It is getting colder and I can't help but notice that there seems to be a lot less fish being caught, but the ones that we do catch are BIG. I know that prime fishing seems to be when it is a little warmer out, but there have been some monster bass posted on here lately. Has anyone else noticed this pattern?

Capt., I think there are several reasons for this, in no particular order:

More time to post on internet sites with shorter days.

Less pressure on the fish with football, hunting, and people just done for the year.

Most everyone knows to s-l-o-w down in cold water.  (A good idea for bigger fish in warm water as well)

Fish gourging up for the winter.

Fish are more predictable in colder water.

Fish are more concentrated in colder water.

And for me personally, I have a lot more time to fish.

Most everyone knows to s-l-o-w down in cold water. (A good idea for bigger fish in warm water as well)

Fish gourging up for the winter.

These two in particular make a lot of sense to me. I didn't think to make the connection between slow fishing in the warm water to slow fishing in cold water. I catch most of my larger fish on soft plastics along the bottom, during the Summer and Spring. It would be completely logical that those same fish are down there when the water cools down.

Rhino, I agree.  The fish have been looking huge!! I just went out yesterday and a friend hit a nice 3-4lbs bass on a black nightcrawler.  I think its best to slow it down in the winter to adapt to the laziness of the fish.  Question tho...I have heard the fish come closer to the surface and to the sure during the cold months, but I have also heard they go deeper?  Which, if either, is true?  OR are we just over-thinking this because regardless of temp. fish like protect?  What have you heard?

The bass go to where the water is warmest and has prey available. For example a power plant outflow has warm water discharge, so that is one place the bass tend to go. Deeper water in the winter is usually warmer then the surafce or shallow water, so the bass locate in the deeper, warmer water. Warmer is relative to the lake or river. For example the surface water, down to about 5 feet or so can be 40 degrees or colder and the water 25 feet deep in the same lake may be 45 degrees...5 degrees warmer.

During the late winter, the sun can warm the surface water in wind protected areas, so the bass will come up for the few degrees of warmer shallow water in the afternoons.

During the cold water period, the bass eat less and smaller high protien food; like crawdads, are prefered. This doesn't mean a easy larger meal won't be targeted by a hungry bass, if it is easy to for the bass to catch. This is one reason jigs, structure spoons and worms fished slowly where the bass are looking for crawdads or smaller baitfish, work so well during the winter.

Out west, the lakes get planted trout during the winter, so trout type swimbaits work well because they look like an easy meal for big bass.

WRB

Less pressure on the fish with football, hunting, and people just done for the year.

I love this time of year!