It’s often referred to as a “do nothing” technique but that doesn’t mean it won’t do some serious damage on big bass. I make a long cast out and let my bait fall on a slack line to bottom. You can add intermittent pauses or jerks do trigger bites but a slow and steady retrieve always seems to work. Target areas like main lake points, shoals or bluff walls and if you see notice birds diving make sure to give that area a try, they’re likely feeding on the fish you’re trying to mimic. During cold water periods, put a small, single tail grub on a little 1/16oz jighead and head for the bluffs. In cooler water Bass are much slower and tend to feed less. 0.07’ high. Cold water bass fishing can result in either feast of famine for many anglers. “The colder the water gets, the less action you want to have on your baits. Water stained; 55 degrees. Catfishing is good when using cut bait near deeper water… Another good option is the ‘Yo-Yo’ technique which involves raising a bait off bottom and then slowly letting it fall back down. Somewhere in between, FLW Tour pro Adrian Avena tackles cold-water bass with a ¼- to ½-ounce … These oft-forgotten baits are directly responsible for some of his most memorable winter fishing days and more importantly— anyone, regardless of skill level, can use them with outstanding success. Here are 5 of the top cold water lures to help you increase your chances at a big one while you’re freezing your tail off. They’re not flashy, they don’t have much action and they don’t feel like much on the end of your line. In order to become proficient with these classic soft plastic baits, there are four important things to understand. He swims a grub in clear or cold water and when the fish are associated with open cover, such as rocky banks, bridge pilings, bluffs and docks, if there aren’t a lot of obstructions. Super clear water? Paying close attention to the depth at which your bites occur can make coldwater bass quite simple to pattern. Water lightly stained. Presentations for vertical jigging can include your basic jighead and grub, lipless crankbaits, or even saltwater lures. The fluttering action during the fall resembles a dying baitfish which fish love the feed on! 54-55 degrees. They are sleek, easy to throw and provide a lowkey wobbling action that is needed during the winter months. Cast to the shallow edge of a drop-off and let the grub … Because they offer such a natural, shad-like profile and vibration, Menendez makes an effort to target bass that are primarily feeding on—you guessed it—shad. Bites  typically occur on while the bait is actually sitting bottom so be alert if you feel added weight while setting up your next jig or snap because it may be the fish you’re after! If you catch them in 20 feet of water on one spot, they’ll likely be found at the same depth … That’s honestly all there is to it.”. Looks for channel swings, turns and lay downs that hold signs of life and continually fish these areas. Specific depth zones can be paramount when you’re fishing a grub in the winter. “And my line selection changes a bit depending upon the conditions. It’s important to use a slightly slack line when snapping your blade bait. “Following a long cast and a predetermined countdown, keep your rod at a 45-degree angle and crank slowly,” Menendez said. I am able to crate that grub profile using a lead jig head and half a honey worm. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Here’s a run … “These baits have a very similar vibration in the water as a shad does,” Menendez said. … Do these new baits work? Exactly what is a Grub Fishing … No votes so far! When your hands are frozen and you haven’t had a bite for a while, it’s tempting go into “zombie mode” and release your frustration on the hookset. Be the first to rate this post. Baitfish? Regardless of your experience or skill level, it won’t take long to master the technique. You can swim a grub past most of the obstructions. Grubs may be named for their uncanny resemblence to the larva of several insects, but don’t let that fool you. If the water is real cold, 46 degrees or below, don’t lift the spoon too much. This verticality, however, offers quick access to both shallow and deep water with very little energy exertion. Fish relate to vegetation all year. For all other rigs, medium-heavy spinning or baitcasting rods work equally well. section: | slug: how-to-fish-grubs-for-winter-bass | route: article_single | Fishing First Aid: What You Need To Know And What You Need To Bring, How To Find Winter Largemouth Bass In Open Water, Mystery Tackle Pro Box Unboxing (Multi-Species January 2021), Mystery Tackle Box Bass Elite Unboxing (January 2021), Mystery Tackle Box Bass Unboxing (January 2021). “You’ll need to make a long cast and count it down before beginning your retrieve. This narrowed focus allows him to drastically decrease his search efforts and take advantage of very specific areas. (Lures used for ice fishing are exceptionally tiny, usually grub … “With the bass coming into their wintertime patterns, we know two very important things,” Menendez said. In order to maximize his sensitivity and castability, Menendez uses a spinning rod and light tackle 100 percent of the time. Instead, we’re now spending hundreds of dollars on newer and often sexier offerings. To be quite honest, wintertime grub fishing isn’t very exciting. Remember— just because nobody talks about ‘em doesn’t mean they won’t catch some giant bass. By identifying the most high-percentage areas of your fishery, you can cut down the chase and totally eliminate dead water.”