Winter can be a challenging month to go fishing! But the reward can often be some of the biggest bass all year. Everyone thinks spring with the spawn, but winter bass are feeding up getting ready for the real cold weather. And that makes them nice and fat! While some bass will stay up in the shallows most of the time, the big ones move deeper. And remember, deeper is uniquely relative to every body of water. Some ponds may only have 7 feet of water in the deeper areas and some lakes can get deeper than 20 feet.
Look for those areas that offer bass the opportunity to move up and down in the water column easily. Long points that stretch out into the deeper water are prime areas. Deep flats next to shallow flats offer the bass the opportunity to move up and chase baitfish when the sun warms them. And never pass up laydowns! The wood will warm the water on those sunny days. And look for ditches or channels that offer the bass a freeway to move about. Some places can be tricky, especially those that don’t offer a lot of depth changes.
There are a lot of baits that can be worked in all of these areas, and they will all work. And I enjoy using them. But sometimes I like to slow down and work an area that offers the potential for a big bass. And for that, I turn to a jig. I prefer a Missile Baits Ike’s Mini Flip with a Chunky D trailer. It gives it a little action without being overwhelming. The skirt gives it a bigger profile and action to bring in plenty of bass.
I like to throw a 1/4 ounce most of the time, but I will go up to 3/8 or 1/2 ounces to speed up the rate of fall. And depending on the bass, I will switch to a D Bomb or Baby D Bomb, depending on what the bass wants. If I need to go bigger and heavier for deeper water, I will switch to an Ike’s Flip Out Jig or Head Banger. The Head Banger gives me the option to go up to 1 ounce.
Hit up the drop-offs and work it down them. Drag it or hop it slowly making stops along the way. Let it sit before making it move again, and be ready for that strike. It can be subtle or it can be aggressive, every bass will be different. And don’t think that a light tick is a small bass, even the monsters can do a light tick. Set that hook hard. You need to make sure to hook them. Nothing like watching a big bass come half out of the water and throw your jig because you didn’t set the hook hard enough.
And don’t miss those big bass holding to the laydowns, soaking up the warmth as they lay in ambush. Normally we start out in the tips, but this time of year, go straight for the meat of the laydown. The tip doesn’t warm up like this area does. Again, a lot of times they will hit it on the fall. Some like it slower, while others can’t resist that fast fall. Slowly work it around, use small hops and drags, letting it sit before moving it again. The jig will be moving on it’s own as it sits there with the skirt flowing out as it settles down.
And it works great dragging it across the flats. Drag and let it stop. Then either drag it or hop it. It’s winter and the water is cold, so small hops mimics more of what the bait is doing. Cover as much water is possible and don’t be afraid to change the size of your jig, covering the same area.
And the trailer is just as important. Sometimes you may need a trailer with a little more action when you are dragging it. You can switch over to a Baby D Stroyer which will offer that little tail motion to help draw the strikes. It is also great on a Carolina rig, so why not on a jig. Just don’t let the secret out.
Winter is a great time to put that jig we love to pitch during the rest of the year to work. Make sure you are ready for those big winter hawgs! They love to eat a good and a jig is just that. Go have fun and let’s see some of those monsters!
