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W
hen it comes to the cold-water period, many
anglers just cringe, want to roll up in a ball
and let the time pass; but he hardy anglers that embrace this time of the fishing season have the water
to themselves. What category do you fall into?
The winter can be like any other season change, and if
you change with it, you can overcome the fishing conditions
to put bass in your boat.
Let’s breakdown the cold-water period and give you
three proven fishing catching tactics to help for when the
winter weather hits your region.
CRANKBAITS, YES CRANKBAITS
Now I know what you have been told for years that the bass metabolism will slow down with the falling water temperatures, and they will not chase baits anymore. I beg to differ - a little -with this thought as you can still get bass to bite a moving crankbait all season long. That being said you will have to make a few changes to put more odds in your favor. First is slow down.
Crankbaits of the past needed to be fished fast to get it into the strike zone. That has simply changed in the last 10 years. Today, there are crankbaits on the market that allow you to get your bait to its maximum depth with a slow retrieve and keep it there.
Most of this has changed with lure companies starting to use weight transfer systems. That allows you to cast your baits farther but also changed the degree of the dive angle when you start the retrieve of your bait. These transfer systems allow your bait to dive quicker and deeper and keep your bait in that zone for a longer time on a slower retrieve.
No longer do you have to reel fast to keep your bait in the bite zone. You can now slow down your retrieve and keep your bait in the bite zone, generating strikes from bass that would not chase a faster moving bait down.
A couple of baits that I use in these situations is the Tactical Bass Crankbait made by Rivers2Sea, Norman DD22, and the Strike King 6XD or 10XD.
Not only do I pay attention to the crankbaits that I throw I also pay special attention to the rod, reel, and line that I use at the same time.
I use a Denali Lithium Pro 7’10” crankbait rod. This 7’10” rod allows me to manage larger bait with ease and increases my casting distance. I team this with a Lew’s BB-1 in a 5:3-1 gear ratio. This allows me to get the bait down to the zone that I am targeting and slow down keeping my bait in that zone.
The last ingredient in this mix is line. I use either Sunline Crank FC or Sunline Assassin FC 10- to 12-pound-test. Both lines are fluorocarbon line options, but Crank FC has added stretch built into the formula to be a little more giving.
But when I need to get extra depth, I will use a reel that is spooled with Assassin to be able to get a foot or two of depth out of my crankbaits with the less stretch that this line option has. In certain situations, I may even drop down to 8-pound to get even deeper.
But let me warn you when it comes to casting, you have to pay special attention when you cast. If you become distracted and make a good hard cast with a larger bait, it is easy to cast the bait right off the end of your line. On the other side of the coin, this may be the setup that gets you a few extra key bites that you are looking for that day on the water.
CAROLINA RIGS
In many circles, Carolina rigs have fallen off the bass radar. Once a cold-water go-to tactic in bass fishing, it is now one of the most forgotten. The few that still count on this presentation keep it on the down low and try too hard to keep the Carolina rig out of sight, out of mind.
A Carolina rig is fantastic way to breakdown key rock areas on main structures and it also excels at triggering coldwater bass to bite.
The Carolina rig and the crankbait compliment each other when fished together. I can take and trigger bites from active bass with a crankbait and then get non-active bass to take a swing at a Carolina rig.
The slow, weightless action that
the Carolina rig has to offer can trigger
some of the most reluctant bass to bite
when given a chance. Of all the bait
presentations, the Carolina rig is the most
natural presentation that we have in the
cold-water period.
The Carolina make-up has stayed
the same throughout the years, but there
have been a few changes along the way.
Baits choices have expanded in today’s
circles. I am still a fan of using a lizard as
my main bait option though.
Other baits to consider now are
creature baits, craws, and fluke baits.
Tungsten weights have increased
sensitivity of transmitting back what and
how the bottom rock is laid out better.
One fact that I want to call attention
to though is the line for a C-rig leader.
Winter 2023
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