As we close out yet another year of angling in the Mid-Atlantic, a lot of things come to mind — a year of long, enduring drought, striped bass regulations that need changed and what looks like another mild winter coming our way. I’m for the mild winter because that means that my angling season for pond and small lake bass will be extended for perhaps several months.
Speaking of winter bass fishing, which few people do in our region, you don’t have to sit on the couch and watch sports and dream of spring to catch fish. In truth, the largest tidal bass ever caught in Maryland, Justin Riley’s 11-pound, 3-ounce record, was a January catch on a blade bait out of the Potomac River. Savvy bass fishermen know that wintertime can be a great time for a giant fish from any system, be it pond, lake or river environment.
However, many still hold true to some old, time-honored concepts about winter bass and seldom steer far from them. Here are what I believe are several common myths about winter bass that are broadly accepted as the gospel, yet are not always true:
Winters bass are only found in deep water
Deep water is relative. In a pond, it might be 8 feet, in a reservoir perhaps 30 or more. However, there are times when winter bass go remarkably shallow to feed. On a balmy, sunny, 50-degree day in January, the late afternoon sun can move bass, and bait fish, up shallow where rip-rap, shallow flats or docks and fallen wood can attract fish for a few brief hours of feeding activity. We have caught fish as shallow as 2 feet of water when water temperatures were in the low forties. Warm rains can draw fish shallow as well.
Winter bass will not chase a fast-moving lure
The tried-and-true bass speed for cold water bass is slow, then slower. But there are times when a fast-moving lure attracts more fish. Classic options with Ned-Rigs, slow rolling spinnerbaits and football jigs account for many lethargic fish. But we have had excellent results using rattle baits such as the Googan Klutch in ½ ounce, and blade baits like the ½ ounce Damiki Vault or the Rapala Blade. We fish them fast to keep them moving along and actively feeding fish will sometimes clobber them with force. Strikes can also be soft and almost like that of a crappie. I am sure I’ll raise some eyebrows with this one, but ninety percent of our winter bass are caught on fast moving baits when the water is below 45 degrees.
Weather conditions have little effect on winter bass
Don’t know which outdoor writer started this theory years — or decades — ago, but many still buy into it today. Totally untrue. Indeed, there are always times that are better than others, even in the dead of winter. If I were to choose my “preferred” conditions, they would include cloud cover, 10-mph winds and a falling barometer that plunges at the onset of an incoming cold front. For a second choice, I’d go with the warmer, breezy two- or three-day warm spell with southerly winds that push warm surface water to the shore line. On that warm spell thing, fish the thermal bank of warmer water where the wind has elevated higher water temperatures, by even three to five degrees, to draw species of all kinds.
Winter bass seldom feed during the winter, some even hibernate
Again, an old wives’ tale that has still hung on over the decades. True, bass feeding activity slows down when the water temperatures are around 40 degrees, but they still must eat to survive. With the advent of modern underwater camera and livescope technologies, anglers can easily observe the feeding habits of bass and other species throughout the ice-fishing belt. Some of the largest bass caught each year in the upper Mid-West are caught ice-fishing, and many are heavy fish that are making out just fine with panfish as their dominant forage. Not all lakes have shad for bass to feed on, yet the fish remain healthy and heavy for their overall length. I have even heard that some anglers believe that bass actually hibernate during the winter, totally a myth.
Winter bass are not only at or near the bottom
This may apply to some bodies of water. But for most waters, there are enough green weeds, sunken brush or stumps and man-made structures (docks, bridge pilings, rip-rap shorelines) that can and will attract cold-water bass for a variety of reasons. Green weeds attract zooplankton, panfish and subsequently bass. Man-made structures can heat-up on a sunny day and draw both bait fish and bass. And, yes, there are likely always some bass at or near the bottom but even these fish may suspend to feed on lethargic, winterkill shad populations or other forage.
Indeed, bass fishing in the middle of the winter, even a mild one, can be challenging and frustrating. It takes hard work, warm clothes and a little luck to score big fish when everybody else is watching sports or You Tube. Most of you know where a few big bass live…this may be the season for that reason…good luck!