Spring
Largemouth in Cold Water
by Matt Lambert
Finding a cold water bass pattern can be very
difficult and downright intimidating for fisherman. I believe that
bass fisherman dislike the cold water period the most. I see a lot
of fisherman become frustrated over this scenario which makes them
give up their fishing in this part of the season until the pre spawn
phase. At one point in time, I felt this way too. Through trial and
error, I came up with some solid results that greatly increased my
odds.
DEFINING COLD WATER
Everybody defines cold water in a different way. To me,
it’s the time from ice thaw all the way to when the water temperature gets to 50
degrees. The reason I see it like this is because of the bass’ behavior in the
temperature zone I’m talking about. Very inactive, a negative mood and not
really motivated to do anything.
WHEN AND WHERE TO FISH
Fishing in cold water is always better when the water
temperature is steadily on the rise and not falling. That means a warm front is
on top of you and it’s bright and sunny out for consecutive days. These types of
conditions will increase your chances of catching bass. Bass will start to move
out of their winter hideouts and find shallower water. There are two reasons why
I think they are moving up. One, is to find the warmer water. Second, is to find
fresh food. Food in the winter hideouts has diminished over winter and forage
has been greatly reduced in those areas. I look shallower, and I start looking
into the water clarity factor. When I come up to a spot on the water that I
think holds fish, I find a shallow area where I can see bottom. I will move the
boat out until I can’t see bottom anymore with my eyes. Then I look at my
Vexilar to see what the depth was where I lost the sight of the bottom. That
will be my starting depth. Move the boat out with the motor a cast length from
my starting depth and start fishing from there. For instance, if I lose the
sight of the bottom at 4 feet, I will move my boat out into any depth that will
let me cast up into that 4 foot of depth. From your starting depth all the way
back to the boat, this is where I believe the most active biters are in cold
water. Fish the body of water looking for pockets, points and irregular
structure. Try to look for an area that you think should hold fish and fish it
thoroughly. Most intuitions of fisherman are correct, and there’s probably fish
down there.
WHAT TO USE
I believe that the most common food for the bass this
time of year is minnows. Throughout the wintertime, bass are on the deep bottom
and most of the crayfish population has been greatly reduced because of it. So I
lean towards trying to imitate the minnow. Reflex strikes will come first before
hunger strikes this time of year, so reactionary baits are what I start with. To
me, the Suspending jerkbait is the number one reactionary bait in cold water.
There are many manufacturers out there with good Suspending jerkbaits.
HOW TO CATCH THEM
Jerkbaits have great action on the retrieve, and the retrieve is the key. There
are two actions the jerkbait makes. One, is the motion you make with your rod,
to move the bait through the water. That is the triggering method to spark the
bass’ interest. Two, is the pause. That is the time it take for a bass to make
the initial decision to strike the lure. Most anglers snap or twitch the
jerkbait and let it rest very briefly, if at all. Then they start snapping or
twitching again. In my opinion, snapping and twitching are too quick in cold
water. I believe that snapping and twitching are summer pattern retrieves. Fish
are very lethargic and don’t swim around with very fast movements in cold water.
Therefore, I have found a better cold water method. Instead of snapping or
twitching the rod, try sweeping the rod slowly in 3-5 foot increments. It’s very
important to feel the jerkbait move through the water with your rod and give off
vibrations to the bass so the bass can pick up those vibrations through the
lateral line on their body. Then, let the jerkbait suspend for 8 to 10 seconds.
You think that’s a long time? Yes, that is a long time, but were talking cold
water tactics here. Largemouth bass will hit the bait on the pause. When a bass
strikes, start reeling and load up the rod like you were going to repeat the
sweep action again. You do not have to set the hook. These day’s, hooks are so
sharp and with this type of pause, they have already got themselves hooked. If
bass are following the bait to the boat and not striking the bait, speed up the
pause, don’t speed up the sweep. This sweep pause method is slow and the
guidelines that I have mentioned in the above paragraph of this fishing
technique are only a starting point. You might have to modify the sweep with
only 2-foot increments. You might only need 5 seconds of pause rather than 10. I
have seen times when more than 10 seconds is required to get a fish to bite. Let
the bass dictate what they want and experiment with this sweep and pause
retrieve. Patience is a virtue. As a bonus, you can catch Crappie, Walleye, and
Northern Pike with this method as well. Try this method. It has really worked
for me and I think you will be surprised at how effective this technique is.
Good luck and I will see you on the water come spring.
Matt Lambert
classicbass.com Field Staff
