Had a good spinnerbait bite today. My lakes "iced-out" about a week ago and we had a few warm days since then. Water temps rose quickly and I started getting some shallow fish on a spinnerbait in 46 to 49 degree water. Started getting colder yesterday and today the cold front got here and water temps started plummeting back down, it was raining, and winds were gusting over 20mph. With the headwind, I decided to fish a spinning rod and worked a couple of tiny coves in my favorite lake - fishing from the bank. Surface water temp was 42 degrees. Got 5 LMB: 22"/4.60lb, 19"/3.02lb, 19"/2.99lb, 17"/2.33lb, and 16"/1.87lb = 14.81lb - a good day for sure. The photo shows the 4.6lb fish.

Hard water a week ago, and a 14.81 bag today - can't beat that for my little lakes on a winter day!   8-)

Real nice looking fish.  Good to hear that you got some good fishing in. 

excellent!  that's a great day for sure.  hope you have plenty more like it.  cool that your water temps have already hit nearly 50.  just goes to show it only takes a few warm days for those fish to get busy.

Thanks guys!

Paul - I'm in Crossville up on the plateau and we stayed iced over longer than some lakes down the hill...but that warm weather we had for a few days sure brought the water temp up. However, I have a feeling that the water temp in this lake will be back in the 30s by tomorrow night or Wednesday morning... :-/

wow, great day. Having a 22 inch fish that goes 4 and a half is quite the scene. During the winter time too. I find that very odd. Any explanations folks? Other than well, he is not eating.

wow, great day. Having a 22 inch fish that goes 4 and a half is quite the scene. During the winter time too. I find that very odd. Any explanations folks? Other than well, he is not eating.

Most of the bass in my lakes are very lean. I expect mostly due to poor forage, not much cover, etc. My PB was a a respectable 26", but only 7-12 - it was a BIG head on a skinny body. I rarely catch a bass with any kind of belly.

That's a great winter bass right there.

Sounds Great Goose,way to go!

Way to go man, that's a nice day for sure. 

WTG Goose.

nice Goose, wouldn't have thought to throw a spinnerbait. thats a chunk!

Excellent catch...and I like that outfit too 

Roger

Thanks again guys. Yeah - I was jazzed about this catch as it would have been, for my lakes, outstanding for the spring, and it's just incredible for winter. The photo below is looking from one of the coves that I fished out to the main lake - the photo was taken last year but that lake looked just the same 2 weeks ago. Then last week most of the lake iced-out, and only 3 days ago there was still some ice at the back of the coves in the shade. But, the sunny days brought the water up to 49 degrees and the fish came up - and were active enough to hit the spinnerbait as the water started dropping down from 49 to 42.

I fished today, same places, same bait. However, water temp is now at 39 and those shallow fish are gone! I tried to find them for about 30 minutes but the air temp today was 27, and my rod guides were icing up, so I called it a day...;D

Real nice fish. I'm so pumped and ready for some warm weather to get here.

nice Goose, wouldn't have thought to throw a spinnerbait. thats a chunk!

Right after ice-out I was fishing slow and deep. As the water temp came up, I decided to probe some of the shallow coves to see if the fish had come up - I used the SB just to cover water a bit faster. As long as I was getting bit, I just stayed with the SB as the water temp dropped back down - it worked down to 42...

Excellent catch...and I like that outfit too

Roger

Hah - thanks Roger. Who needs to spend big bucks to catch fish - that's a BPS Extreme 6'8" M/XF that I got on clearance for $39, and a Pflueger President I got on sale for $49... ;D

Goose, I'm truly inspired to start bassin' as soon as we get some liquid H2O.

I've known for years that the big girls start roaming out of the depths right after iceout. A couple of warming stable weather days and it's lunker time.

Great Job!

Goose, I'm truly inspired to start bassin' as soon as we get some liquid H2O.

I've known for years that the big girls start roaming out of the depths right after iceout. A couple of warming stable weather days and it's lunker time.

Great Job!

Thanks! I keep my trusty thermometer handy and dunk it in the water as soon as I walk up to the bank to see where I'm at as compared to the day before...

My part of Tennessee gets cold enough to ice-over, but doesn't stay cold enough to hold it all winter like you guys up north. This is actually the 3rd ice-out I've had on my lakes this winter - but the last two times we never had warm enough weather to get the water temp much out of the 30s before the lakes iced-over again.