The transitional period as fall finally gives into winter can be challenging for anglers, with many bass on the move. Thankfully, it can get easier when things get settled and the bass get into their winter patterns. This makes them a little more predictable and can help simplify your approach, according to Major League Fishing pro Mark Rose, who leans heavily on jerkbaits and crankbaits when it's cold before mixing in soft plastics as it gets a little warmer.
Cold Water Jerkbaits
One of the most proven wintertime baits is a jerkbait, which Rose will always have tied up. He's a fan of deeper-diving baits like the Strike King KVD 300 Deep and believes it's the perfect way to match what the bass are feeding on.
"This time of year, with the freezing temperatures, the shad will start to die, and nothing is better at emulating that than a suspending jerkbait," he said. "The bass will often be roaming around looking for baitfish, but some of the first places to look are on the steep side of points where the bass will often set up. That's a great place to look, but you also should check the 'guts' or ditches of the main channel, where the channel meets the main lake. I'll also run around slowly and watch my 2D sonar to look for balls of bait and then slow down and use side-scan to dial in where those balls of bait are."
With his jerkbaits, Rose will change out the treble hooks and go with two different versions depending on what he wants from his bait.
"I'm loving the new Mustad Alpha Point 1X Fine Triple Grip, which is the same great design but a newer wire that's also got a sharper point and the new coating," he said. "That's a lightweight hook and will make the bait float up a little higher, which can sometimes be good. If I want the bait to get down just a little more, the standard Mustad KVD Elite Series Triple Grip is great."
Cold Crankin'
Rose is well-known for his prowess with crankbaits and has made plenty of money with diving baits. He continues using them, even in the off-season, from professional fishing in the winter months. Instead of mega deep-divers like he uses on summertime ledge tournaments, he goes with a Strike King Gravel Dawg or the Hardliner, a flat-sided bait.
"The crankbait bite is really good right when winter starts and then again in late winter, but you can catch them on it all year long," Rose began. "Believe it or not, some of the best winter crankbait fishing I've had has been on windy days in the middle of winter when the bass are feeding more. I'll look for those banks where it's the windiest because you'll have more shad there."
Besides shad, he's also looking for crawfish eaters and seeks out rocky areas where they live. "They'll get on those bluff banks with the big chunk rock with a little slide or shelf on them," he said. "Transition banks are also good, and a crawfish-colored crankbait is great. The Gravel Dawg is like the old-school Wiggle Wart, which is perfect for those banks, and that bite will only get better as it gets closer to spring."
He swaps out the treble hooks for the Mustad KVD Inline Triple Grip trebles for his crankbaits, both the Gravel Dawg and flat sides. "They have the same great bite to them but have the AlphaPoint, which is a little sharper than the previous version," he said. "It also has that slick coating that all the Japanese hook brands have, and they're incredibly sharp."
Plastics in the Prespawn
At the first hint of winter breaking, bass will be on the move and starting to think about spawning. This is when Rose looks towards a Carolina-Rig or wobble head with a soft plastic.
"Right when you start to come out of winter, but it's not quite time for them to spawn, they'll pull up on those gravel banks, points, and places with some chunk rock," he said. "It's one of the best times to wind a wobble head or swing head, whatever you want to call it, with a Strike King Scounbug on the back. I like the Mustad KVD Grip Pin hooks because they hold the bait in place well. It's not a light or heavy wire but a nice in-between gauge."
Rose will also use the same bait and hook but on a Carolina-Rig in the same places. "The bend on the hook is great, and it's not an extra-wide gap style, where the offset of the hook digs into the rocks," he said. "The Grip Pin Big Bite is more of a round bend. It's just a dynamite hook for dragging a bait on the bottom."
During the winter months, when the bass and many bass anglers slow down, Mark Rose still finds success by targeting key areas where the fish are and sticking with proven wintertime tactics.
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