You know, this time of year, fishing for a cold water bass in cold weather requires preparation and intelligent decisions. So I go through, like, these five categories here before you hit the water. These are things for you to consider.
Number one, choose your days, right? That's the big thing here. Now, in the summertime, you can pretty much go fishing whenever you want to. In the wintertime, well, some days are better than others for a variety of reasons. First of all, the weather is a big factor here. Generally speaking, sunny days are better for the bite. I have found. I have fished in all kinds of different types of weather, and I tend to catch more fish in sunny weather. It just warms up the water. It gives them a little more visibility, they're a little more active. I get more bites. But when you've got rain in there, I mean, it can be really cold out, but when it rains, it feels 10 degrees colder for one, so it's really uncomfortable to be out there.
But then when you've got wind, wind can just... it just sucks the heat right out of your clothing, unless you have the right kind of clothing. We'll talk about that in a second. But wind can be a problem just staying warm for you, but also fishing can be tough. A lot of times in the wintertime, you're using light line, small baits, and casting and fishing those and giving the right presentation, in the wind becomes a chore. It's downright difficult, if not impossible. So if you can stay out of the wind, that's better. Find a protected cove or something like that, or just pick a different day. Just go when it's not windy. Go when it's not rainy. You'll find you'll catch a lot more bass that way.
And the other thing to pay attention to preceding the days before your fishing trip is this time of year, we get more and more fronts that come through, and they get stronger and stronger. And if you get a few days of heavy, heavy rain, that can raise the water levels in your lake or river. Your flow on your river flow can be really strong. And that can be downright dangerous. It can start... you've got debris and logs and other things in the water that you've got to look for when you're boating. And if you're on the water, maybe the Corps of Engineers does a release and you're not aware of it, the next thing you know, you've got really strong current, and you're in a situation that becomes downright dangerous. I guarantee you, every boater out there that's been in a situation, or even at shore or anything, you might end up getting stranded because suddenly the water levels go up and now you're stuck on a little island. I guarantee you, all these people, they never thought it would happen to them. They felt very confident in their gears, or their capability, or whatever, and they thought, well, I'm fine, I don't have to worry about it, I'm not going to get in a bad situation. I'll get off the water, even if it starts to get dangerous. Well, they end up being on the news, right?
If you're going to get a strong amount of rain here, that can happen to you. Maybe go to a local reservoir or lake instead of the river or something, just to be on the safe side. It doesn't hurt. So pay attention to these situations.
So the next thing is your gear. Now, the cold weather, it takes a toll on your gear. First of all, if you've got a boat, it might be frozen to the bunks. Think about that. So you have to dunk the boat in the trailer in the water and let it thaw a little bit before it will free from the bunks. That's one. Your rod lockers, they could be frozen if you store it outside, so it may be a chore to get them open. But your engine too, a lot of guys, they get launched, they start their engine, they turn and they go. Well, you got to let it warm up, guys. It goes a long way in your maintenance bills. If you just sit there, I like to sit for about three minutes, just get that engine idling up during that time, I get the rod lockers open or pry them open if I have to. It just gives some time to settle in and make sure that that engine's working good and warm before I head down the lake.
Now, while you're fishing, whether you're from the shore or on your boat, hey, ice becomes a problem. On your reel, you got that islet where the line comes in, that can freeze up and get some ice particles on there or on your line guides. You get ice buildup on that. Now, some guys will take silicone spray or some kind of spray and spray those areas to try to make it more water repellent and less ice buildup, but typically, what I do, if I get a little ice on the bait casting reel, I just blow on it and warm it up. That usually clears it up. If I get ice on my guides, I just dunk it in the water, swirl around a little bit, and pick it back up, and I'm good to go. That cleans it up pretty quickly. But if you let that ice build up, now that becomes some sharp edges, and it can cause abrasion on your line, and you can end up breaking off a really good fish or just losing a good lure because your line breaks. So, make sure that you watch for that ice buildup and clear it out before it becomes a problem.
The other thing is the type of line you use. You can help reduce ice buildup simply by using the right line. Braid is the worst of all. Braid absorbs a lot of water, and it could leave that on your guides and on your reel. So, leave the braid at home. Instead, use fluorocarbon or monofilament. Monofilament absorbs a lot of water too over time. The best choice here is fluorocarbon. It's abrasion resistant, it's sensitive, it's strong, and it's also pretty clear in the water. Like I said earlier, you're using slow-moving baits, small baits, slow presentations. So, lighter line is the key, and fluorocarbon is darn near invisible so that works for this presentation. So, I would use mostly fluorocarbon during the wintertime.
