It doesn’t matter when you are fishing a tube, which imitates both equally … … 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. It doesn’t really matter what technique you’re using— you can’t always expect red-hot bass fishing action throughout the winter months. 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. Exactly what is a Grub Fishing … 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 … 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. FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw knows how to tempt grass bass by swimming a grub. In order to maximize his sensitivity and castability, Menendez uses a spinning rod and light tackle 100 percent of the time. Tough pressured fish? 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! They are sleek, easy to throw and provide a lowkey wobbling action that is needed during the winter months. Be the first to rate this post. The neutral buoyancy of a jerkbait puts off a subtle motion when at rest and this can be what triggers a bite. Fishing the outside edges of the wood beds with a small Texas rigged zipper grub is another of Bailey's cold water techniques. And many deserve to play a prominent role in our bass fishing arsenals. 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! “The colder the water gets, the less action you want to have on your baits. 0.07’ high. “Grubs are like the last kid on the block picked for a kickball game. “The bass won’t want it hopping and jumping around, so all you need to do is maintain a steady and deliberate retrieve. “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. Paying close attention to the depth at which your bites occur can make coldwater bass quite simple to pattern. 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. 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. The beauty of a grub or swimbait on a jig head is how versatile it is. Somewhere in between, FLW Tour pro Adrian Avena tackles cold-water bass with a ¼- to ½-ounce … In order to adjust your grub’s fall rate and ability to remain in the most productive strike zones, Menendez suggests the following system. In cooler water make sure to find lively grass. 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. I am able to crate that grub profile using a lead jig head and half a honey worm. Most anglers vertical jig their spoons right under the boat with a 6-1/2 to 7 foot med-heavy rod. 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). I make a long cast out and let my bait fall on a slack line to bottom. 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. Most flat sided cranks generally come without rattles which follows the ‘less is more’ approach you often see in cold water angling. 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. John pegs the sinker and works the crawdad colored zipper slowly. 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. If the fish are deep in the wood Bailey uses a crawdad or shad colored, Yamamoto single tail Hula grub. 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. “And my line selection changes a bit depending upon the conditions. 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.”. 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. Anglers should look for the deepest pockets in the channel and work the area slowly … The snap on a slack line allows the bait to dart and flutter more irregularly upon retrieval which usually entices bites. 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. It’s important to use a slightly slack line when snapping your blade bait. But we should always leave some extra room for those age-old favorites that continuously produce trophy bass. (Lures used for ice fishing are exceptionally tiny, usually grub … Bounce this slowly down the wall from ledge to ledge. Flat-sided cranks give you the ability to move quickly and cover ground while providing a subtle action. In very cold weather, the fish can get a bit lethargic but still feed. The fluttering action during the fall resembles a dying baitfish which fish love the feed on! Suspended fish? 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