawn, Spawn, Post Spawn, Summer and Fall. Bass tend to locate at specific areas during each seasonal period and their movements can define the transition between each seasonal period. Winter is the easiest period to define; it's the coldest water period. Bass locate where the warmest water is located and in deep structured lakes that is deep water or where under ground springs are located. The primary prey during the winter are bait fish and crawdads. During the winter the bass suspend and migrate horizontal. Pre Spawn; this is a transitional period, the bass start to migrate vertically from deep water to staging areas near where they intend to spawn. The water temperatures dictates the spawn cycle, pre spawn usually starts approximately 55 degrees and ends at 62 degrees at the depth the bass are at, not surface temps. Spawn; the water temps are now between 62 to 67 degrees, bass migrate horizontal into protected areas from wind make nest sites, lay eggs, the males stay, the females move back toward deeper staging areas. Post Spawn; the bass leave the nesting sites and migrate horizontal to summer areas, after recovering from the spawn, water temps 67+ degrees. Summer; the water warms to 70+ , the bass establish summer holding areas depending on available cover and prey sources like young of the year fish of all types, baitfish like shad and other minnows, frogs, Crawdads, worms, etc....lots of prey choices and locations. Fall, the days become shorter, nights colder, the water cools to below 70 degrees and the bass start to migrate horizontal away from their summer holding areas. This is another transitional period where the bass follow the prey and slowly into deeper water as it continues to cool to about 60 degrees, then the bass move vertical, deeper seeking warmer water as the winter period starts. Breeks where the water gets deeper quickly are areas bass use as migration routes throughout the calendar year. The bass will move onto shallower flats to feed if prey is there and they may move in the opposite direction to seek the shelter of deeper water. Think of breaks as holding or staging areas for bass. This is a condensed answer to your complex question. Tom

I tend to fish slow year around, however it's where you fish that counts, not how you fish. Most bass anglers fishing from a bass boat have a sonar unti and a trolling motor, they do not use their sonar unit effectively to locate where the bait is, what depth, and where the active bass are located....before they start fishing! It's easy to fish slow if you know the bass are in the area you are fishing. Find the bass, then catch the bass with lures and presentations that the bass will strike. If you prefer to fish faster moving lures and like to move around a lot, then do this very early in the morning when active bass tend to be up near shoreline cover. If you catch bass your day is already good, if not than it is time to locate the bass. My ritual is locating the depth of baitfish and bass when I launch my boat, before I start fishing to eliminate as much unproductive water as possible. Look for baitfish around the launch ramp and docks, with your eyes and your sonar unit. I have had some exceptional days and never left the marina! My next ritual is metering the first major point near the marina, between the 2 areas you should have a good idea what depth the bait and bass are located. Tom

Water chemistry also plays a part in coloratoion, higher PH or hard water the bass tend to be lighter color, lower PH or acidic water darker coloration. Bass not using vegetation, as a background to camouflage, also have lighter coloration. Depth of light is another factor; bass living deeper water where sun light is low or off color water can also cause the bass to lighten there color to better blend into the background. Bass in neutral PH clear water tend to have very vibrant colors. Tom

Make and model of your unit? 20 degree cone angle is standard on most fresh water depth sonar units, not down scanning HD units. Objects outside of the 20 degree cone angle start to fade in return signal strength, the full signal strength is about 1/3rd the depth where the return signal occurs. Tom

If you are fishing vertical on 30 to 35' and the bass are holding on the baitfish, you can meter them, try the Rapala Ice jig. You work this jig like a spoon or silver buddy, you swim it in circles by lifting the rod tip, not jerking it and lower the rod tip with controlled slack....deadly. Tom