Winter fishing in much of the Mid-Atlantic freshwaters can be quite a funk. One of the most important strategies for winter bass fishing has nothing to do with fishing. This temperature range is prime fishing in the North so expect to find bass in this temperature range most frequently during late winter in the months of January and February. Mike Iaconelli is winter fishing and in a cold front with high pressure. Here is a great article chock full of bass behaviors meant to help you understand where bass go when the water temperatures drop. When winter sets in, bass become so lethargic that they barely need to eat at all. As the water cools the Fall to Winter transition begins. If you are fishing lakes in the northern or mid-range states, one of the best tips for fall fishing during the later fall months is to focus on working around these transitional zones with a jerkbait, deep diving crankbait, or a swimbait. This approach is incredibly effective, even in the coldest of water, but must be combined with stationary periods to allow the fish to reach the lure. The Savage Gear Fat Vibe has a unique sound and vibration well suited to imitate fall bait fish or when you’re looking for a subtle presentation the TPE Soft Vibe is a great choice. Waters tend to get much clearer in the winter time, so it’s a good idea to use lighter line this time of year. These two factors are what makes bass fishing in the fall so great. They will feed off and on throughout the day to bulk up for winter. It is rather, and always will be, solely focused on bass fishing. Bass are more bait fish aware than any other time of year as cooling temperatures brings out their instinct to feed up for the cold of winter. Catching white bass in the spring can be difficult if you are not fishing in the right places. Here are some of our lure suggestions to help catch more fish in late fall: In fall bass are hungry and ready to fill up on their favorite baitfish in preparation of the long winter. A sonar device is highly recommended for fall fishing. The key to effective fishing for bass in fall is adaptability. While the Largemouth Bass are in creeks and streams, they’ll gorge themselves in anticipation of the upcoming winter months so give them something to eat like leeches, worms and crayfish. This is especially true if deep water is close by as shown in the map above where flats are adjacent to the main channel. Largemouth may stick around come ice. Fishing Tackle. Now, these fish are moving into their wintertime haunts offshore, and … →. Start fishing shallow and if you are not catching bass there work your way out to deeper water and fish for suspended bass then. Fall Bass Fishing Tips | Where Bass Live. This lethargy requires them to find a location that has quick access to food, quick access to deep water, and enough cover to feel "comfortable" through the cold months. Fall Bass Fishing Technique: Deeper & Slower. This particular forum is not about politics, or religion, or status. There are some upsides to winter fishing though, and the main one is that you can catch big bass during the winter months. These are often the destination of fall baitfish and bass. Favorite Jerkbait Combo (Great for Blades, and Small Swimbaits too)... Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL, Reel- Shimano Aldebaran MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8, Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm, Rod- Shimano SLX 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO, Reel- Shimano SLX HG: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk, Line- 12 lb Seaguar Red Label: http://bit.ly/2LOVEwA, Tactical Bassin' - Telling the truth about bass fishing, Where Do Bass Go During The Fall To Winter Transition? Overall though, people typically do pretty good fall fishing. Alabama Rig Fishing - Fall to Winter Transition Don't miss my WINTER SPECIAL! This lethargy requires them to find a location that has quick access to food, quick access to deep water, and enough cover to feel "comfortable" through the cold months. It's winter time, and surprisingly some bass anglers hate it. These are often the destination of fall baitfish and bass. Early Fall vs. Late Fall Bass Fishing Many anglers including myself like to break down the fall season in two distinct periods. Those Darn Spots: Fishing for Late Fall and Winter Spotted Bass Hank Parker 12.01.11 Nothing can drive a bass fishermen crazy faster than a lake full of spotted bass. Tip: toss your bait past cover and burn it all home with sporadic pauses. With bass fishing especially good during the Fall cool down period (and even as early Winter arrives), some trophy-sized smallmouth bass and big largemouth bass are taken. In the late fall, feeding will start to look more like winter bass behavior where the best fishing is actually moving more towards midday. Lower Lake. Wild West Bass Trail and Garmin Electronics Team Up for 2021, Power Pole Signs Sponsor Deal with Skeet Reese, Bass Fishing Safety: Important Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe, Colorado