. But every now and then that ‘kid’ surprises you by making an awesome play and becomes a hero.”. 6-keys: sports/wired2fish//// "I cast it out, let it go to the bottom and slowly reel the grub back to the boat," he … Once you gain a solid understanding of likely wintertime bass areas and the myriad of jighead selections, fishing grubs is the easy part. Recently Card took a few moments from his busy tournament schedule to visit with the Inside Line and to talk … Under those conditions, his lure recommendations include small crankbaits, small spinnerbaits or a jerkbait. Bass are going to always bite less often in cool water but it also can be the time of year the big ones seem to be caught! Swimbait. Baitfish will  suspend in the water column during cold weather which makes a jerkbait a perfect choice for mimicking the forage bass are keying in on. As water temperature rises the metabolism in coldblooded animals (like bass) will speed up which appetite and feeding activity. Cold front simply travelled through? Anglers should look for the deepest pockets in the channel and work the area slowly … Most flat sided cranks generally come without rattles which follows the ‘less is more’ approach you often see in cold water angling. By Bill Varney, Jr. As the warm water of fall begins to cool sand crabs go into hibernation. Nothing in the water is moving that aggressively when the water gets below the low 40s, so a grub looks really natural to the fish.” Find the Trees Bohannan thinks the number one key to catching fish when it’s really cold … … “I prefer a 7-foot, medium-heavy Lew’s Custom Speed Stick Spinning Rod paired with a 2000 series Lew’s Team Gold Carbon Spinning Reel,” Menendez said. I really like the Strike King Shadalicious in either the 4 1/2- or 5-inch sizes, opting for the … The beauty of a grub or swimbait on a jig head is how versatile it is. Gone are the days of a single tackle box filled with a few specific “confidence” baits on which we heavily rely. Look for areas where bait fish are concentrating like creek channels, swings and rock to sand transitions. More specifically, he looks for vertical banks in these areas. If you can apply these tips in high-percentage areas, you’ll probably wonder why you didn’t try it sooner. Tough pressured fish? This it true especially during the winter months when oxygenated water can be hard to find. The fish may be very lethargic and only pick up a spoon … Most of his natural-lake largemouths come from water 8 to 12 feet deep around weeds or some sort of woody cover. “Grubs are like the last kid on the block picked for a kickball game. Flat-sided cranks give you the ability to move quickly and cover ground while providing a subtle action. Soon you’ll notice the majority of your bites occuring at a certain depth.”. Slow Go: From winter to the prespawn Upshaw will fish his Rally Grub slow and near the bottom on a scrounger or jighead. The snap on a slack line allows the bait to dart and flutter more irregularly upon retrieval which usually entices bites. FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw knows how to tempt grass bass by swimming a grub. “Shad ‘shimmy’ as they move through the water and as the temperatures drop into the 40 to 50-degree range, that narrow swimming action becomes even less pronounced. Keep fishing Carolina rigs, crankbaits, and spinners for success. Use it as a tool to cover water and find active fish, it works exceptionally well in or around grass, try ticking the tops of green weeds or ripping it through grass patches. Slow rolling a grub or small swimbait on a ⅛-¼ oz jig head is an extremely versatile during the winter months. The Bayou La Batre Channel is a very good cold water spot to find some big gator speckled trout. Fish slow or static. When rigged on a weighted jighead, they closely mimic the natural swimming action of a coldwater baitfish. The jerkbait is a staple of cold water fishing for smallmouth and largemouth anglers alike. While you’re less likely to run into an aggressive bass in cold water, that does not mean you can’t catch the big ones! As the bass’ metabolism slows with the decreasing water temperatures, they’re not likely to swim several hundred yards for a quick bite to eat. While fishing slow can be painfully boring for some, make sure to use increase pause length between your jerks in cold water to increase your bite percentage. Because food becomes scarce in the winter months fish … Every predatory fish you target is going to eat minnows at some point so providing an offering that resembles the forage they are feeding on just makes sense. Meanwhile, surf fish continue to scour the surf for any forage