Bass are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature is the same as the surrounding water. One of my best baits in cold, muddy water is a Redfish Magic, which is basically a safety pin spinnerbait. My Top 5 Dropshot Marabou Jig/Finesse Jig Tube Jerkbait Blade Bait. Use smaller baits. A jerkbait gives you a great bait to toss into that scenario and trick a bass into biting. Most anglers think you have to fish ultra slow or use finesse tactics during cold winter months. Cold Muddy Water: 5 Baits That Still Work! I typically use a 3/8-, 1/2- or even 3/4-ounce, depending upon the depth. There are specific times when Elite Series pros turn to fast-action worming — here’s how they decide between the two most popular tail options. All of that is important when picking a jig. But big blades also offer more resistance and, in turn, allow you to slow down your bait on the retrieve. In the coldest water of the year, bass often hunker down or even lay on the bottom (you may notice fine silt on their bellies) on structure with sparse cover – relatively snag-free bottom – where the Carolina rig works best. However, most of them are hard to throw, especially in wind and require a spinning rod to get much distance out of them. As the temps bottom out, you've really got to slow down. Bass fishing with water temperatures in the 40s is cold… like, really cold. A flat-sided medium diver like the Strike King KVD 1.5 Flat here has a similar tight action but is a good bit easier to cast on a baitcaster, which is enough to sway me in its direction quite often. When the water is colder, the shad suspend in the water column and if I see shad dying and gulls diving on them, that tells me the suspending jerkbait is the best choice. But when it's in cold and shallow water, you need to slow your roll. Both are my favorite for this style of fishing on certain days. Here are the five baits I will have rigged for cold weather fishing and how I use them: Jerkbait. Play with it and figure out the combo that works best that day and you'll be on your way to a big bag. ... Bass will be in all stages as the water rises but focus on the bass that are moving up in the shallow water and flooded cover for your best chance at success. But I married a squarebill early on in my fishing and she's been hard to cheat on. One, the vibration obviously helps the fish locate the bait in muddy water and even in less stained water I believe that same vibration helps trigger the fish into biting. But when it gets really cold, nearing the 40-degree mark, this next bait is hard to beat. And remember: both blade baits and the Red Eye work best this time of year on heavier line because it slows the fall and reduces problems with it burying in the grass. Take a riprap bank or bridge pilling for a couple of examples. Advertisement. These baits work for catching largemouth, but are especially well known for being deadly smallmouth bass lures. Bass are cold-blooded creatures, meaning their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings. However, the bass are still biting and choosing to fish water in the 40s gives you a chance to have some of the best days on the water you'll have all year. In fact, as much or more so than several of the other baits previously mentioned here. In 50 degree water it takes about four days. Bass are focused on shad during the winter, and I prefer a suspending jerkbait for fishing around vertical structure, like main lake bluffs and bridges, this time of year. And, like flat baits, they wobble seductively from side to side. As the water temperature drops, so does their metabolic level. Imagine a fish is sitting to the left of a log and you throw to the right. One with far fewer boats than you'll see the rest of the year. Honestly, it's a toss-up for me between spinnerbaits and squarebills in cold water. I use that slow, pull/stop retrieve all the way to the boat. Due to this unwillingness to move about, a lot of anglers think they have to drag something around and give up on moving baits right away. So whether other anglers are hunting or whatever the case may be, the water isn't nearly as crowded. site: sports | ptype: stories | pageType: stories | Proven Cold Water Crankbait Techniques Probably my favorite bait to fish in cold water, a squarebill catches big ones. In 80 degree water a bass digests its food in about four hours. The best types of crankbaits for wintertime include both lipless and flat-side crankbaits. It’s a great tool for fishing shallow to midrange depths in the winter. This behavior is extremely unlikely in the winter. If you can stand the cold, these are a handful of options that work well in cold water. Blade baits are good for fishing edges of deeper flats. These baits are very efficient for covering deeper zones of lakes where bass hold off main lake structure. There's no call for a huge flowing skirt or big flapping craws. A crankbait is another good choice to throw in cold water. So if you're considerably better with one or the other, you should pick your strength. In clear water you should try to keep the bait moving and only pause for short periods. The fish may be sitting 10 to 20 feet from the cover but they are relating to that cover while waiting for baitfish that are also relating to the cover to pass by. You need to be presenting as long as you can to get that strike! They won't often move far or fast and instead just sit still and try to absorb heat either from the sun or from some object around them. A compact skipping jig like the Nichols Lures Casting Jig with an almost Arkie-style head is my favorite all around jig if I had to choose just one. 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