East of the Mississippi we are experiencing record warmth to begin winter - for those of you who live here , how are you adapting your winter strategies / techniques to match warmer than usual water conditions : Are you staying shallow ? Are you staying with faster more aggressive baits to match the warmer water ? ...Let's hear how you are adapting your techniques / strategies to match up  with a warm beginning of winter here in the East .

Going out tomorrow and going to play it like it's still mid fall. After 4 days of above average temps they should be a little shallower and more willing to bite.

Fish don't know the seasons, fish the conditions the same as you would at any other time of year based off water temp, clarity.....

I can only speak for myself here. Haven't been out since the 15th, but here, in the western piedmont of NC, I have been catching fish (mostly spots w/ a few LM) anywhere from 1'-20'. Surface water temps (for what its worth) still in the 50's. Typical targets have been shallow/deep brush, bluff banks, docks. Lipless cranks and plastics works for me. Gonna try to get back out after Christmas. Good luck!

No changes or adaptations needed here. Doing the same thing we always do early winter - hair jigs, jerkbaits and blade baits - just getting to do it in late December. Same bite prolonged since we don't have ice cover yet. Had 54 in 4 hours Sunday afternoon throwing the aforementioned baits in 42-43 water.

-T9

Last couple weeks here in NC Rivers the water temp. has ranged from 50-to 56 degrees. Catching fish on suspending jerkbaits and and lipless baits mostly. Also catching a few on shallow cranks.  When the water temp was 50-52 the jerkbait bite was on. When the water temp temp went to the 54-56 They reacted more aggessive to the lipless. Pattern for the jerkbait was: Jerk- jerk, pause, twitch, pause, twitch, pause then fish on. The pause was usually about 5-8 seconds and the bite was very subtle. Fished around wood in 2-4 foot.  Sunny skys and clear water.

Good replies - I think the term of an "expanded mid - fall" is pretty accurate .

6 hours ago, BrianinMD said:

Fish don't know the seasons, fish the conditions the same as you would at any other time of year based off water temp, clarity.....

Exactly, fish don't have a calendar.

Went out a couple days ago and caught fish like it was still fall, fish were still on the banks caught them on a texas rigged pit boss jr

I've been fishing like I would in early winter. I've been absolutely smoking them on a LC Pointer 78 near a lot of rock. 

The bass in my lake are still staying deep (the deepest in my lake is 15 feet) but they have been around the 10 foot range. I've been throwing a rapala dt-8 in the bluegill pattern and been catching a few. I've also been using a shadow rap deep in blue back herring. I fish it like I would in fall by reeling one or 2 turns, let it sit, then a triple jerk to pause, them a duoble twitch reel again and repeat. not the most conventional methed  but it produces. btw I'm fishing in GA after a warm front

2 days ago, 12/27, NC, Raleigh area.  Water temp was 66-68deg.  We did well, back in the coves, along the shore, weightless worms and soft plastic swimbaits.  Buddy even caught a Chain Pickerel.  Didn't even know we had 'em.