I know everyone has their own technique but im just curious on what kind of cover seems to work best for you when the water down here gets cold. I seem to second guess myself too much when the water is very cold.

Florida bass fishing can get tough to near impossible when it's cold and this year is exceptional. You can always cheat and use live golden shiners, but it's cheating. I try to time my trips around a warming trend or hours before another approaching front and fall in barometric pressurre. If you can't time your fishing around conditions then stick to fishing around hard structure areas towards end if day and keep an eye on water temp and fish warmer areas. Fishing will be tough thou no way around it. My spots where I can catch 20-40 fish consistently througout year are down to 5-10 fish in same amount of time. >

I generally do best pitching smaller jigs and soft plastics towards cover  which consists of grass, cattails, and the occasional dock on my home lake.  Generally you will do better in the afternoon because the water will have more time to warm up as opposed to morning.  I caught two and missed one this evening in 55 degree water.

An outside grass line, preferably dense K- grass in 6-7 ft of water.  Pitch a creature bait in black/blue flake.  The Megastrike Megabug is my new favorite.  I use a bobber stop up tight to a 3/4 oz tungsten bullet weight.  Watch your line (65 lb braid),  you will get one light tick or a twitch in the line.  They will usually hit it on the fall. If nothing, I bounce it once and then hit your next spot.

The 'Key Cover' hinges on the waterbody you're fishing, far more than seasonal period.

In Cypress it's "hydrilla", in Walk-In-Water it's "bulrushes" (buggy whips),

in Rosalie it's maidencane (kissimmee grass), in Reedy it's pondweed (peppergrass),

in Eloise it's tapegrass (eelgrass)...and so it goes

Roger

Rocks bolders are good cover as well.

also a reaction bait can be key with a jerkbait or trap just over of through the grass.

I do better in these conditions looking for a reaction bite in close proximity to cover.  A jig near rocky dropoffs, pitching a beaver w/ tungston weight in/around dense weeds, and a noisy trap ripped thru grass seem to work best for me under cold Florida (i.e. water temps under 60) conditions

The 'Key Cover' hinges on the waterbody you're fishing, far more than seasonal period.

In Cypress it's "hydrilla", in Walk-In-Water it's "bulrushes" (buggy whips),

in Rosalie it's maidencane (kissimmee grass), in Reedy it's pondweed (peppergrass),

in Eloise it's tapegrass (eelgrass)...and so it goes

Roger

And in Toho it would be.....?

Toho = Hydrilla 

Offshore in 6-10 ft of water, growing about a ft off the bottom.  It may take hours of staring at electronics to find the right spot but when you do, you can catch a boatload.

Toho = Hydrilla

Offshore in 6-10 ft of water, growing about a ft off the bottom. It may take hours of staring at electronics to find the right spot but when you do, you can catch a boatload.

Wow - this turned out to be prophetic indeed after seeing the Southern Open on Toho.

Plenty of big fish came off beds, but the offshore stuff accounted for countless pounds (and the win) in this one.