Late in the year, when the professional tournament season ends, Bridgford Foods pro Luke Clausen keeps it going and is still fishing as much as possible. Near his home in Spokane, Washington, Clausen can take advantage of excellent fishing well into fall and winter, despite the cold. This can be some of the best action of the year and allows him to test new baits, fish with friends, and gather content for his sponsors.
During the late season, he keeps a few things in mind to succeed on the water and shares some tips for cold-water bass fishing.
Don’t Overlook the Shallows
No matter how cold it gets, Clausen believes that fishing shallow can still produce big results. Even when the water dips into the 40s and below, you can still catch them in a few feet of water. It’s a lesson he learned years ago and something that he applies to this day.
“Back when I was younger, we used to ice fish a lot during the winter months, and we’d catch largemouth through the ice in water that was only two or 3-feet deep in a lot of the lakes,” he recalled. “They don’t seem to mind it as much, especially northern strain largemouth. They won’t all be that shallow, but if one is up there in the winter months, they are there because food is nearby, and those are the ones that will bite.”
Many different lures will work in shallow water, but Clausen does slow things down during the late fall and winter months in frigid conditions.
“I still fish a ChatterBait a bunch in the cold but will slow my retrieve down, and sometimes that blade is barely moving, but it still has enough vibration to get their attention,” he shared. “I also mix in some smaller baits like the Z-Man Chatterbait Elite Evo Mini Max, but I will use a full-sized ½-ounce ChatterBait as well. I’ll also adjust my trailers and will often use bulkier trailers to keep the bait higher in the water column and to help slow that bait down even more.”
Bite Windows
In the summer months, the earlier you can get on the water, the better. That can still be true late in the year, but sometimes the best time to go fishing is after the weather has had a chance to warm up. Clausen keeps this in mind and varies his starting time based on the fishery he’s going to late in the year.
“You don’t have to be there at first light at a lot of lakes, and sometimes all you’ll do is freeze yourself while not catching much,” he said. “If I’m fishing for largemouth on a shallow lake with grass, the best bite will usually happen much later in the day. I don’t mind taking my time and getting out there mid-morning, knowing that the best bite will be after it warms up. Plus, you won’t be so cold that you’re miserable and can fish much more comfortably.”
While this is the time of year when sleeping in is just fine, Clausen will also get there as soon as possible on specific fisheries: primarily those with smallmouth bass and clear water.
“Those lowlight conditions are always when you are going to see the most activity with smallmouth, especially if you have a sunny and slick calm day,” he said. “That first flurry during the morning is going to be your best bet to catch a lot of fish, and then it will get gradually tougher as the sun comes out. The good news is that it will usually pick back up after that when the sun starts to go down in the afternoon.”
On smallmouth fisheries, when the sun is high, Clausen says that smallmouth will stick right to the bottom and can be hard to detect, even with the help of his Lowrance Active Target2 forward-facing sonar.
“In the mornings, you’ll see them floating all over the screen as they are more active, but then they tend to disappear,” he said. “I think they stick so close to the bottom that you can’t even see them, but if you get a bait around them, you’ll see the whole bottom come alive as fish start to rise towards your baits that are falling to them. Some of the best ways to catch these fish are with a jighead and minnow like the Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ, but a football jig dragged along the bottom is also a very good way to catch smallmouth when the water is really cold.
If you live somewhere with cold weather and can still get on the lake, Bridgford Foods pro Luke Clausen urges you to go. With the right approach, it can be some of the best fishing of the year.
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