Cold water bassin'

I know this might be hard to believe but this is the latest I've ever fished in a season. I'm not a big fan of the cold weather but this year I plan to fish until the ice comes. So, I'm wondering where I should be looking for bass once the water temps drop say below 55? I'm guessing slowing down is pretty important too.

depends on the place and what part of the transition it's in. deep clear water places that might be colder...they could be going into late fall or winter patterns - out deep around bait. they could be on the steepest drop offs or maybe shallow in fall patterns if the bait's shallow. they'll suspend around bait a lot this time of year. think of the webster final last year vs. a place like fosters with shallow cover.

find the bait, find the bass!!

great tips

samf you should change your name to the fishing guru

Haha yeah right. That's stratos.

Suspended jerk baits. Rapala xrap...smithwick rouge.... Drop offs or if fishing a small pond... If there's a dam that's usually the deepest part... Bass could be stacked up...

Shawn I have found reaction baits work best in colder water. jerkbaits, , crankbaits and chatterbaits. The bass get very lethargic as water drops from the low 50's into the 40's they need to be 'triggered" into biting and fast erratic moving baits are key. Sure you can catch them slowing down with smaller soft plastics but you cover more water more quicly with reaction baits and that helps you find the fish more quickly. I find that on my favorite ponds I can catch bass all over the place in spring summer and fall but in late fall, winter and early spring the bass are confined to small areas. Find them and you can have some of the best action numbers wise of the year.

Shawn I have found reaction baits work best in colder water. jerkbaits, , crankbaits and chatterbaits. The bass get very lethargic as water drops from the low 50's into the 40's they need to be 'triggered" into biting and fast erratic moving baits are key. Sure you can catch them slowing down with smaller soft plastics but you cover more water more quicly with reaction baits and that helps you find the fish more quickly. I find that on my favorite ponds I can catch bass all over the place in spring summer and fall but in late fall, winter and early spring the bass are confined to small areas. Find them and you can have some of the best action numbers wise of the year.

Chatter baits? Never used one before.... Fast eratic retrieves in cold water? I thot you got to fish slow with long pauses

Shawn I have found reaction baits work best in colder water. jerkbaits, , crankbaits and chatterbaits. The bass get very lethargic as water drops from the low 50's into the 40's they need to be 'triggered" into biting and fast erratic moving baits are key. Sure you can catch them slowing down with smaller soft plastics but you cover more water more quicly with reaction baits and that helps you find the fish more quickly. I find that on my favorite ponds I can catch bass all over the place in spring summer and fall but in late fall, winter and early spring the bass are confined to small areas. Find them and you can have some of the best action numbers wise of the year.

This is great news as I am much more comfortable throwing a crankbait or jerkbait all day as opposed to fishing slow. Do the fish tend to go to deeper water? Most of the ponds that I fish are like 10-13 ft max. Is there something particular I should look for?

Some ponds just fish better than others in the cold weather. I find the shallow, bog type ponds to be much better than the larger, deeper ponds. Also, the bass tend to school up as the water gets colder. If you find one chances are you will get a few

Some ponds just fish better than others in the cold weather. I find the shallow, bog type ponds to be much better than the larger, deeper ponds. Also, the bass tend to school up as the water gets colder. If you find one chances are you will get a few

I don't think I've ever been on a school of fish before and look forward to it. My favorite pond is just that, a bog. I can't wait to get out there tomorrow

I'm looking forward to the cold front today. I'm planning on hitting the Charles River tomorrow after work for a couple of hours where I know the bait (herring/alewife) will be stacked up. It will be either fest or famine. Could catch 1 or I could catch 30. If you don't mind the runny noses and the cold fingers from now to ice is a great time to fish.

my son and i are fishing a adult /youth tourney tomorrow at ct river.
Will it be feast or famine
I'm planning on it being cold!

my son and i are fishing a adult /youth tourney tomorrow at ct river.
Will it be feast or famine
I'm planning on it being cold!

good luck man...everything I read says to crank this time of year

you should be ok at your favorite pond...although don't discount looking out in the deep flat area. or associated drop offs. if you can find bait, they will be around. reaction baits do work well. jerkbaits are good for both reaction and to really slow it down if they're suspending since it will just sit there suspending in front of them. they do school and stack up this time of year though.

i've gone to a shallower place and done well looking for vegetation that was still green. i was out last weekend and found the 1 green patch in the place and caught 5 on consecutive casts with a crankbait. last year i went to a deep clear water place and it was different...no weeds, nothing. they were all suspending around bait out in the open. i caught fish in 40' and nothing was shallower.