Now, the next one is choosing the right spots. Unlike during the warmer times of the year, during winter the bass tend to congregate, and so you can cover a lot of water, fish in a lot of just desolate areas that don't have any fish. So spend some more time map study to try to find key places, and they all kind of have the same characteristics. First of all, understand before I get into this, there are bass that are up shallow and they stay shallow year-round. And there are certain weather conditions where it warms up for a brief period of time where you might get a lot of bass that are up shallow, and you can catch them that way. But as a general rule, most of the bass population is out deeper. And when you find them, they're usually congregated on key areas that have these three main characteristics.
One of them is forage. There has to be food in the area for the bass to be there. They're not going to be in an area where there aren't any baitfish around. So take the time to figure out where the baitfish are. If you've got a boat and you have your sonar, look for those baitfish first because the bass are going to be hanging around them nearby.
The second one is depth. Like I said, they're going to be deeper. That is relative. Deeper can be 50-foot deep. It could be 10-foot deep. It depends on your lake. If your lake only gets 20-foot deep, then 15-feet deep is really deep. Conversely, if your lake gets to 100-foot deep, then 50-foot is pretty reasonable. The key thing here is I want you to understand that just because your lake gets to be 80-foot deep, for example, doesn't mean they're going to be at 80-foot deep. They're not going to go to the deepest spot in the lake per se, but they will be deeper than they typically are during the warmer months, and that's the key part of it.
Now, sometimes the bass, they do belly up into the sand. I've seen it. I've used AquaView cameras. I've seen them get into the bottom, that soft bottom, where they're halfway buried. They're just sitting there and they won't budge. They're like, nope, I'm going to hang out here for now. I'm happy. I'm good. I can't explain that behavior, but they don't all do that, and the ones that are feeding definitely aren't doing that. So I just want you to understand that. They're not going to all be stuck on the bottom, but they'll be near the bottom or near deep structure, and that's the other piece of it, is they have to be near some kind of piece of structure, usually vertical. The steeper the drop, the better. It could be a bridge piling even, but like a ridge or a creek channel or a steep point or a steep bank, something like that, they will relate near that. So, if you've got those key elements, it's a bit deeper water, it's near steeper structure, and it's got baitfish nearby, add to it. If you've got some kind of cover thrown on top of it, it could be scattered boulders, maybe a deep weed line or something like that, those are your hot spots. Those are the places you want to key on this time of year.
Now if you're fortunate enough to live in bodies of water that have power plants on them, you are lucky because that discharge is typically a lot warmer than the water around, and you can get water temps in the 60s, maybe even close to 70 degrees, when the rest of the water is a lot colder outside of that area. So you can fish those areas like you would springtime. Fast-moving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, even top water. And the fishing can be really good. It's not a given, it's not like a sure thing where you're definitely going to go to that discharge area and you're going to catch a lot of fish. That's not always the case. I've been in situations where you would think the bass are there and there's nothing, but a lot of times it is really good fishing. And if you've got that situation, be sure to go check it out and take advantage of it if you can, because you can get into some really good fish.
By and large, one of the key things during the wintertime is you have to adjust your retrieve. Typically, you need to fish slower. Now, some guys will say the bass are lethargic and they're not willing to chase down baits that far. That's not true. I have caught bass on fast-moving baits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, even really deep in the dead of winter. In temperatures that are in the 40s or lower. I mean upper 30s. And they'll track down and hit it. It's not like they're immobilized or can't move fast. They can. The difference here is that the baitfish are moving slower. A lot of times when that water temp gets in the lower 40s and below, baitfish are in preservation mode. They need to conserve energy to survive. So they are moving slower. And it's not just the baitfish, it's other forage like crawdads and sculpin. They move a lot slower this time of year. Sometimes the crawdads don't even move at all. Some people think they hibernate. They don't. But they're not very active. And so your presentation needs to match the forage. Otherwise, it looks unnatural for the most part. So slower presentations, long pauses in between your movements, that's going to usually get more bites than not. So slow down your retrieves.
Clothing becomes a big deal here in the wintertime. You have to dress appropriately for the weather, starting with thermal underwear. You can get them in different thicknesses. You get light, medium, and heavyweight thermal underwear. So adjust accordingly to the temperatures outside. But I start with that. I've always done that in the wintertime. That always helps keep me comfortable and dry.
The next thing is you wear what you want underneath it depending on your outerwear. You can wear sweatshirts. You can wear sweatpants and things like insulated jeans. I've worn those. Those are great. But your outerwear is what's going to really dictate that. Typically, I use something that's 100% waterproof, like Gore-Tex. Why? I wear that even if it's not raining out. And the reason why is that's usually windproof. Like I said earlier, the wind can suck all that heat away regardless of how many layers of clothing you have on. But if you've got 100% waterproof rain gear on, that usually prevents that from happening. So a good insulated waterproof jacket, Gore-Tex, something like that, is what I like to wear. I wear insulated bibs that are also Gore-Tex. That keeps, again, nice and warm. Primaloft insulation makes a big difference. It's light, holds a lot of heat in, keeps you comfortable all day long. Those are the key things as far as keeping your torso and your legs warm. But what about your feet, hands, and head?
