Ok...the weather tomorrow is going to be nice! It was nice today and I read it is going to be nice all weekend and almost all next week!

I know it is winter time and I am sure the bass are DEEP! I have a local lake (Lake Orange) that I love to fish. However I never fished it during the winter time, only the summer and fall. I have a topography map of the lake which shows different depths ranging from 4 foot (shallowest) to 36 foot (dam; deepest). What I want to know is what to look for (depth, structure, etc.) and what to use...

I know during the winter the bass' metabolism is rather slow and therefore they get lock-jawed. I know I should use a worm or jig, but what colors? what techniques? Texas-Rigged? Wacky-Rigged? Drop-shotting? Carolina Rigged?

Here's the topography of the map...

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=98&section=maps

The little cove past the boat ramp on the right has sunken timber that reaches out above the surface but yet it is 10-20 feet deep (going near the dam). Would that be a hotspot? or should I throw what I can on the dam?

The yellow dots are structures (boeys marking them) should I concentrate on them? or the deep spots?

I would like some feed back for tomorrow. It will be a learning lesson for me

Thanks all! God bless and have a Merry Christmas!!! 8-)

I see I'm a day late here, but ............. :-?

After looking at the map, I'd concentrate on the steeper banks on the opposite side of the lake from the ramp to begin with.  I'd zig-zag looking for stumps, rockpiles on the face of those drops.  You might work a jig thru the wood you mentioned to the right of the ramp.  If the weather has warmed things up a bit, perhaps even a crankbait through those branches.

i already pm you but thought id add my opinion anyways.  i would definitely spend some time in that cove with the standing timber and stumps in relatively deep water.  i always spend a buch of time there, although i honestly have not done especially well in that cove.  it always looks so perfect but i still have had a hard time catching fish there.  there are also brush piles in around 15 feet of water to the left of the boat dock and i would try there as well.

matt

I would concentrate on the drop offs and on submerged brush and rockbiles. I would use a jig with a rattle in the heavy cover and maby some kinda creature bait like a soft plastic (T-rig craw) to work the rock piles. Use a jig to bouce down the drop offs.

God bless

Any spot marked "fish attractor" would get my attention.  I would drop shot right on top of those spots.  Second, I would work the steep banks with a 1/2 oz jig and twin grub trailer starting at a depth of about 20 feet.  If that doesn't work, take a deep suspending ripbait (Luckycraft Staysee or Smithwick deep suspending rattlin' rogue) and work points and drop offs and use long pauses, trying to get the deep fish to come up to get it.