This is a topic/question I've come across quite a bit.  

 

Winter has arrived, and the lake has turned.  The water isn't frozen, yet.  You get a day where the temps are just above painful and have a small window of time to do some bank fishing.  

 

What areas do you target, or find the most success?

 

What lures or presentations have yielded the best results?

 

Do you slow down?  Speed up?  Throw large or small profile baits?

 

In my experience, the few fish I have found are either in deeper water where shallow water is accessible (relative to each body of water) or, dirt shallow.  The rest, I assume are deep with their bellies in the mud.

 

In years past, I would have either thrown a tiny drop shot, or hurled a football jig as far as possible and crawl it back.  I'll still do that, however, I'm starting to believe that a burn/pause retrieve with a crank bait can trigger a good reaction bite... regardless of water temps.  

 

Anyway, just a brainstorm for the evening.  Interested in all of your thoughts/opinions.

I'm going to follow this thread because I want to know the same thing! About the only winter time bass I've gotten have been on worms slowly drug along the bottom. 

I throw a jerkbait 95% of the time and just fish it with soft twitches and long pauses. Banks with steep drops and rock are usually my most productive. Last year, while I was throwing a jerkbait, I also let a float-n-fly drift along just past the drop I was fishing and caught several fish doing that as well. Dragging a shakyhead can be good but tends to snag a lot from the shore it seems. If you're fishing a pond with shallow water, I'd never be afraid to try a single Colorado bladed spinnerbait or lipless crank either.

All my fish since we've gotten cold have come on a very slowly fished ned rig on light spinning tackle and 4lb. braid. I find that in the ponds I fish casting distance is important. Most of my bites seem to come a good ways out. Some exceptions but mostly this. I do remember one day last winter after a few 50* days and some wind that the fish got on a very aggressive shallow bite but one can't count on it.

Jerkbait.....ned......just works....

Jerkbait, weightless Senko or Ned rig.

I would fish slow with various plastics.  Senko's and worms are good, dragging the bottom.  I would work drop offs and sun drenched banks.  The north side of a lake is usually a little warmer and the first part of a lake to warm.  Protected from the north winds by the hills and trees, and a little more direct light from the position of the sun.  With weeds and rock walls a protected hook will be a must with a slow presentation.  Bites are usually very subtle.

small finesse worms with either a really like worm weight, weightless, or light darter head open hook with a small Fluke Jr. or 3-4" curly tail grub.

 

A great lure that flat out works is the crappie sized blakemore road runner when its cold. They are great form the shore,I like the ones with the maribou hair as opposed to a plastic.

 

A Ned Rig, or shaky head, or slowly reeled split shot rig with a small stick worm or trick worm will catch fish all year. Same with a rapala shad rap.

 

When it gets cold, I like to use plastics with less action if fishing bottom contact. a Craw like the Zoom Critter craw will work well. put it behind a jig, or behind a worm weight or split shot and it will get bit if fished slowly.....Zoom Critter craws are a really good soft bait, just not easy to find in stores. 

 

Light line, smaller baits...From shore in winter will catch bass, small crappie tubes like the bitsy tubes are also really good. Usually just need to fish slowly. I believe lighter line will always generate more strikes, especially in the cold,so if you can use 4lb test or 6, you will be at an advantage for getting more action. 

 

You can catch big bass through the Ice as well....I have a picture of a really good bass in my profile through the Ice in NY a few years ago, my brother lives in CT now, and he catches big bass through the ice on a regular basis. Almost catches bigger fish through the ice consistently than any other time. Kind of crazy, He uses alot of streamers and flies, but we have caught them on small jigging spoons and roadrunners, 1" panfish soft baits etc.. This Bass was last year.....Believe it was in a lake near Candlewood. 

 

 

This was probably the biggest bass through the Ice. For some reason, on certain Northern Lakes and ponds, you can actually catch bigger bass through the Ice, it seems to be the ones that are choked out with weeds during the year and tough to fish...Deep water is always a plus, and patience is key...If you tip a small Ice Fishing Jig with a minnow to cheat a little bit, it often helps get the action going....Bass still feed in the coldest of cold....

 

I used to catch good sized bass just before or after ice out fishing small grubs on jig heads like the BPS Spring grub. Not sure why, but that grub excels in cold water, has a different profile and action....The grub has rings in it, that may help, for color I have always used baitfish colors, water is clear so more natural the better. Motor oil with green fleck in 2" or 3" spring grub is a grub that nobody seems to ever use or talk about, but the tail is different, shape, and really no other bait I can think of that is similar.....

 

On 11/20/2019 at 8:22 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

 Last year, while I was throwing a jerkbait, I also let a float-n-fly drift along just past the drop I was fishing and caught several fish doing that as well. 

Can't beat the 'two rod' setup  Nothing better to increase your chances!!

In winter I fish more around cover than structure. I can’t reach the deep structure from the bank. 

Lipless, crankbaits, flukes, jigs, plastic worms, chatterbaits, and swimbaits are what I use the most. 

I caught a good bass on a double panfish magnet under a float yesterday. Took the bottom which was black body with chartreuse tail. Fun on the ultralight!