Well, let's start with the feet. I wear insulated boots. These are not necessarily designed for fishing, but Columbia Gear and others have really good, again, Primaloft insulation, something that holds a lot of heat. They're not heavy, but they're waterproof. If your feet get wet, man, you're done. There's nothing you're going to do to dry it off, and your feet are going to get cold real quick in a hurry. So, having 100% waterproof boots is key.
The other thing is the soles. I like thicker soles. It just gives a little more separation from that cold ground that helps you keep your feet warm. Just a small thing, but it makes a big difference.
I also wear Merlino wool socks. Those to me have been the best. They keep you nice and warm, and they're not super thick for the warming characteristics that they have, so I don't feel like my feet are constricted and bound and can't move inside those boots. So a couple of things to keep in mind. Your feet are really cold while you're fishing, and after a while you're just thinking about that. You're not thinking about fishing. So it's really key to go through these different things and think through them. Make sure your feet are warm.
Your hands. I wear fingerless gloves while I'm fishing. It keeps my hands pretty much warm. They're not 100% windproof or waterproof most of the time. I have tried the neoprene kind. I lose sensitivity while I'm holding the reel with those, but your mileage may vary. But any kind of fingerless gloves, those are designed for fishing, can keep your hands warm while you're fishing. Now, while I'm running down the lake, I'll actually put a pair of insulated Gore-Tex gloves on. I like these kind. I think these come from Sims, but they're nice and insulated, waterproof, so then again they're windproof. And if you're not wearing any gloves and you're ripping down a lake in 20-degree temperatures, man, your hands are going to hurt. It's going to be hard for you to fish. It's going to take a half an hour for your hands to warm up. So wear those gloves definitely. Even when you're shore fishing, it's easier to grip and hold things if your hands are warm. So make sure you've got a pair of full-finger gloves nearby.
As for your head, I like to wear just a knitted cap. I like to wear a windproof cap. It's insulated and I wear it on the top of my hat. So I can still wear the baseball-style cap to keep the sun off my eyes. It allows me to look in the water better, but I have that insulating quality of that cap. Yeah, it's not necessarily fashionable, but I don't really care about fashion. I care about function when I'm out in the water. So make sure you've got yourself a nice, warm, insulated cap.
For your face, there's a variety of different things you can do here. The thermal underwear, some of the manufacturers actually have a part of the thermal underwear that will go up over your face and keep your face warm. Those work. Sweatshirts. Here's a sweatshirt that comes from AFTCO, and it's got a face guard that comes up over your face and keeps you nice and warm and dry. I really like this one. It's also somewhat waterproof, and so it helps keep the wind out as well. So that's really good. You can go to a ski shop and get yourself a ski mask, and that'll keep your face warm. Anything you can do to keep your face warm really helps. Those are key things that I do. I've tried through the years, and it really does make a big difference. But here's one little tip that I picked up along the way. Actually, my wife taught me this one years and years ago, and that is to get these hand warmers from Thermal Care. You can get these in the pharmacy department of your store, and you can put those. A lot of these jackets and coats that are designed for fishing have little hand warmer compartments in them, and you can put those in there, and they keep warm for about eight hours. You can keep your hands warm that way. But you can also get these from Thermal Care. They're adhesive. They stick on your back or on your neck, and they last for eight hours, and they keep you nice and toasty. It's very comfortable, man. I don't care. It's 40 degrees out, and it's cold, but they keep you nice and warm. If you're wearing all this other gear that I had on, as I told you about, they really make a big difference in making your day nice and comfortable in the water.
Last thing I want to tell you about is wear your life jacket at all times. As a matter of fact, there are states that tell you it's required to wear a life jacket during the colder months. That's good practice just to do it throughout the wintertime. Your deck can get a little slick or icy, and one little trip on something laying on the deck, the next thing you know, you're in the water. It's very easy to happen. Most of my buddies and friends that have had problems on the water, that's exactly what happened. Fortunately, most of them are wearing life vests, so nothing really bad happened. They were able to get out of the water quick.
Having some towels packed away with you, either with your gear or if you're on the shoreline or in your boat, really helps. If you do happen to take a dunk, you can get at least somewhat dry and get back to the boat launch before hypothermia sets in. Just those things, minor things, but they make a huge difference during this time of year. You can catch a lot more fish thinking through this before you hit the water. Hope that helps. For more tips and tricks like this, visit bassresource.com.
