I am going on a winter bass trip this weekend what should i use?

 

What type of water/structure and what region of the country?

30 minutes ago, Swampdonkeyfishing said:

I am going on a winter bass trip this weekend what should i use?

 

Yes.

Hair jigs 

A purple worm should work well. 

1 hour ago, Fat Ika said:

What type of water/structure and what region of the country?

Midwest rock or sand some pipes

7 minutes ago, Swampdonkeyfishing said:

Midwest rock or sand some pipes

hair jig, blade bait, ned, drop shot, jerkbait, hand warmers or line de-icer 

What part of the country are you in? What kind of lake? Smb, lmb or spots?

 

Jig worms, swimbaits retrieved slowly, jigs should work anywhere for any species. 

5 hours ago, Swampdonkeyfishing said:

I am going on a winter bass trip this weekend what should i use?

 

 

gloves, hat, warm clothes

Search with a blade bait, pick apart spots with a drop shot if it’s clear. If it’s cold and muddy you’ll probably need to use a big slow black/blue jig in place of the drop shot. (But honestly cold and muddy don’t go good together) Pick a plastic that is very very soft and don’t work the bait much. The benefit to the drop shot is you can barely work it and keep it suspended in their face without giving it much action. I really like the zman soft plastic jerkbaits for this since they are buoyant. Slow is the name of the game in the cold. Bonus lure if you have the gear: big soft plastic swimbaits barely crawled along bottom. I can’t stress slow enough. Can also be done with the small ones, but have never tried this personally in cold water. 

Gulp minnow on a jighead 

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Gulp minnow on a jighead 

I can’t count the walleye I’ve boated with this deadly bait. Literally , I failed 1st grade math. 

Kidding 

On 1/7/2022 at 10:19 AM, Swampdonkeyfishing said:

I am going on a winter bass trip this weekend what should i use?

 

Welcome to BR helpful tips and sarcasm.

To answer your question effectively we need to know the region you are fishing a bass species you want to catch and the type of tackle used.

Tom

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Welcome to BR helpful tips and sarcasm.

To answer your question effectively we need to know the region you are fishing a bass species you want to catch and the type of tackle used.

Tom

Midwest,sand bottoms with few rocks

Jerkbaits, Ned rig, Dropshot, grub, and A-rig caught all our fish this weekend.

Heddon Sonar blade bait in gold. It's what I'm catching most bass (and crappie bycatch) on right now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000309RUQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

If you're buying one, buy 3 or more. You'll lose some. I finally decided to fish them on straight 30 lb. braid so I could yank them out of snags. The fish don't seem to care one bit about the somewhat visible braid. But I still broke off two yesterday on 2 different rods. It happened during the cast! I respooled with new braid when I got home.

 

Runner up has to be a T-rig for pitching, but it's a distant 2nd place. I've caught one on a slow rolled spinnerbait and one on a 1/2 oz. football swinghead craw.

1. Stay warm and dry. Gloves, hat, waterproof gear (get wet, you'll freeze and stay that way)

2. Find the fish.  They are generally not near the bank

3. No braid. 

4. Patience. Fish slow, stay were the fish are.

5. Deeper diving jerkbaits and mid crankbaits 

6. Drop shot

8. A-rig and mid sized swimbaits 

7. Be smart and know your physical limits as well as the person you are fishing with.

 

Draggin tube as been very productive this winter! 37 degree water! 

On 1/10/2022 at 1:48 PM, FishTank said:

1. Stay warm and dry. Gloves, hat, waterproof gear (get wet, you'll freeze and stay that way)

2. Find the fish.  They are generally not near the bank

3. No braid. 

4. Patience. Fish slow, stay were the fish are.

5. Deeper diving jerkbaits and mid crankbaits 

6. Drop shot

8. A-rig and mid sized swimbaits 

7. Be smart and know your physical limits as well as the person you are fishing with.

 

 

Why no braid?

Freezes easily, some baits like jerkbaits and soft plastic loose their action in cold water > braid makes it worse.  Also, water gets displaced in the reel and on your hands, not a good thing in cold weather. 

Rapala  It never changes. If they are hungry. I accept their  feeding times.  ?

I hope this comes off in the manner intended which is to try to be helpful, not judgmental.  Based on your question, I am going to assume you might be fairly new to fishing as there is really no good answer to your question based on the information provided.  If that is the case, you might go with some presentations that are fairly straightforward.  Things like spinnerbaits or flat sided crankbaits (Shad Raps), etc.  There have been some good suggestions provided but many require a degree of skill and experience.  If my assumptions are wrong, disregard and I’ll climb back in my hole.

Where I am the method goes like this ...1) ice jig with maggots...2) good whiskey 

23 hours ago, ajschn06 said:

 

Why no braid?

I second that question. I am almost exclusively using braid nowadays. I still have mono on my spinnerbait rod. I fished with a guide once who used 30 lb or more braid on every rod. I asked him why and he said he couldn't afford to constantly lose lures. He said big fish don't seem to care, just don't horse the big ones. I mean if they'll bite an A rig, they don't care about a little bit of visible line.

I believe the ‘no braid’ comment is in regard to sub freezing temps and icing, and not an overall statement against braid. I avoid braid when I’m out and air temps are at or below freezing. The braid weave will allow water to cling to the line and start icing or freezing, rendering it useless. Mono isn’t near as bad, especially if you spray or wipe with silicone before using. Anything 35 deg and above though, braid is fair game.