Quick question. I am a shallow fisherman and shallow fisherman only. What are your favorite places in a lake to fish shallow in the winter?

 

Thanks.

South Texas, South Louisiana, & South Florida ?

Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant which parts of a lake should I fish shallow in winter

The parts of the lake that are in South Texas, South Louisiana & South Florida.

Sorry I mesnt, best places in a lake to fish shallow 

When the sun is out, but it is cold outside, go lay in the grass and then go lay on the rocks. Which is warmer? If I were a fish, that is where I would go.

At this point in the season, I normally find shallow water fish in, or close to the big spawning areas. Not sure if coincidence, or if there is something to it. 

44 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

When the sun is out, but it is cold outside, go lay in the grass and then go lay on the rocks. Which is warmer? If I were a fish, that is where I would go.

What if its overcast? 

Fish shallow water where the sun is hitting that is very close to deeper water. Shallow water shelves at the top of steep drops where fish can pull up to feed and move vertically quickly are your best bets. 

Depends on the lake. I'm looking for shallow water next to deep water. But if you don't know the depth then I don't know.

I get that you're asking about shallow water, but sometimes it isn't practical and rather than staying comfortable, you need to learn new things; in this case, going deeper. 

4 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

I get that you're asking about shallow water, but sometimes it isn't practical and rather than staying comfortable, you need to learn new things; in this case, going deeper. 

Maybe he fishes from the bank. Been there myself.

There's always fish shallow. One of my top 5 of the year last year was a 6.5lb fish in 3' of 41* water in January. A shallow, rocky shelf next to the river channel that she'd pulled up to feed on. 

41 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Fish shallow water where the sun is hitting that is very close to deeper water. Shallow water shelves at the top of steep drops where fish can pull up to feed and move vertically quickly are your best bets. 

This^

Fish shallow near those tight contour lines on map.  Very easy to find and fish from a boat.  Very difficult to find/fish from the bank.  Still possible but shoreline real estate is much more restricted due to private property, thick brush etc.

55 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Maybe he fishes from the bank. Been there myself.

I fish from a boat, but I fish shallow because pros like Greg hackney only fish shallow without a problem. Im just not a fan of finesse fishing, but I'll eventually practice it because I fish a lot of hs tournaments and I just don't think fishing shallow in winter is cutting the mustard. 

19 minutes ago, Preston Logan said:

I fish from a boat, but I fish shallow because pros like Greg hackney only fish shallow without a problem. Im just not a fan of finesse fishing, but I'll eventually practice it because I fish a lot of hs tournaments and I just don't think fishing shallow in winter is cutting the mustard. 

I hear that. If I am in 15 FOW then I am out of my comfort zone. Like I said earlier, I would look for rock or even sand that is next to deep water. However, I also like to throw to deep water with a crankbait, lipless or jerkbait. Bass will feed up and I will try to catch them. Ten years ago, I would fish 3-8 FOW all day, no matter the time of year or conditions.

I spook fish off the banks all year long in the small waters I fish. May be different in bigger lakes. I fish the sunward side and if there's a breeze blowing toward me all the better (as long as it's not too cold). Under 40 I need to keep the wind behind me for obvious reasons.

Everyone stresses that rocks are best and i agree they are good but a sand to rock transition is also pretty good especially if theres a bit of structure on it i.e trees,stumps etc. I too prefer to fish shallow but im starting to get more comfortable fishing deeper water. my best advice is fish shallow with confidence then try fishing a point from shallow to deep. Using the same stuff a T. Rig, shallow crankbait (dt-6 is my favorite for fishing shallow winter water) and a jig or what ever else you use up shallow. Its never a bad idea to fish your confidence then move out of your comfort zone and try, even if you dont commit to it just try it and see how you like it. 

In my home water 15’ is deep. I look for steep banks on the north shore, hard bottom, near spawning areas and deeper water, and woody cover. If i can put all that together its usually golden. Oh, and it needs to be out of the current if your river fishing. 

fwiw, concrete boat ramps, rip rap, and floating docks all retain heat, especially those with southern exposure to available sunlight and sheltered from northerly winds. deeper water close by is always a plus. target calm and sunny afternoons during warming tends. 

12 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

The parts of the lake that are in South Texas, South Louisiana & South Florida.

Yeah, everything except WWDs are solid here right now, and probably will be for a week or more. Stone crab claws and grilled Mahi sandwiches are sounding really good right now, like the commercial says, "close to perfect, far from normal". We were also talking about maybe spending a couple of weeks between Pensacola and New Orleans, just bumming around and basking a bit.

11 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

When the sun is out, but it is cold outside, go lay in the grass and then go lay on the rocks. Which is warmer? If I were a fish, that is where I would go.

I believe that if you were a fish & you left the water to lay in either the grass or the rocks, you would probably die after a few minutes, no matter how warm either was...

 

Unless you were one of those walking catfish.

Look for the steeper banks Especially if they are facing the sun .

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Fish shallow water where the sun is hitting that is very close to deeper water. Shallow water shelves at the top of steep drops where fish can pull up to feed and move vertically quickly are your best bets. 

 

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

There's always fish shallow. One of my top 5 of the year last year was a 6.5lb fish in 3' of 41* water in January. A shallow, rocky shelf next to the river channel that she'd pulled up to feed on. 

 

Winter, spring, summer, or fall

 

Shallow or deep

 

Ya wanna look at the structure first!

 

My PB 12.5#, Rat-L-Trap, 3-5' of water, early February ?

I look for shallow cover close to deep water. Even better if the sun is hitting it as perpendicularly as possible (think north bank when sun is low to the south). 

 

Jerkbaits and bottom baits are where I would start.