throughout the colder seasons. With thicker cut extremities, the bait profile remains tight-knit. The most important thing to remember when fishing tubes is making sure the bait falls without “circling”. Not only is this an unnatural presentation, a tube that rolls will eventually lead your fluorocarbon into a tangled mess, making an entire setup useless within seconds. rig the soft plastic tube perfectly straight and be sure to center your knot directly in the middle of the hook’s eyelet before casting. Spending a few moments aligning your knot, hook point and bait with precision will help ensure a straight and natural fall. roboworms are a staple for most anglers on the West Coast, but many fail to realize the importance of minimal movement during winter. excessive rod shaking and hopping can turn away wary fish. Colors such as Margarita Mutilator and aaron’s Magic have caught me the majority of bass, but the key is in your dropshot leader length. Shortening the dropshot leader down to six- inches and shorter allows the bait to hover justabove the floor. Smallmouth tend to locate very close to the bottom and it has been my experience that by targeting humps and rocks in depths of 30- to 50-feet, a few solid fish can be found just by identifying structure and off- shore targets that reside near channel edges.
a buildup of ice, i have found that dipping your rod into the water is one of the fastest ways to clear the guides. My favorite setup for dropshot fishing is the lamiglas XP 702 S. The extremely small diameter blank allows greater feel and sensitivity; but one of the greatest features of the rod is the soft tip coupled with a strong backbone. Bites can come few and far between, so buttoning the fish and keeping constant pressure on the hook is very important. in winter, the rod does 100 percent of the work. Horsing in fish and being aggressive can wreak havoc on your line and gear. While i switch out hook styles during the spring, summer and fall, depending on if i am fishing rocks or weedlines, i exclusively use a nose-hook method in winter with a #2 owner Mosquito. My gear for tubes can vary – spinning gear for anything up to a 3/8-ounce weight and generally moving to a casting rod for heavier options. The key in imitating crayfish this time of year is fishing high percentage areas. researching the native Signal Crayfish and non-native species, such as the red Swamp Crayfish, have helped me understand the seasonal changes that crayfish follow each year.
ElEctronics
There is no substitute for knowing how to read and efficiently use electronics. Garmin, Humminbird or lowrance, i have had the opportunity to fish with just about every model available. Higher resolution screens and the newest technology certainly make the job of finding structure painless, but it takes a correctly setup unit to maximize time on the water. Setting the correct frequency for the targeted depth, adjusting options to help clarify the unit’s picture and knowing how to read down imaging and side imaging are all very important in making every trip count.
Line and Gear
downsizing to 6-lb P-line 100% Fluorocarbon on my spinning rods is a strategy i implement as soon as october arrives. The thinner line diameter not only helps increase my confidence, but downsizing line can help slow the process of frozen guides. While baitcasting rods typically build up ice faster, spinning rod guides will eventually fall victim to winter too. Knowing there are many homemade and commercial products to help keep your rod guides from gathering
winter 2014
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