Hey guys with ice out approaching rapidly here in the north (thank goodness!) I'm wondering what are your top 3 cold water goto baits. I've been reading the articles here but I'm hoping you guys can narrow it down for me. I don't want to waste time throwing lures that don't work. I'm fiending catching not fishing ;D

For me

Jerkbaits

Jigs

Tight Wobble Cranks

Slow Rolling big spinner baits

Yeah thats 4... sorry

Jerk baits

flat sided cranks

sometimes I will use a deep running, suspending crank

Hair jigs

Blade baits

suspending jerkbaits

-T9

hair jigs

traps

jerk baits

Rat-L-Trap

Jig-N-Craw

DD-22

hair jig

jerkbait

grub

suspending jerkbait

rat l traps

jigs

grub on 1/8 jig

Ditto the above good. Guess I'd add Chatter too.

As in all seasons, what you do with a given lure often matters more than the exact lure.

It's nice to find fish that will chase a faster retrieve. I often start faster and see what comes. If no go, I slow down. This is true in cold water too, but everything is slowed down across the board. Another thing helps, often a lot, but esp so in the cold: erratic action, BUT, not moving too far horizontally -forward. Consider erratic action with limited horizontal movement the reaction presentation for the cold. In summer sometimes simply rapid forward speed does it. Not so in the cold.

Sometimes cold water bass are willing to move for a horizontally traveling bait. Great! Makes covering water and catching fish that much quicker. I'll usually swim a jig or grub or creature or Chatter or SB or lipless or But often more erratic action triggers bites better. I then go to a jerkbaits, or bladebaits, lipless, or jigs fished more vertically -yo-yo'd. Last resort, often under real cold, is even more vertical with little or no horizontal movement: spoons, blades, grubs, or float-n-fly.

Year round horizontal speed of a lure is important, sometimes critical, determined by how willing bass are to give chase. In cold water, the issue is magnified, with generally slower presentations required, but this does not have to preclude erratic action.

Suspending Jerkbait.

Jig.

Crankbait.

Lipless Crankbait.

1. big , deep diving crankbaits

2. deep running spinnerbaits

3. jig and a plastic craw with a large profile .

Jig w/ trailer

Dropshot

Fluttered lipless crank

Jig

Jig with a trailer

Suspending jerk bait.

Jig

Jerkbait

Blade baits or spinnerbaits

Jerkbait

Suspending shad bodied crankbait

Jig

Lipless crankbait

X-rap

1/8 jig w/ 3" reaper

Bass suspended in cold water? Give me a Rapala jerkbait. Let that SOB lay still while just twitching the wrist. Making it as lethargic as a cold water bass will entice a strike imo.

1.  Jerkbait

2.  Lipless Crankbait

3.  Jig

In no particular order (may vary hourly):

> Suspending Jerkbait

> Jig & Craw

> Lipless Crank

Roger

Jig

Fluke

Jig

1. Jig: a-skirted with big trailer (Paca craw) b-non-skirted with spider grub

2. Wacky rigged 6" Senko/Stick-o on 1/8 oz jig

3. Suspending jerkbait (100 Pointer or X-Rap)

1. Centipede

2. Senko

3. Suspending Jerkbait

4. Tube

5. Jig and Pig

Shaky Head

Jig

Jerkbait

jerkbait

lipless crank

jig

hey senko... nice new pic  8-)

1. Suspending jerkbait

2. Colorado spinnerbait

3. Jig