By Capt. Cefus McRae
December brings a lot of change to our area. Folks are out in large numbers shopping for the perfect Christmas present. Holiday music plays in coffee shops, retail stores, and gas stations. Homes and businesses display decorations that would rival the North Pole; and every night a transformation occurs as thousands of lights create a landscape of color along every street. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the holiday spirit.
December also brings change in the outdoor world. Lake temperatures drop rapidly, so the surface temps are virtually the same throughout the water column. Fish can now feel free to cruise deep or shallow. And on a bright day, the sun warms up shallow flats and long points where they can soak up a little heat and get a quick bite to eat. For us anglers, fishing can be off-the-chain one day, and then all strike-out’s the next.
Fish can be fickle, especially when the water temp’s dip into the 50’s and lower. Because they are cold-blooded, everything tends to slow down in cold weather…both predator and prey. And that’s a key piece of knowledge. Cold water tends to make gamefish a bit sluggish. And because they are not expending a lot of energy roaming the lake, they don’t need to eat quite as many meals. But they still need to eat.
So downsize your lures to mimic morsels rather than big meals. Try scaling down and tying on small spoons, in-line spinners, smaller crank baits, etc. Slow down your presentation as well. In fact, try completely stopping your retrieve and simply let your lure sit in the water, or drop down slowly. That momentary pause may be just enough to entice a large bass to mosey over and take a look. And they may even do a little window-shopping before actually taking the bait.
That brings me to my next point. I know the majority of bass anglers tend to use artificial baits; but if you’re simply wanting to stretch a string, or perhaps you’ve got someone new to fishing or a kid on board, and you want to bend a rod…go with live bait. Did I just cross the line? Hope not. Seriously though, small shiners, crappie minnows, small worms, and crustaceans are what these fish are eating now; if you can give them what they want, you’ll realize a tremendous benefit from the tactic.
Fish the bank edges, shallow rock bottoms, and flats that warm up as the sun comes up. A couple degrees in temperature change can mean the difference between hero, or zero.
The mavericks and exceptions for winter fishing in our southeastern impoundments are stripers and hybrid bass. For them, the colder…the better. Fifty degrees is like heaven to them. Baits can be big or small, so the key is to determine what forage fish are still active and then mimic those species. Stripers will actually focus on a particular bait choice…like small threadfins for instance, and pass up virtually everything else. And when bait fish get scarce, they will look to other opportunities like bream, big gizzard shad, and even smaller bass or stripers. I’ll set up my slow-troll spread with a variety of species and sizes at the start of the trip and let the fish tell me what they want to eat that day. A couple herring down deep, one on a flat line, and a large juicy gizzard shad or trout on a planer board right up against the bank. Usually the water is quite clear, so fluorocarbon leaders are a must and go with the lightest line you feel comfortable with.
Winter fishing can be fun and it can be frustrating. Adapt your bait, tackle and tactics to the seasonal change and you can continue to put lots of fish in the boat.
From all of us at Nuts & Bolts of Fishing, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!
Tight lines and calm seas.