I love the "A Day on the Lake with a Pro" articles in Bassmaster.  They are hands down my favorite articles, and something I really look forward to reading.  They really give insight on how the pros pick apart water trying to establish a pattern.  The article has become somewhat of a bragging right among pros I've read, and they all want to do well when the spotlight is on them.  There is no hiding what baits they are using, because the writer is right there next to them.  You get to see the baits and approaches they use; not what they say they used during a tournament.  When Scott Rook launched his boat, the water was an icey 49 degrees and stained.  He starts out cranking a DT10 and catches a 2lber, and then shortly after ties on a RC 1.5 in blue/chartreuse.  This spun me for a loop...I don't bust out shallow cranks until the water temps get into the mid to upper 50's, and even then it is only on warm sunny days in pockets, and I have a limit few with a super tight wiggle that I feel are suitable.  Water this cold usually calls for a trap or subtle medium/deep diver, not a non-flat sided shallow diver with a searching wiggle in a bright pattern!  As I shake my head, I read on as Scott goes on to catch 3 4lb+ fish in a row on the RC...I couldn't believe it!  That article definitely opened up my eyes and altered future prespawn approaches...Scott broke all 'my' rules when he caught those fish.  

Sometimes it makes you wonder, like topwater in the winter. Sure, it "might work", but maybe it's not a high percentage option. I fish the DD22 in the winter, well, year around for that matter.

One of the main reasons that fishermen are not sucessful with cranks in cold water is, they don't use them. They have always heard a bass won't chase a bait in cold water, you have to fish dead slow in cold water, bass are always deep in cold water, what a load. The most versatile bait in your box and they still listen to what fishermen tell them instead of the bass.

One of the best DOL's I have seen in a while, really opened my mind. I am kinda partial to Rook's advice though, He is good friends with one of my tournament partner's grandfather (even bought the boat he used last year). I started throwing shallow cranks in colder  this past december and january instead of deep cranking all day. I caught fish where I had never gotten bit before on other lures that time of year.

Well water down here doesn 't get THAT cold but it shure goes under 13°C in the middle of the winter, once I said that you could approach cold water by two way, retrieving at arthritic snail pace or by burning it with cranks and spinnerbaits ......... everybody said I was nutz when I suggested burning the water.  :

Not knowing any better, I was fishing in a club tournament a few years back -- water temp in the mid to upper 40's and I was throwing a Rat-L Trap and Spinner Bait.  My boater kept telling me that fish wouldn't bite a "moving" bait in water that cold - all the while I kept bringing in the keepers -- finished 15 points ahead of him on the day and took 3rd place in my second tournament with the club  -- sure glad I didn't know any better

One of the main reasons that fishermen are not sucessful with cranks in cold water is, they don't use them. They have always heard a bass won't chase a bait in cold water, you have to fish dead slow in cold water, bass are always deep in cold water, what a load. The most versatile bait in your box and they still listen to what fishermen tell them instead of the bass.

A big Amen to the whittler.....