1 hour ago, Paul Roberts said:

How cold? How fast? We run the gamut on this site, from the far N to the far S, from shad to bluegills, to perch. Curious, as always.

 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Couldn't tell ya it doesn't get that cold down here!

 

Low to mid 40s, occasionally upper 30s.

 

Retrieves are burning it under the surface, ripping it through grass, ricocheting em off stumps, & weaving em through brush.

 

Pretty much like a spinnerbait ?

 

4 hours ago, FCPhil said:

 

When you guys talk about lipless working well in cold water, does that go for really cold water, like the pond is partially frozen cold? 

 

I have been been trying to figure out how to catch them at a small pond that freezes and thaws throughout the winter while other ponds stay frozen the whole time. Been thinking about trying a lipless. 

 

How would you retrieve them?

As Paul alluded to, I've had good success with small blade baits (arguably a type of lipless) in winter conditions, even on partially frozen waters. They are certainly worth a try. I retrieve one of two ways. Either slow hops in deep water (relatively speaking), or slow and steady up shallow. You'll have to try both. 

 

As for hooks, the bait I throw comes stock with size 14s...basically bluegill hooks. I've played with upsizing one or the other, and both with no conclusive results. I'm leaning toward the front hook being more important than the back, and my next experiment will be a single upsized treble with no rear hook attached. Should have my answer after that.

In past years for the coldest water, I had good luck on a Mann's Little George. They do hang up easily, and fish seem to throw them easily too. I've used Silver Buddy, and BPS blade baits with limited success . Catt posted about the Rinky Dink, which is a line through tailspinner. I'd like to try this, as it would be much harder for fish to gain leverage and throw the lure.A 2" or 3" plastic grub can be good too, reeled very slowly or fished as a lift drop retrieve