In my last post, I said I was rigging up a jig and some 20lb fluoro to head back to the cold mud, with bigger fish in mind. I never could have predicted the day that I ended up having! I did have a little feeling though, because three or four years ago I fished the same conditions in the same place and caught two big fish, and my best 5 were probably in the 18-20lb range.

 

After discovering active fish on Christmas day from the bank, my little brother and I headed back to the river with our kayaks, so we could access the fish a little better. After the bite we experienced, I think water must have been at least mid 40s, but we didn't have a thermometer, so I will never know. I do know they would only eat a bottom bait, and even though the bite was good, you still had to be extremely methodical about your retrieve (if you can even call it that).

 

My first fish of the day was a 6.04lb gorgeous winter largemouth, I knew I was going to have a shot at one over 5, so I was stoked to get it as my first bite! It was in an eddy that produced one of the big fish I caught years ago under the same conditions, I love having a home field advantage. I spend a lot of time on this river so I know where big fish usually like to hang, and where all the little depth changes, rock piles, etc are. That knowledge definitely came in handy since I had to fish so slowly.

 

The bite was pretty consistent, we fished wood cover close to the bank, and many of the fish were actually sitting on the upstream side of the wood, which is an awesome indicator of their activity level, and surprising for cold, muddy water. Most of the bites we were getting were in the 1.5-2.5lb range, nothing big after the first one.

 

Home field advantage came in handy again, there was a log with some brush pushed up on it that was a few feet from where I caught a 7lber on a wiggle wart in March, and historically, that small 50'x50' area holds big fish. On my first flip, I hooked a fish in the 4lb range and lost it at the kayak, I was bummed! On my next flip to the same piece of wood, I caught a 2.5lber. After releasing that fish, on my next flip, again to the same piece of wood, I buttoned up a good one. That fish ended up weighing 5.22, and yet another big fish from that little sweet spot!

 

I continued fishing the area catching small fish, but never anything over 2.5lbs. My little brother hit a stretch of bank and lost two big fish, one of them he said was 5lbs or so that he lost boatside. He went back to the same tree 30 minutes later, and caught a 4.9! Clearly, the big fish were bunched up. After about an hour, I headed back to the tree where I lost the 4 and caught the 5. I made many pitches to the piece of cover, and finally locked up on a fish. This one was a 6.15, I couldn't believe it! I was keeping track of my best 5, and was bummed that I lost the 4lber boatside, because it was my fault for rushing it. I knew I had the opportunity to catch a really impressive bag of fish, so I stayed after it, going back through water I had fished throughout the day.

 

Any spot that produced fish earlier in the day had reloaded, so I just made a milk run fishing the good stuff. I popped a 4.21 and a 3.74 in about a 5 minute flurry of bites, once again the bigger fish were grouped up!

 

Those two fish brought my best 5 to a whopping 25.36lbs (A Big Dumb Bag), my best 5 fish limit ever by far, and I did it from a kayak in late December! It is a beautiful thing when preparation meets opportunity. I have been diligently fishing that place in my kayak for at least 6 years, and had only broken the 15lb mark a handful of times, nothing close to what I did this time around!

 

For anyone wondering, I was fishing a 3/8oz black and blue Molix Kento Jig, with a 3" and 4" chigger craw on the back. 20lb red label fluorocarbon on a 7'8" Heavy Doomsday "47" flippin' stick.

6.04lbs, also you can see my life jacket sitting on my kayak behind me from where I had taken it off after beaching the kayak for pictures.

6.15

5.22

Outstanding ~ ! 

What killer bag of December Green Bass. 

Hard to beat a big bass jig bite.

Great Read & Sweet Pics

Congrats

A-Jay

(and thanks for wearing your pfd)

Thanks for the report and pictures, awesome !!!

Does this river feed into a nearby lake? It's unusual for them to stay in the rivers when the water gets cold here but we don't have any regular rivers that hold a fishable population of bass.

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Does this river feed into a nearby lake? It's unusual for them to stay in the rivers when the water gets cold here but we don't have any regular rivers that hold a fishable population of bass.

It does not. It's a wintering area. I'm pretty sure bass from other reaches of the river migrate to this place when it gets cold, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

Heck of a lot better than what I could do right now, minimum 8” of ice all over around here. Good job! 

Great day ETS!

And a nice report.

Keep em coming as I'm fishing vicariously right now....

 

Wow. Congrats. Biggest 5 fish limit ever, ever?

Wow! That is a quality experience.

On 12/30/2018 at 8:17 PM, everythingthatswims said:

It is a beautiful thing when preparation meets opportunity.

I had the same question as BB86. By the looks of it, that is a river. With moving water, the bass would likely be consolidated in winter. I think you're right that fish migrate there. That is a true hotspot. You know it well. And how to fish it. So... where's the dumb part?  

15 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Wow! That is a quality experience.

I had the same question as BB86. By the looks of it, that is a river. With moving water, the bass would likely be consolidated in winter. I think you're right that fish migrate there. That is a true hotspot. You know it well. And how to fish it. So... where's the dumb part?  

Dustin Connell says it so I say it

Super!

Cold water LMB tend to hug the bottom where they spend less energy and prey comes to them. The term dead sticking applies to cold water jig fishing and strikes take a great deal of concentration, congratulations on your big bass day.

Tom

 

How do I make a "we are not worthy, while holding out a thumbs up" icon thingy? Awesome.