Wondering what guys have had the best success with after they’ve tagged their buck and back at the bass in November/December and water temps in the low 40s...

 

I have had the best success year after year finding shad in the backs of doves and throwing a rattle trap, jerkbaits or pitching a jig in the brush piles and beaver piles in water from 3 to 10 feet.

Jig/ Craw trailer

 

Well most years by mid to late November my water is colder than that...most times hard by then! You are already throwing what many consider the best baits for those temps. Two I use a lot in those temps are a size 5 shad rap and a simple 3in white twister on a ballhead. I also use a trap...but for my other baits I downsize alot...small jerkbait and finesse jig.

Jerkbaits, and as always, jigs. 

Most of my fishing is on a small mostly shallow river. I depends on what the water level is like. If it's low my trip is a one way float and I stop fishing as soon as it's too cold for me to stay comfortable for the 4+ hours it takes me to get down river.

 

Some years we've had nice weather and we caught fish into December on hard jerk baits and, basically, the same lures I use through the summer. Ned, wacky, tubes, floating and sinking Rapalas and the suspending Rapalas.

 

Last fall I had a blast with a double fluke rig but the weather didn't let me fish very late into the fall/winter. 

Spoons and jigs. 

Anybody ever throw swimbaits in the Fall?  I plan to try this coming season.

That’s the hardest time of the year for me but a keitech easy shiner in 3,3.5, and 4 inch sizes on a jig head have caught me some nice fish of all species. Looking forward to really trying jerkbaits this year too!

8 hours ago, mheichelbech said:

Anybody ever throw swimbaits in the Fall?  I plan to try this coming season.

Last year I used a 4.5" Yum Pulse quiet a bit in the fall and into the winter. I caught a lot more pike than bass but I did catch a 4.75 lb. largemouth on November 23 in 46 degree water. Don't be afraid to use them in cold water.

You might want to learn the water temperature thresholds for Threadfin Shad, they can't tolerate low 40 dergree water.

For this reason Shad go deeper to find warmer water temps. 

Structure spoons and tail spins are my most productive lures for bass feeding on Shad.

Tom

40* in fall is different than 40* in spring. Fish are still more active coming off warmer water versus warming up from cold water. About the only thin I'm not throwing in that water temp is topwater.

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

40* in fall is different than 40* in spring. Fish are still more active coming off warmer water versus warming up from cold water. About the only thin I'm not throwing in that water temp is topwater.

Yea no question there are shad in the coves still that water temp.  

up here in the north east we don’t have shad.  Hair jigs, jig heads/plastics and blades are my top.  Fish slow on bottom. I know guys love Jerkbaits.

 

i try and fish all winter. If I’m lucky, past few years have been good. No ice 30min plus south  but go

45min-1hr west or north it’s locked up.  I was getting bit on big and small swimbaits, ned rigs January and February in shallow. Hell I even got topwater fish in early February up here in MA