5 baits for cold water power fishing – By Kevin Vandam

5 baits for cold water power fishing

November 19, 2013 – by Kevin VanDam

Most anglers think you have to fish ultra slow or use finesse tactics during cold winter months.

While it’s true that a bass’ metabolism slows down, he still has to eat. And remember, the baitfish continue to dart and glide quickly for survival, so a bass has to move equally fast to eat during cold water months.

Therefore, I still stick to my power fishing principles because I can cover a lot of water, but I work them differently to match the conditions.

Here are the five baits I will have rigged for cold weather fishing and how I use them:

Jerkbait

This is my favorite choice for lakes that have clear water.

Bass are focused on shad during the winter, and I prefer a suspending jerkbait for fishing around vertical structure, like main lake bluffs and bridges, this time of year. When the water is colder, the shad suspend in the water column and if I see shad dying and gulls diving on them, that tells me the suspending jerkbait is the best choice. I will snap it a few times and let it sit a little longer than I do in the summertime, but always experiment with the action until I know how they want it.

Red Eye Shad

The lipless crankbait can be dynamite on cold, lowland reservoirs or natural lakes, especially if there is vegetation. It’s very efficient for covering a lot of water.

However, I do slow the retrieve down and keep the bait in contact with the bottom. If there’s grass, I like to allow it to touch the vegetation and pull it free. My favorite retrieve is to yo-yo it on a semi-slack line; I let it flutter down because the Red Eye has an enticing shimmy as it falls. That’s when 90 percent of strikes come. I use that slow, pull/stop retrieve all the way to the boat. It’s a great tool for fishing shallow to midrange depths in the winter.

Flat-sided crankbait

There’s something about a flat-sided crankbait that neutral bass react to better in cold water than they do to rounded-body lures. My favorite is the Strike King KVD 1.5 Flat that has a long bill and no rattles.

I love to fish this bait parallel on channel swings close to the bank in major creeks and even along bluffs, riprap and laydowns. I throw it on 10-pound line and it runs about 10 feet deep. It has a subtle action they can’t stand when the water is cold, so use a steady, slow-to-medium retrieve. If the bait hits a solid object, pause and allow it to suspend momentarily. In colder water, I will weight it with Storm SusPend Dots.

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