College Series bass fishing tournament champion Cody Huff joined The Bass University LIVE 1/19/21 to talk about fishing super deep for bass. Cast here “The key is having shallow water adjacent to deep water,” Schultz said. “During the winter, I fish the smaller, fairly shallow rivers. But a lot of times with your numbers, a lot of times where your bass are living is out deep. Most people in the winter are still fishing deep. Although the late winter shallow bite gets better as the day progresses and the sun gets higher, don’t be afraid to hit some shallow areas first thing in the morning. Learn about the right lures, baits, techniques and approach to catching bass … During the winter, a farm pond can turn on big time. Typically after a prolonged period of sub 40 degree weather the bass will go deep. Bass can be shallow or deep, over rocky bottom or soft bottom. Whenever there is a bright, warm winter’s day, then head towards the shallow areas which receive direct sunlight. As the bait begins to gather, so will the bass. After ice-out in late winter or early spring, bass begin moving from deeper areas where they spent the winter toward rapidly warming shallow waters. It is hard for me to think shallow until the spring and even then I keep looking out to the deep water. If there are submerged deep water weed beds located just offshore of shallow water weed beds, this type of deep water weed bed can be a huge magnet for winter bass. As winter draws to a close, water temperature climbs toward the mid-50s, and white bass begin heading upstream or uplake to searching for shallow spawning riffles. Dove emphasizes, “It’s super important not to get caught in No Man’s Land this time of year. Like I said earlier, bass that live in our larger lakes with deeper water have choices. We hit saguaro lake again to try and find out where the fish are going in this extreme heat we are having in Arizona. It's that simple. It’s either deep or shallow.” This is because of the shad. Winter Thaws Shallow Bass. While there will be some good fishing in deeper waters this winter, try shallow … They’ve gotta accept what’s available, but they will bite if presented the right lure with the correct presentation. We're talking about really deep, where you will have the bass all to yourself, if you can find them and figure out how to catch them. Slow sinking lures retrieved at a slow pace produce the fish. This migration begins well before the actual spawn, and progresses in stages as water and weather conditions change. In these waters in the cold water period, smallmouth bass may be almost anywhere – except in the fast water. Look at depths between 15' and 30'. In the winter time, I always give those shallow fish a chance. The fish in both scenarios will be 2 to 6 feet deep along the rocky banks. However some bass remain shallow no matter how hot it gets as long as the fish have plenty of cover. Shallow water in the cold of winter holds few bass. Many people relate ice out to the spring, but there are times throughout the winter when lakes and ponds will freeze over and then ice out repeatedly. In this article, Lucky Tackle Box writer Andrew Schadegg talks about how to catch bass in deep water, which is especially helpful for summer and winter bass fishing. Here the bass fishing pattern is one where bass hold deep along bluffs, deep creek channels, ditches and even standing submerged trees. They are very well known for their effectiveness in early spring and late fall. These areas will warm up very quickly, so carp will always come back for a warming up session. Depth contours "When fishing points and sloping banks, keep in mind that most of the bass will be on a specific depth contour instead of scattered out from deep to shallow water. Electronics will allow you to cover more water and search for these fish-holding structures as well as locate schools of fish. Under normal midsummer conditions, there are far more smallmouth bass in deep water than in the shallows, Schultz conceded. Fishing Shallow And Deep For Hot Water Bass. As winter draws to a close, water temperature climbs toward the mid-50s, and white bass begin heading upstream or uplake to searching for shallow spawning riffles. Some bass lures work better at slow retrievals than others, so we broke down the best lures to use for winter bass. Winter bass fishing in ponds and lakes where the cold weather has made for tough fishing catching conditions. For example in the Youghiogheny, I find a lot of fish in 10 foot holes. Shallow Lake Bass (Winter) Shallow Lake Bass (Winter) Winter Fishing Techniques / by Administrator / November 1, 2004 / No Comments / I read every article I can find regarding bass fishing, Lots and lots of articles on fishing for Bass in the winter. There are lakes where you never fish over ten foot of water all year long. Learning to catch bass in deep water is intimidating. You can catch them up shallow, but normally you’re not going to catch a ton of fish. Many anglers say "Fish the shallow bays" while others claim "get out in the deep water & troll or jig for barra". Bass in these small bodies of water often seem to disappear in the winter, but the bulk of the hogs seek refuge around deep structure, or simply just in the deepest basin. “In rocky lakes, bass will migrate from nearby deep water throughout the night to feed on shallow rocks,” Cherry said. Later in the winter, he finds more shallow bass along main lake rocks adjacent to deep water. When looking for winter bass, I focus on finding cover or structure in deeper water. Deep water is where the bass are in winter. When summer heat kicks in the hunt for warm water