My favorite saying giving to me by an old boss of mine many years ago in another life “fish where the fish are,” has never been so meaningful as it is in the winter time. You must locate areas that give you your best chance of finding fish and finding active fish. This requires patience, persistence and just down right stubbornness to accomplish when the water is cold and winter faces you with many elements.
Your way points are probably one of your best starting targets; I suspect you found fish on these waypoints so starting your search where you have caught fish before makes all the sense in the world. Yes, you must be selective in your way points as winter patterns require different locations than your summer time way point patterns. Start by using your Lowrance technology, slowly, thoroughly and with an open mind scan the bottom of your winter time spots. Look for bottom change, cover, quick drops and bait to help you determine the viability of these spots. If you scan and see nothing then it’s probably smart to move on, but if you see fish stacked up, with structure and bait you probably have a good shot at getting bite. One of the things I like to see is contour change, tight contours, bends either inside or outside bends makes great winter locations. Many time bass like the bottom to take a turn where they can sit and ambush from many directions; so sharp bends in contours create this type of surrounding. Combine sharp turns with structure, steep drops and bait fish and you have an area with high possibility of holding bass in the winter.
Presentations for winter bass are still important, as winter requires you to use baits that work slowly and tantalize bass by their presence especially if the fish you’re targeting are deeper than 15 or so feet. Some of these baits are my traditional winter baits for years; Tight Line football jigs, dead sticking Missile bait new 48 stick bait, Shaky head technology has really come a long way and has become a very good deep patient bait. The traditional drop shot is always good; I am not a fan but it works. Work slowly and entice with presence and you will have a great winter day!
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Capt. Mike Gerry