Fishing Brutal Post Front Winter Conditions For Bass and Catfish

Today we're fishing for a mix of Bass and catfish. We've got brutal post-front conditions that have completely shut down the bite! Instead of giving up we decide to continue the multi-species trend and turn our attention from bass to catfish. This isn't the kind of cat fishing you're used to, we've discovered that in cold water the big catfish school up and devour a spoon! Come along for a few very wet, very windy, very cold hours on Clearlake!

Fishing for big catfish is an awesome alternative to bass in the cold Winter months. Unlike the bass, catfish thrive in cold water and will readily chase baitfish and attack fast moving lures. We choose to target them with one of our favorite Fall bass techniques, the deep jigging spoon. Unfortunately today the "first cast curse" got the best of us and the bite ended just as quickly as it began. We caught a few tiny catfish, blackfish, and hitch off camera but the big channel catfish we were after had stopped biting. 

Instead of simply giving up we continued to endure the cold (with frozen hands and toes) in pursuit of at least one bass to round out the day. When conditions are this tough our confidence lies in the crankbait. It took less than 10 minutes to catch a Clearlake bass on the crank despite the brutal conditions. As soon as we had a fish we headed back to the ramp to get warmed up. 

Today wasn't the great fishing we've grown to love on our home lake, it was downright tough. Tough fishing during brutal weather conditions is the reality of Winter. When you're faced with the same conditions we were, it doesn't have to be a bust. If you bear down and endure, even the toughest conditions will yield a fish or two. 

Below is a breakdown of the baits and equipment we were using to catch these fish. 

Baits…

Spoon- Blade Runner 1 3/4 oz Duh (Morning Dawn, Electric Chicken): http://bit.ly/2aKVLlG

Crankbait- River2Sea Tactical DD 75 (Mirrored Minnow): http://bit.ly/37dclbX

Spoon Combo... 

Rod- Denali Attax 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2tDsOa0

Reel- Daiwa Tatula SV TWS: http://bit.ly/2xALqpz

Line- Sunline Assassin 20 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Matt's Crankbait Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 906 CBR: http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Where Do Bass Go In Early Spring?

Have your bass vanished? Have your favorite Winter spots gone cold? Here's why! The bass are on the move and they aren't wasting any time doing it! Every year the bass start their Spring migration in late Winter and for those anglers that haven't learned to follow them, it can be a very frustrating time. 

The key to predicting the bass' movement is to understand why they are moving in the first place. The ultimate goal of their movements is to spawn as soon as water and environmental conditions allow. The key is locating the key stops along their journey. 

If you're trying to locate fish, electronics can make all the difference. Here is what we are using... Humminbird Solix 15: http://bit.ly/2pAkXr2

Below is a list of our favorite baits during this time of year (As seen in or previous videos on Spring Fishing).

Reaction Baits...

1)LV-500 Lipless Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd
Jackall TN-70 Lipless Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2lqAwjh

2) Bladed 5 wire A-Rig- Flash Mob Jr: http://bit.ly/2bgDGNu
Non Bladed 7 wire A-Rig- HogFarmer Cali Crush: http://bit.ly/2EeeepW

A-rig components...
Split Rings (Size 4): http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX
CPS Springs (medium) for dummy baits: http://bit.ly/2b2YgDf
Matt Allen Swimbait Heads: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

3) S-Waver 168: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh
Baitsanity Explorer Glide: http://bit.ly/2DcI1yM

4) River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/2diSwqq
Revenge Deep Runner 1/2 oz: http://bit.ly/2oSfWd6

5) Lucky Craft 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2vmq67T
River2Sea Biggie Squarebill: http://bit.ly/2ahCzvo

6) Jackall Rerange Jerkbait: http://bit.ly/2ge0qED
Lucky Craft Staysee 90: http://bit.ly/2dBzMmz

Finesse Baits... 

Dropshot- Roboworm 6" Fat Worm: http://bit.ly/2awYSxM
Ned Rig- Z Man T.R.D.: http://bit.ly/2hs4RtR
Senko- Yamamoto 5": http://bit.ly/2axAmNS
Finesse Swimbait- Keitech Fat 2.8": http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v
Tube- Dry Creek 3.5" Tournament Tube: http://bit.ly/2cJwI6r
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