By James McManus
Even with this being the start of a new year, January always seems more like the end of things rather than the beginning. With our typical January weather being less than ideal, it begs more for reflection than anticipation in my way of thinking. Working as a contractor for forty years has made me appreciate rainy and freezing weather where folks’ expectations were slightly lower. No one is going to insist that you continue a framing job or finish grading a lot with six or eight inches of snow on the ground. In the same vein, most folks aren’t going to insist on six or eight hours of piscatorial ravaging if water is hard frozen all around the ramps. Time spent indoors now can be used as review time, as to how the past year has gone without losing actual time doing what we love best.
There are those rare times though, where the sun shines and the temps rise and if you are able, a trip to Fontana can be one of the best of the year. I have found that the really big smallmouth seem to love the winter. If the water is liquid, I’ve even caught nice ones when it was snowing. That can warm you up in a hurry. Fish are typically shallow and will hit a jerkbait if fished slow with long pauses. My deadliest bait though, is a squirrel tail jig tied on a black and chartreuse jig head. Fishing with folks, not guiding where I had to share, has brought monetary offers for one of my jigs. Seems like I would only have one or two which made the price way out of reach for most of my friends. Don’t know why that jig works, it doesn’t look like anything that I know of shimmying along the drops, but those brown babies sure love it.
The other good thing about winter fishing is that when you find some, there are typically lots more in the vicinity. We have had years where a big school of fish would hang for weeks at a time off a point but since the senseless reintroduction of those cute little otters, this is rarity. They can scatter a school of fish faster than a deep dynamite blast.
Pray for the occasional warm day or two, get out when you can, and prepare for a quick turn in the weather. If you are out, use your head; falling out into 40-degree water is way different than falling into 90-degree water-life jackets are just that. If it’s too bad just remember what that spring day was like with fish every 3 or 4 feet down the bank. Remembering is a start towards anticipation of what’s to come. Thank you, Lord, for memories of fish past and those yet uncaught. Holler if you want to try it on a nice day, Later, Capt James.
Capt. James McManus owns 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day on the water at (828) 421-8125.