Winter bass fishing can sometimes be tough.
The fish’s metabolism slow down and the bait fish school up deep. If you live and die by a shallow water bite, you probably struggle when the cold weather sets in. Well, there is still hope for shallow water anglers everywhere in the winter. All you have to do is keep your head down and grind.
Let’s look back to a winter tournament a few years ago. I was fishing with a good friend of mine, Josh Goode, on Lake Wylie, which sits on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina. We had drew a late boat number at launch and had to head out after everyone else. We had a game plan of sitting on one of three schools of largemouth we had located previously in the week. Well, by the time we got to check our waypoints other anglers had already staked their claim.
We scrambled to come up with another plan. We had all of our eggs in the “schooling fish” basket and had not came up with a backup plan. Looking back, that is far from the smartest move we.
Hollow-Bodied Swimbaits for Winter Bass Fishing
Regardless, we decided to try our luck up shallow. I rigged up a J Wills swimbait head with a 6-in hollow-bodied swimbait and he rigged up a Shane’s Baits Blades of Glory. Staying shallow and covering as much water as possible, we put together a respectable limit and made a decent check.
When fishing shallow in the colder months, one thing you have to do is SLOW DOWN. Your presentation needs to be as slow as you can mentally handle. The fish in the winter are lethargic, their metabolism is slow and they eat opportunistically.
By using lures with minimal action, you mimic that of the natural bait fish movement this time of year. I have three go-to lures – regardless of the depth – that I am fishing this time of year.
- Hollow body paddle tail swimbaits on a J Will’s Swimbait head have such a subtle action and excellent hookup ratio. The subtle action of this rig is paramount to getting bites.
- Smaller paddle tail swimbaits such as Kietech’s Swing Impact rigged on a Shane’s Baits Blades of Glory present a huge easy target for a lethargic winter bass. It also presents a perfect imitation of tightly schooled bait fish.
- Flat sided balsa crankbaits. The tight wobble of a flat sided balsa crankbait, such as the Bryan Bees Flat Bee, will produce bites like no other. Match the bill size to the water depth you are fishing.
When fishing shallow in the winter, slow down. Pick areas you have confidence in and cover them effectively. Present your lure in a manner that presents an easy target on an ambush point. Focus on cover heavily. When fishing shallow in the winter you will rarely ever find numbers. The size you do find however will be better than average.
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