Based rygr Signs on as Gill Fishing’s Integrated Marketing Partner, 1st Ever Telethon Put on by the Ike Foundation, Top 5 Smallmouth Bass Fishing Hot Spots in Ontario, Key Features to Look for in a Bass Fishing Boat, The Inside Secrets of Fly Fishing For Bass. Top Winter Bass Baits Topics. During the milder months, fast retrieves with horizontal lures seem to turn on fall bass. In fact, some of the best trout fishing of the year can be in September to November when trout get over their summer doldrums and start feeding heavily in anticipation of the upcoming winter. Focus your time in 3 locations; Bluffs, Points, and Funnels. Looking for seasonal bass fishing tips? First, bass are hungry. Although the best time to fish for bass is May through July, you can still catch plentiful bass in the fall, as long as you understand their patterns and movements, and adjust your technique accordingly. Contact Us. In the early springtime many smaller baitfish that white bass feed on move into the warmer parts of the lake which are shallower areas. But with 185,000 acres of water, 65 miles from one end to the other and a lakebed littered with trees and stumps, Toledo Bend can leave newcomers wondering where to start. Can you junk fish? A big contributor to this is that fishing pressure on most bodies of water is way down. Generally, these are excellent fishing conditions anywhere in the country. Those are the colors you want to use. Swimbait and Spoon Tips For Fall Bass, The TacticalBassin FINESSE Swimbait Head Is Here!!! These temperatures are also when the bass are transitioning from season to season, either from fall to winter or winter to spring. Winter Fishing; Fishing Gifts; Fishing Rigs; Fishing Tips & Tricks. If the creek arm is large and deep, they may remain there but use deeper structure, such as deep river ledges, bluff banks or ditches that snake along the lake bottom. Thick ice can lock bass into backwater areas. -Damiki Vault Blade Bait 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/2rnO7e2, -Blade Runner Duh Spoon 1 3/4 oz: http://bit.ly/2aKVLlG, -Lucky Craft Staysee 90 Jerkbait: http://bit.ly/2dBzMmz, (Ghost Minnow, Crystal Pro Blue, Baitfish Silver), -Megabass Vision 110+1 Jerkbait: http://bit.ly/2iGYOCX, (GP Pro Blue, HT-Ito Tennessee Shad, M Shad), -2.8 Keitech Fat Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v, -Cool Baits "Down Under" Underspin 3/16 oz: http://bit.ly/2boS7QA, (Silver/Black, Silver Shad, Ol' Faithful), -Dirty Jigs Guppy Head 1/8 oz 1/0 hook: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS, -Finesse Football Jig 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/2d2apsm, -Yamamoto 5" Double Tail Trailer: http://bit.ly/2db9w1p, -Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher Dropshot Worm: http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY, -Huddleston 8" Swimbait ROF 12: http://bit.ly/2azFTon, -8" All American Trash Fish Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2hmXtg1. Bass, in the Fall, are constantly moving and claiming new territory. Andy Poss, the inventor, out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama started winning everything he entered around 10 … Spring. Come join us and see for yourself why the growth of this trail continues. In spring they move to staging areas and then into the spawning areas of lakes and rivers. Experience has shown that you will have a much higher success rate by fishing larger rivers during this time of the season. This isn’t turn and burn fishing. But, when fall arrives the water temperature drops and the sunlight becomes less intense, things change. Tip: Toss your lipless crank into submerged grass, rip it out, and let it fall back in. Jerk, Jerk, Jerk, BOOM! Particularly because it can easily cover a large area of water in a short period of time. Alabama Rig Fishing - Fall to Winter Transition Don't miss my WINTER SPECIAL! We all love the feeling of a heavy thump seconds after we slash our bait across the water. While Northern anglers are fishing winter patterns in October, Southern bass are just beginning to move toward fall haunts. Smallmouth love the snow, go figure. Do not get comfortable with a spot because it is successful. They oftentimes are not in the mood to feed when the water temperatures drop. Winter kill occurs when oxygen levels drop to lethal lows. Like plenty of other animals in nature, bass spend their autumn days preparing for the cold winter by stocking up on food. Kurt Smits gives tips and tricks on how to successfully reel in trophy size Striped Bass and Hybrids all Fall and Winter long. The consensus among successful smallmouth fishermen is that the optimum winter bass fishing conditions for catching smallmouth are: Air temperature upper 30's to mid 40's; Overcast skies; Threat of rain or snow. Conversely, a 48-degree surface temperature may appear in the peak of a Northern fall pattern, yet it indicates winter on many Southern waters. 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