Winter bass fishing can be a difficult for anglers pursuing River Largemouth, but it can also be very rewarding if you are patient enough. Before determining what presentations to use, finding the fish should be your first goal. Once you have found the bass, you need to know what presentations and lures to fish. In this article, I will break it down further and discuss what presentations, lures, etc. that I fish in the Winter. Winter fishing is often "junk" fishing for me, but there are a few presentations that I will tend to rely on, and each one should be fished slower than you think.
WINTER
Presentation
Your presentation in the winter should be slow. If you think you are fishing slow enough, you're not, slow down even more. Largemouth bass are lethargic this time of year. They typically won't chase baits over long distances, and will often require extra time to think about it before they decide to bite. This does not mean that you should throw out all your so called "reaction baits", like lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits, it just means you need to modify how they are fished. Once you locate the fish, you need to figure out how to get them "in the boat." These are the presentations that I rely on the most when fishing for river largemouths in the winter.
Jigs and Soft Plastics
Jigs and soft plastics are my "go to" baits in the cold months because they are easy for me to fish slow. I lump them both in the same category here because I will fish they both the same way---very, very, very, slow. I will often dead stick my lure, letting is sit on the bottom for a couple minutes at a time. I don't shake the lure at all in the winter, I just let them sit still. These are mostly fished very slow along the bottom, with several long pauses. Thing of what an crawfish in very cold water would do...pretty much nothing.
I tend to go larger in the Winter, even though the bite is often slow. Winter can be a time to catch monster river bass, and I want to capitalize on this. Bigger baits often means bigger bass. Sunfish and baby bass are also at their largest in the Winter. The Spring and early Summer spawns are in the past, and the babies have had a chance to grow (or have been eaten already), so what bass typically see are larger food sources. Also, I feel that since the bass are lethargic, if they are going to move, it will be for something they see as worth spending their energy.
I will fish jigs and soft plastics deep and shallow, but always slow. If I am fishing them deep, I will typically choose dark colors to imitate winter crawfish and dying or cold sunfish. If I am fishing shallow in the sun, I might switch to white to imitate a shad.
You can also fish them in deep water, and they will produce there as well. Fish them the same way, just slower. Again, keep the bait only a few inches of the bottom if possible.
I will match my Rat-L-Trap color to the forage that I feel the bass are keying on in that river. Typically, I am throwing either a dark crawfish color or a light shad color. Here is a good article to help you select a color: How to Choose Your Crankbait Color Pattern
One of the big keys for Winter spinnerbait fishing is the blade. I prefer to fish a single Colorado blade on my spinnerbait that produces a slow, large thumping action in the water. Not only does the Colorado blade provide more thump, but it will still spin as you fish the spinnerbait slow and deep.
Let the spinnerbait fall all the way to the bottom, in both deep and shallow water, before you begin your retrieve. Then slowly bring the spinnerbait back, retrieving just fast enough to keep the blade spinning. If you lose contact with the bottom, stop and let your bait fall again before beginning your slow retrieve again. Stop your bait on impact, whenever you hit some form of cover, and let it fall to the bottom and sit for a few seconds before retrieving again.
I tend to go larger in the Winter, even though the bite is often slow. Winter can be a time to catch monster river bass, and I want to capitalize on this. Bigger baits often means bigger bass. Sunfish and baby bass are also at their largest in the Winter. The Spring and early Summer spawns are in the past, and the babies have had a chance to grow (or have been eaten already), so what bass typically see are larger food sources. Also, I feel that since the bass are lethargic, if they are going to move, it will be for something they see as worth spending their energy.
I will fish jigs and soft plastics deep and shallow, but always slow. If I am fishing them deep, I will typically choose dark colors to imitate winter crawfish and dying or cold sunfish. If I am fishing shallow in the sun, I might switch to white to imitate a shad.
Lipless Crankbaits
Lipless Crankbaits, such as Rat-L-Traps, can be some of my favorite bass catchers for winter river fishing. I tend to fish Rat-L-Traps more in shallower water when the sun is out and the bass are a little more active. I still fish the lure slow, and just off the bottom. Start with a steady retrieve that is just fast enough to keep the lure about two to six inches off the bottom. Every few cranks, stop and let the Rat-L-Trap fall to the bottom and just sit there for a five to twenty seconds. Slowly bang them into rocks and stumps to mimic a clumsy fish or crawfish.You can also fish them in deep water, and they will produce there as well. Fish them the same way, just slower. Again, keep the bait only a few inches of the bottom if possible.
I will match my Rat-L-Trap color to the forage that I feel the bass are keying on in that river. Typically, I am throwing either a dark crawfish color or a light shad color. Here is a good article to help you select a color: How to Choose Your Crankbait Color Pattern
Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits can produce great in the winter, but again, as with everything else, you need to slow down. I like to use colors that will imitate a sunfish, but will switch to a minnow or shad color if I am not getting bit.One of the big keys for Winter spinnerbait fishing is the blade. I prefer to fish a single Colorado blade on my spinnerbait that produces a slow, large thumping action in the water. Not only does the Colorado blade provide more thump, but it will still spin as you fish the spinnerbait slow and deep.
Let the spinnerbait fall all the way to the bottom, in both deep and shallow water, before you begin your retrieve. Then slowly bring the spinnerbait back, retrieving just fast enough to keep the blade spinning. If you lose contact with the bottom, stop and let your bait fall again before beginning your slow retrieve again. Stop your bait on impact, whenever you hit some form of cover, and let it fall to the bottom and sit for a few seconds before retrieving again.
Other Presentations
These are my three go-to lures for river largemouth fishing in the Winter. However, as I mentioned earlier, Winter time can be "junk" fishing time in rivers for me. Suspending jerkbaits can be very effective. Fish them very slow, with several very long pauses. Let the lure sit there for up to a minute sometimes, then pop it once or twice and let it sit again. Mid-depth crankbaits, with a slow, wide wobble, can also be very productive on suspended fish in the river.
Don't fish any one presentation too long if you are not getting bites. Keep switching all day until you find something that works, and when that doesn't produce any more, switch to something else. Winter river bass can be finicky and picky, so focus on slowing down and fishing where the likelihood of the most active fish is highest.
Don't fish any one presentation too long if you are not getting bites. Keep switching all day until you find something that works, and when that doesn't produce any more, switch to something else. Winter river bass can be finicky and picky, so focus on slowing down and fishing where the likelihood of the most active fish is highest.
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