Winter Fishing: Top 5 baits for Cold Water Bass

With winter fast approaching most lakes have turned over and the bass have headed for warmer deep water haunts. "Deep" is a relative term that varies lake to lake but when bass head for the depths a lot of anglers lose confidence.

In this week's video we break down our favorite baits for seeking out those deep water bass. This list may be missing some baits you expect but when the going gets tough, these 5 options are consistent producers.

1) A Football Jig: Tim and I vary a little on our specific choices. I lean toward a 1/2 oz or heavier Dirty Jigs Finesse Football (Give "Go To" or "Super Matt Brown" those colors are deadly). Tim takes it a step further and will occasionally go as light as 3/8 oz with his Dirty Jigs HP Football Jig. Why go with a light weight in deep water, you ask? With the lighter weight comes a smaller hook, allowing you to drop to lighter line and even throw the jig on a spinning rod if conditions require.

2) A Drop Shot: Tried and true, this bait is deadly in deep water! Tim likes to downsize, often using a size 2 Owner Mosquito hook with a small tungsten weight. He insists that the light hook allows his bait to have maximum action in deep water. As for baits, he uses a wide range of options but a 6" Roboworm Margarita Mutilator is a proven winter time color.

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3) Ball Head: The ball head is such a simplistic way to fish and consistently catches quality fish in the cold water months. Much like a darthead, you should thread the worm on so the point of the hook is left exposed. The difference between a ball head and virtually every other head design is that it has almost no action of its own. This is a drawback most of the year but when the water is cold that "dead action" drives the fish crazy. Tim and I both agree, a 5" senko is your best option with this presentation. Day in and day out, it gets a significantly larger bite than smaller worms.

4) A Jigging Spoon: The spoon is a deadly bait throughout the fall but don't lose faith as cooler temps take over and the bass become lethargic. Using a very subtle flip-flop approach, keeping the jig on bottom at all times, is a phenomenal way to get a big bite in winter. Matt prefers the Blade Runner DUH spoon for its ideal weight, size, and color schemes.

5) The Small Swimbait: I prefer the 6" Basstrix or the 4.8 Keitech coupled with 1/2 and 3/4 oz Swimbait Heads. With an exposed lead head its very easy to maintain bottom contact. From rock to gravel, sand to mud, you'll feel every change in contour and the bite will be unmistakable. For this method I maintain constant bottom contact and swim the bait as slowly as I can stand. It presents a sizable but slow moving meal to the bass that is hard to resist.

This Winter, consider not getting your boat winterized. Instead, head for the lake! The bass are still there and they still need to feed. You may be surprised to find that some of your biggest bites of the year come when the water temperature is below 50 degrees.

Top 5 Baits for Spotted Bass

Okay, so we can't really count. Its more like 6 categories and 12 baits but its hard to narrow it down! There are a lot of great ways to catch spotted bass but we can narrow it down a little for you. With all the giant spotted bass being caught in California there are a lot of rumors flying about secret baits, modifications, etc.

The reality is, nothing can replace time on the water. I say again, if you want to catch a giant spotted bass you have to put in the time. In addition to time, you need to be sure that your gear is dialed in. Tim breaks down the various baits that we use day in and day out to put spotted bass in the boat.

Spotted bass fishing is great for new anglers as well as pros. Unlike giant largemouth, spots have a varied diet. They may have preferred foods but they're willing to eat just about anything that crawls or swims in front of them. If you have a preferred method that is on this list, stick to it and you'll see success! 

Our top 5 (6) baits that you should be throwing for spotted bass are:

The Tube: We've found a 3 1/2" finesse tube is best. See our Tube Video for all the details.

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The Senko: Whether you're fishing shallow or deep there is a way to rig the senko to get in front of the bass and fool them into biting.

Straight Tail Worm: Dropshot, Darthead, Shaky Head... they're going to eat it.

The Football Jig: We use the Dirty Jigs Finesse Football. You get the bulky presentation that big spots can't resist with a hook that let's you use lighter line for a finesse presentation.

The Spook: Spots can't resist a walking bait. Whether you're using a true spook or some other brand, it needs to be in your arsenal. As an extra tip: Think "chartreuse" and you won't go wrong.

The Swimbait: How can you beat a swimbait? The key is size. You have to find the right balance between drawing power and overpowering. Our two most reliable options are the 6" Osprey Tournament Talon and the S-Waver 168.

Give these baits a try the next time you're on the water. Spotted bass fishing is booming right now and you need to get involved! From one side of this nation to the other, there is a lake with monster spots just waiting to be caught!

8 lb Spotted Bass!!!

Most people know me as a largemouth fisherman but once in a while I get the Spotted bass bug and I start heading to the foothill lakes in search of world-class Spots. Afterall, we live in California. We've got the current world record and I think everyone agrees it will be broken again in the next couple of years. It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit if she happened to fall for my presentation.Frankly, it amazes me that more anglers don't fish for trophy spotted bass. The allure of the 10 lb largemouth distracts many anglers from the allure of a fair shot at a WORLD RECORD spot. How can you pass up that opportunity?

Giant spots, unlike giant california largemouth, will eat just about anything. Each year I'm shocked by the number of magnum spots we catch on worms, tubes, jigs, small topwater, and small swimbaits. It goes to show you that any weekend warrior has a shot at a magnum spot, no special equipment needed! So where should you go? It seems like the buzz these days is all about Bullards Bar but there are quite a few fisheries producing world class spots. Personally, I would say that Shasta, Whiskey Town, Bullards Bar, Collins, New Melones, Don Pedro, and Bass Lake, all have an equal shot at the next world record. All of these lakes have produced spots over 8 lbs in the last 12 months and most have rumors of 10+ lbers being secretly caught as well. Its up to you to pick the one you like best and put in a couple extra days this year. Good luck out there!

My largest spots this year have been caught on the following: -Dry Creek Tubes -Get Bit's 3 1/2" Tube -A variety of Swimbaits -River2Sea's "tuned" Rover The smaller swimbaits as well as the tubes were all paired with the Dirty Jigs HD Swimbait Head

Preparation Lands a Trophy Spot

There are many variables in the bass fishing game that are beyond our control. What are you to do when a front blows through a day early, a big fish wraps you around a log, or a local angler sits on your primary spot all day? In most cases, your hands are tied and you’re at the mercy of the fish.
With that in mind, why not control every possible variable that is within your control? I’m shocked every time I watch an angler lose a big fish because they bend hooks, break line, or give the fish slack. Its not that I don’t make mistakes, I do, and they’ve cost me dearly over the years. The point is that if you leave these variables unchecked you are choosing to be at a disadvantage. I firmly believe that what sets a truly great angler apart from everyone else is a keen attention to detail.
Spend the time to loosen your drags, replace bad line, and tie fresh knots as soon as you need them. If you catch yourself saying things like, “Eh, what are the odds” these words will be haunting when a big bass humbles you.

I hope you enjoy this video because its drives the point home so clearly. I was blessed to land this bass on a recent trip. When I got her into the boat I was shocked to see a full dropshot rig still stuck in her mouth. Someone had the good fortune of hooking this bass but due to lack of preparation, broke her off. How do I know it was lack of preparation? Whoever it was had a major nick in their line just above the hook. I can almost hear whoever it was looking at his partner and saying, “What are the odds” as he cast the damaged rig back toward a likely spot. The rest is history.
Remember to keep your hooks sharp, your line fresh, and treat the bass with respect.