Even when you are fortunate to live in parts of the country where the water doesn't freeze during the winter, bass fishing when the water is below 40 degrees is usually tough.
That doesn't mean you can't have great days of bassin' during the winter but more often than not the bite is slow and days with 0 to a few bass crossing the gunwale are more the rule than the exception.
Take a moment and watch as 2022 Bassmaster Classic winner Jason Christie details his approach when fishing a new lake and water temps don't even make the 40 degree mark!
Definitely not a great day but one thing's certain; even on the days when the catching is almost nil there's still lessons to be learned to make future trips more productive :)
Football jigs are a popular choice among anglers for catching bass, especially in deeper waters or areas with rocky bottoms, especially where crawfish is a prevalent forage.
Here are some tips on how to choose the right football jig for your next bass fishing trip:
Weight: Choose a football jig that is heavy enough to get to the bottom quickly, but not so heavy that it gets snagged easily. Typically, a 1/2 to 3/4-ounce jig is a good starting point for deep water applications whereas 1/8 to 3/8-ounce jigs are great in the shallows .
Color: The color of the jig should mimic the color of the baitfish in the area you are fishing. Darker colors like black and brown work well in muddy waters, while lighter colors like green pumpkin and watermelon work well in clearer waters.
Skirt: The skirt of the jig should be made of silicone or living rubber, which provides a more natural movement in the water than synthetic materials. You can also choose a skirt with contrasting colors to make the jig stand out more in the water.
Trailer: Choose a soft plastic trailer that matches the color and size of the baitfish in the area. Crawfish, worms, and grubs are popular trailer options for football jigs.
Hook: Make sure the hook on your football jig is sharp and strong enough to handle the size of the bass in the area. Selecting a jig with a wide gap hook will also help improve your hook-up ratio.
Take a moment and watch as Pete from Omnia Fishing discusses his thoughts on things to consider when purchasing football jigs:
Ever wonder how to get hold of fishing maps for the lakes and ponds around your area?
In the today's web-centric age, there are a couple of different map sources available;
Sites/apps like those maintained by fish and wildlife agencies usually providing access to simple contour maps downloadable as PDF or image files and
Sites/apps providing access to online interactive maps with lake contour options.
A wide variety of web site sources can be readily identified by entering a keyword phrase like "online lake contour sites" into your favorite search engine. Just click on the linked phrase and see what I mean :)
Since one of the tasks of state fish and wildlife agencies is the compilation and dissemination of useful information to anglers and hunters.
As a result, fisheries agencies often created lake contour or bathymetric maps for many lakes and ponds in their state. Typically those maps are provided as PDF files showing the water body and basic bathymetry contours depicting the general shape of the lake/pond's bottom. In some cases, the agency may provide additional information like the fish present, possible presence of vegetation, type of lake, access point & type, etc. too.
As examples of the types of information/formats available from different fishery agencies, several links are provided below:
Generally speaking these map packets have general information with low resolution contour maps but can be a great place to start when researching new bodies of water.
Nothing is more exciting than working a topwater lure over grass mats and suddenly the cover explodes with water flying everywhere then your bait vanishes as a big ole bass inhales it.
What's the best bait for triggering explosive strikes from bass holding beneath vegetated canopies?
The hollow body frog of course!
Take a moment and listen as one of the best ever bass anglers, Kevin VanDam (KVD) describes his approach to fishing densely vegetated natural lakes and ponds throughout his home state of Michigan...
KVD mentioned that heavier frogs that make more of a disturbance are often key to triggering strikes when fishing dense canopies.
One "enhancement" to your frog when fishing dense surface cover; place a few BBs inside the frogs hollow body. It not only adds weight so the frog presses into the cover more but also adds another noise source many bass have not been exposed to!
Looking to upgrade your froggin' gear?
Click the following link to see the great selection available from Omnia Fishing!
When most bass anglers see jigging minnows like Rapala's Jigging Rap, the thought of ice-covered lakes and ice jigging rods pops into their minds.
Truth be told however, baits like the Jigging Rap are deadly open water baits as well especially when bass are relating to vertical cover, they're suspended or lethargic due to extreme water temperatures.
Take a moment and watch as Joe Ponessa of the Omnia Fishing pro staff describes his tips for getting more bites when fishing the Jigging Rap in open water situations...
Ever since its widespread introduction to the bassin' world about a decade ago, the Ned rig has become one of the "go-to" finesse baits for most savvy bass anglers.
Despite the growing varieties of soft plastic baits and jig head styles available today, the Ned presentation system is one of the simplest techniques for catching numerous bass of all sizes throughout the calendar year, especially on highly pressured waters.
The ultra subtle appearance of the light, flat-bottomed jig head and stubby 2 3/4" soft stickbait trailer makes the Ned rig bait a highly productive bait during the cold water period during late fall, winter and very early spring.
Dead the Ned!
Although any of the standard Ned rig retrieves may work during the cold water period, "deading the Ned" by using a dead-stick and super slow drag presentation is often the best option when the water is cold (low 40s or colder)!
A jig and trailer is one of the most versatile bass fishing baits in most people have in their tackle boxes. Because it's virtually snagless, a jig can be fished through almost any type of cover and structure allowing anglers to probe areas where most baits get hung-up.
Add in the seemingly endless types and styles of trailers, the jig can be fished during any season. It's especially effective when using extremely slow retrieves in cold water situations.
There is little doubt the jig and trailer is often a "go-to" bait for most bass anglers during the winter months; it's just a matter of using the right type of trailer as bass pro Gerald "G-man" Swindle explains in this video from the folks as Mossy Oak...
