Winter 2018
Photo by Dan O’Sullivan
®
trend. “It was February, and the weather had steadily warmed up for a week when I caught her,” he said. “She was 12-pounds, and I caught her on a jig on Toledo Bend Reservoir; she taught me a lot.”
Make Subtle Adjustments
Upshaw said that most anglers make the mistake of assuming that bass run to the shallows the moment the weather starts to warm.
“Bass don’t make a giant move all the way to the bank every time the weather warms,” he said. “What I’ve found is that I need to find some of the intersections that are created by smaller tributaries connecting to the main river channel, and start my search there.”
His opinion is based on his experience, and he has two major things he searches for.
“Wintertime haunts for bass are usually along the main river channel,” he said. “When I can find a smaller creek channel or a drain that connects to the main channel, I start my search there.”
He said he also likes to look for a mixture of hard cover and deep grass, if that is at all possible.
“I want to find boulders, stumps or gravel beds, if I can,” he said. “If I can find it mixed with deeper grass, like hydrilla, then I really focus on that area. The searching begins with my Garmin fishfinders, but it gets refined with my lures.”
Warming Winter Gear
Upshaw said that he relies on a trio of presentations for locating and catching bass. The first is a finesse application, followed by a jig for any potential big bites,
page
21