Most people love to fish for bass in the spring time when the waters are warm. However, I discovered the joys of winter fishing. It is true that at this time you will not get numbers, but with the right bass fishing techniques you can catch some real beauties with half the effort you would have to put in any other season.
Catching Smallmouth Bass in Winter Waters
Catching smallmouth bass is a challenge in itself. Doing it in winter time, as many opinioned to me, doubles the odds. However, I still maintain that I never got this amount of joy and thrill from any other fishing times. There are well defined bass fishing techniques that are applied in winter to catch the elusive smallmouth. The most important feature among these techniques is patience. The others are good understanding of the depth of the water, and the structures beneath and proper insulated clothing.
Bass Fishing Techniques can give Outstanding Results
Knowing the right technique will definitely take you a long way, more so if you are armed with the right equipment and bait. Now the bass is well known for its voracious appetite but few know that it is fatally attracted to jigs. If you want to catch smallmouth bass, forget about what type of bait you use, it is not so important. Rather learn to use jigs well and you will never fail catching a smallmouth.
Choosing the Right Location
The smallmouth love depth, however in winter they do not go below 30 feet. You will need to find a structure which has to be quite away from the shore, at a depth of 20-40 feet and the place has to have sudden drop of areas (the favorite way of hiding for smallmouth bass). The boat should be stationed quite still (anchor it on both ends) and the distance from the chosen structure should be sufficient to allow you to cast a line freely. Here, you'd cast your jig and bobbing retrieve it in the water. The trick is to learn to differentiate between a strike by a rock or weed and a fish, so you can set the hook.
The Success of Bass Fishing Techniques is owed to a Lot of Practice
Casting a jig and retrieving it is an art that requires long and patient practice. It takes quite some time to learn by feel whether your line is striking a rock or a fish. You should be able to instantly recognize the difference because the slightest hesitation will loose you the fish.
You've probably had it ground into from the start of your fishing career that what works for one angler or in one place or for one type of fish will not necessarily work in another situation. That's why you should always have plenty of bass fishing techniques stowed in your arsenal. There will come a time when nothing you would normally try will get the fish to bite, and having backup bass fishing techniques to choose from will assist you in at least having some success for the day.
Topwater, or surface fishing, is one of the bass fishing techniques that some anglers adore and others abhor. It is not the simplest way to fish but can be very effective if done correctly in producing large quantities of bass. Topwater fishing techniques should be used in areas of heavy cover, where you want to sort of float your bait just on the surface in the shallows near short, right above the top of the grasses and brush. Floating worms make an excellent bait in this application, skimming the surface and disrupting the water just enough to catch the attention of a dormant bass hiding in the brush. Color can make a difference, too, since bass have excellent vision. While some anglers bank on bright colors, many opt for something less garish, such as grape or black and yellow. If the water is a little choppy, you may want to try a buzzbait, which will actually annoy the fish. The bait will literally hit a stump or other surface as the water chops causing it to pause, which is the signal to the bass to strike.
Other bass fishing techniques can be used to fish shallow waters from just below the surface to about six feet deep. In order to fish in this manner, you'll actually need to drown the bait. Crankbaits work well for this application, especially if you pop them and pull them under. Adding a soft plastic jerkbait to something like a Rapala will work as well. Basically, you want the bait to dip under the surface as you steadily retrieve it. This will create the disturbance in the water that bass can "hear" with their earlike apparatus on each lateral side and attract their attention. If you can float a bait below the surface just above a set of weeds that grows to about 10 inches below the waterline, you'll have excellent success, since bass love to live in these brush piles and simply wait for an opportunistic strike like the one you are providing.
Both Fame Ahmed & Daniel Eggertsen are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Fame Ahmed has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Vitamins and Fishing. Fame Ahmed is a well known author worldwide. He has written numerous works on various topics. He is an expert in research and writing reviews and articles based on his findings.. Fame Ahmed's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
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