bass can become challenging. Winter fishing styles apply to all of the areas mentioned and probably the biggest of the techniques is a very slow retrieve of the lure. Bass like to move up and down to feed in the winter, so if they have an easy transition from deeper water to shallow with a bank that is steeper, it will be a bass magnet. I big misconception about bass is that they go deep in the winter and stay deep until the spring. Fishing Shallow And Deep For Warm Water Bass. Both can be correct ways to find a big barra in winter. Winter Barra - Deep or Shallow: There is some congecture as to the where & why of lake barra in winter. Learning how to fish deep is important for fishing success throughout the year, because shallow fish do not bite every day. No doubt about it. However, early spring weather is unpredictable, and as the water temperature in the shallows fluctuates from day to day, bass will move back and forth between shallow and deep water. Whether you're targeting shallow bass or deep, the bass' next movement is motivated by the baitfish's location. His shallow strategy consists of covering a lot of water and targeting fewer scattered bass. In shallower, bluegill feed on minnows but out deep in the softer bottoms, insect larvae is the preferred food. I like to settle my carp rigs in these areas well before the sun rises, then there is no disturbance when they arrive on the scene. If you don’t have electronics, basic pond maps and cell phone apps like Navionics can be very helpful. In the winter the cold water makes the bass very dormant and lethargic, and they like to hover at the deep water levels where the water is the warmest. If your fish are out deep, expect them to begin gathering on the best structures. This migration begins well before the actual spawn, and progresses in stages as water and weather conditions change. The first hour of daylight can get these fish in some abnormally shallow water. While the air temp is in the mid 60’s the bass are already in there winter patterns. The key is very slow moving water. The following is a view that night help take some of the guess work out of fishing for barramundi in winter. More specifically, hard suspending jerkbaits like a Rapala X-Rap and soft jerkbaits like a Zoom Superfluke. Watch this instuctional video to learn tips, tactics & techniques for catching bass way offshore. I talk about a variety of bass fishing tips and techniques for fishing in shallow water in winter including spinnerbaits, jerk baits, lipless crankbaits and more. As winter progresses, you will notice weeds die in shallow water which will cause bluegill to move out to much deeper water with softer bottoms. February produces some of the hottest bass action. When cold water puts largemouth and smallmouth bass in a sulky mood, anglers in the know often ply deeper waters for spotted, or Kentucky bass.Late fall and winter serve up some of the year’s best action for these high-spirited scrappers, with hard strikes, powerful runs and rod-bending fights almost guaranteed for those savvy to the ways of Micropterus punctatus. The North Carolina pro looks for early winter bass in the shallows about halfway back in the creeks along riprap or natural rock banks. “Baitfish don’t stay in a mid-depth range; they either stay out deep or move shallow – really shallow!” Dove’s definition of No Man’s Land is between 5-15 feet deep. On deeper, clear lakes largemouth as well as their baitfish prey tend to bunch up around vertical structure (bluffs) and offshore structure (humps, sunken islands, rock piles) in "deeper" water, deeper being 20-40' deep. If you like pond hoping, finding open water can sometimes tell you exactly where bass are in the winter. When given the choice, perch prefer a … Hey guys welcome back! However some bass remain shallow no matter how hot it gets as long as the fish have plenty of cover. But in a small pond, choices are far more limited. But virtually all of them are written by Guys that fish Deep-water lakes, they have lots to say about fishing in 20 to 50 feet of water. On the lake I fish most often its commonly understood that during early ice the walleyes will move in shallow at night to feed and you will have the most success targeting them shallow. Perch remain active all winter long under the ice in both shallow and deeper water, hence they provide the ice fisherman many a meal. Arguably the ultimate “go to” cold water bass lures are jerkbaits. And these experts tell you how to get the most out of your days on the water. As a result, use smaller baits and really slow down your approach to mimic insects. When summer heat causes the shallows to feel like bath water, many anglers are inclined to probe offshore structure in search of hot water bass. There are many fish that never move from the shallow water. Later in winter they will move deep and you will want to focus on mid-lake humps and rock piles. Jerkbaits. However, due to our unpredictable Florida weather, the temperature changes in our ‘winter’ can make bass change their behavior sporadically. Winter bass fishing patterns revolve around vertical surfaces. I am a deep structure fisherman. The shallows to feel like bath water, many anglers are inclined to probe offshore structure. During a past winter bass fishing trip to Florida’s Rodman Reservoir, we used our Lowrance GPS/Sonar unit to locate a deep water weed bed that produced winter largemouth bass to 12-pounds. How To Catch Largemouth Bass Winter Bass Fishing. Date: 2021-01-22 ← This video Stef and I hit the water looking for some shallow water winter bass. 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