Winter 2019
W
ell, well it’s that time of year again!! While
some people are winterizing their boats and
focused on keeping warm until spring comes back around, others - like you and me - are still on the water
searching for those elusive green fish.
We’re breaking out the rain gear, gloves and our favorite
beanie. We all know that winter fishing isn’t for the faint of
heart. If you’re out there in the cold and windy weather, then
you are truly a dedicated fisherman.
LETHARGY SETS IN
In the winter, bass become a little more difficult to catch because their metabolism slows down dramatically, and they become less active. But. that doesn’t mean they won’t bite. All you have to do is just slow down right along with them.
In this article, I am going to go over three vertical fishing techniques that I use during this cooler climate time of year.
1
SPOONS
LURE SELECTION: I often start with spoons. With spoons you’ve got a few options. You can use flutter spoons like the
Molix Lover spoon that have a big back and forth fluttering
action when it falls, or you can use a more compact spoon
like the Blade Runner Duh spoon.
SHALLOW TARGET: Personally, I use a Flutter spoon in
shallow water (25-feet or less) for fish that are still actively
feeding on shad. It’s a great bait that mimics a dying shad
falling to the bottom.
ACTION/RETRIEVE: I let the spoon fall to the bottom and
rip it up quickly with the rod repeatedly.
The majority of the bites are going to happen as the bait
is falling; so, make sure you let the bait fall on a slack line to
allow it to flutter to the bottom. The Molix lover spoon is a
great spoon for this dying type of action.
One of the key features of this bait is its stinger hook
at the top of the spoon. It’s a 2-prong hook similar to a frog
hook that stays in place with a magnet that is attached to
the spoon. This allows a higher hook up ratio on fish that are
swiping at the bait.
DEEPER TARGET: When fishing in deeper water I’m
focused on getting the bait down quickly. To do that, I like to
use the Blade Runner Duh Spoon. It also has a good side-to-
side action when its falling like the Molix but, because it’s a
more compact bait, it falls to the bottom faster.
ACTION/RETRIEVE: You can work this bait a few different ways. You can retrieve it same as the flutter spoon, or you can drop it down and when it hits bottom, instead of ripping it up quickly, just pick it up slightly. This allows it to fall over on its side and repeat the action. This works good for fish that are tight to the bottom that don’t want to chase the bait.
GEAR: I throw my spoon on a 13 Fishing Fate Black Gen 2 7’3”, medium-heavy rod paired with a Concept A 7.3:1 spooled with 12-pound fluorocarbon.
2
BLADE BAIT
LURE SELECTION: Another great bait to fish vertically is 1/2-ounce Trago Vib blade bait. Blade baits are kind of a
secret gem for winter fish. Not too many people use them
which means the fish don’t see them as much, which is
always a good thing.
Blade baits are smaller than a spoon and have a
vibrating action and smaller profile which causes a reaction
strike and gets those lethargic bass to commit.
TARGET: It works great on suspended fish feeding on
shad and also on fish that are glued to the bottom.
ACTION: I fish it similar to the spoon. I let it drop and
I yo-yo the bait. I let it fall on a slack line and repeat. You
will feel the vibration as you quickly lift your rod tip. Then,
it will flutter back to the bottom like a dying shad. It has
three different line-tie holes that you can use to adjust the
different vibrations depending on what the fish are wanting.
GEAR: I throw my blade baits on a 13 Fishing 7’1” Omen
Black M spinning rod paired with a Creed GT 3000 reel,
spooled with 8-pound fluorocarbon.
3
DROPSHOT
If I’m struggling to get a reaction bite from a spoon, or a blade bait, I will switch to the most popular vertical technique
there is – the dropshot.
Surprise! Most of us all throw a dropshot at some point
and vertical fishing is no exception. It is a technique that flat
out catches fish.
LURE SELECTION: There are several ways to rig this bait
but 95 percent of the time I’m fishing for deep open water
fish in the winter; so, I’m going to rig a 4 1/2-inch straight
tail worm, rigged wacky-style or I’m going to nose hook a
small three-inch swimbait. You can switch up you leader
length to what the fish are doing.
Molix Lover and Blade Runner Duh
®
Trago Vib Blade Bait
page 65