to carry them though the year. According to Elite Series pro Mark Menendez, the sheer effectiveness of grubs in cold water should never be overlooked or taken lightly. A river or lake that is cold and muddy is one of those, but if we look at the positives, you may just change your mind and look forward to fishing these conditions. Blade baits are a popular cold water bait for smallmouth anglers in the great lakes region but it’s also a low-key killer for fishing largemouth too. In this episode I am float fishing with a grub for some springtime Yellow Bass and Bluegill. When the weather outside is frightful, but a fire inside is so delightful, some anglers still brave the cold because they know the bass are biting. Catching Winter Bass with KVD Cold Water Fishing with Crankbaits and Jerkbaits. In cooler water make sure to find lively grass. You can jig a blade bait vertically, cast it out and slowly retrieve but my favorite method involves quickly jerking the blade bait which causes it to jump up from  bottom and quickly flutter back down. GRANBURY: FAIR. But we should always leave some extra room for those age-old favorites that continuously produce trophy bass. John pegs the sinker and works the crawdad colored zipper slowly. Much like society as a whole, bass anglers are becoming increasingly enamored by the latest technological advancements. According to him, most anglers fish too deep on natural lakes in the winter. Crawfish? I’ll use 6 or 8-pound Seaguar InvizX most of the time but when it gets incredibly cold out there, I actually use 6 or 8-pound Seaguar Senshi monofilament for better handling.”. In early spring, or when cold front conditions clear the skies and cool the water to make fish lethargic, smaller lures are usually better choices than larger lures. site: sports | ptype: stories | pageType: stories | originalDevice: deviceType:desktop. When the water is very cold, a 3- to 4-inch curly-tail grub on a ¼-ounce jighead is one of the simplest and most effective presentations for large and smallmouth bass. Cold Water Bass Fishing: Grub/ Small Swimbaits. In very cold weather, the fish can get a bit lethargic but still feed. “These bass will be positioned at very specific depths and they’re not going to chase a bait like they would in the warmer months, so it’s important to put it right in front of them as often as possible,” Menendez said. Largemouth bass are good with some increase in calmer warm water around points. RAVEN: GOOD. 7-time BASS angler-of-the-year, 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion & 2001 FLW angler-of-the-year Kevin VanDam aka KVD has over $6m in career bass fishing … Paying close attention to the depth at which your bites occur can make coldwater bass quite simple to pattern. Throw out a grub. Surf Fishing with Grubs. And many deserve to play a prominent role in our bass fishing arsenals. Obviously it is unwise to try to use a small boat, canoe or kayak as an ice breaker. Fish are moving faster and further in pursuit of food, anything they can do to keep that motor running. “This tells us the majority of the activity will be located towards the mouth of every major creek or in the main lake. It doesn’t really matter what technique you’re using— you can’t always expect red-hot bass fishing action throughout the winter months. are a part of the reason this bait continually outperforms other cranks in cool water. In a decade, maybe two, the grub will come back into fashion, and once again receive national acclaim. If the winter weather is resulting making the bite tough in your area, make it a point to do some grub fishing the next time you go fishing. Fishing the outside edges of the wood beds with a small Texas rigged zipper grub is another of Bailey's cold water techniques. Try matching the hatch to the best of your ability in clear water and if you’re fishing stained water try using a bright and vibrant colors for added flare. Attempt swimming a grub through them. Take out a grub. Use a slow steady retrieve and once you feel your bait hit grass rip it out hard, this is usually when the bite is triggered. However if you desire a fishing lure that will usually capture bass and other gamefish regularly, tie on a plain old grub bait. At these times, a static fly beneath an indicator - blob, squirmy wormy, chewing gum worm or egg fly … From shallow flats to deep breaklines, you can catch ’em with this simple set-up. A more common problem is ice on the boat ramp, which makes launching … The neutral buoyancy of a jerkbait puts off a subtle motion when at rest and this can be what triggers a bite. Most anglers vertical jig their spoons right under the boat with a 6-1/2 to 7 foot med-heavy rod. Connect a grub. Winter grub fishing can be a quick way to fill the … Somewhere in between, FLW Tour pro Adrian Avena tackles cold-water bass with a ¼- to ½-ounce black/blue Zorro hair jig with a blue 4-inch twin-tail grub. Slow rolling a grub or small swimbait on a ⅛-¼ oz jig head is an extremely versatile during the winter months. Ice and cold water are dangerous. Absolutely. 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