Bass fishing in winter can be extremely difficult for several reasons. Of course, it will be cold and sitting on a half frozen lake will test the strength and endurance of any individual, but that is nowhere near as much of an issue as the fact that bass do not feed in winter and thus they are more than likely to completely ignore your bait. If you do want to prove yourself as a bass fisherman or woman then winter is the best time to do it because your skill and ingenuity could get you that elusive catch. However, you should be well prepared for the inevitable as well - if you do not get a catch then you need to rethink your game. However, with the following tips you may not need to rethink your strategy at all!
However, before we get into the tips, a little background on winter bass fishing may help you. Bass are most definitely cold blooded and thus their blood temperature rises and falls in line with the actual water temperature surrounding them. When their blood is at a low temperature, they barely move because their oxygen levels and heart rates are lower. They do not feed as a result either, as they do not need the energy and it takes far longer for them to digest food. For example, it may take them up to two days to digest a small fish if the water temperature nears 50 degrees. Any lower than that and it can take weeks. As a result, you really have to be quite conniving and do all you can to spur the bass into action.
Tip One - Slow Down! - As the bass move much slower and there will not be as much activity on the lake or river, you can afford to slow down your movements to match them. In fact, remaining static in the same place will give you a much better chance of catching bass. You should leave the bait in one place because you will then have more chance of a catch as the bass do not have to put in too much effort to get it. They will simply ignore moving bait.
Tip Two - Look for Bass - If the water is relatively clear and shallow then you may be able to see them just below the surface. If you can see them, then dangle the bait right in front of them and leave it completely still for as long as it takes for the bass to bite. This may take hours, but it probably will bite eventually! However, this is only useful if you can actually see the bass and they do tend to head for deeper waters or bank vegetation. It must therefore be an enclosed pool for this tip to really make a difference.
Tip Three - Use a Torpedo - Using a torpedo bait can help you to attract the fish. You can keep a torpedo bait in one place, but the reverberations actually attract the bass, drawing them to the bait because the vibrations will encourage their senses to propel them into a slow but sure search for food! Of course, torpedoes are not the only bait that actually has that feature so you can choose from any of the baits that tend to vibrate. Whichever one you use will give you an advantage when winter bass fishing!
