Myths come in all shapes and sizes – and truths do too for that matter. There’s the myth that a penny tossed off the top of the Empire State Building can penetrate the concrete sidewalk below (false). There’s also the myth that a duck’s quack doesn’t echo (true).
Not surprisingly, bass fishing has its own set of myths: Bass don’t eat topwaters when it’s sunny, big fish only eat big lures and so on. Winter fishing seems to take myths to a whole new level. Maybe the long hours in freezing cold numbs the mind as much as it does the hands, but one could write an article about how many myths there are regarding this chilly time of year – and whether or not they’re true.
So we did.
Myth: Fish will never hit a topwater in winter
Truth: A topwater approach is a prime way to target aggressive fish, which would seem to prove the myth, as winter bass are often lethargic. Still, bass are opportunistic feeders, especially large bass, and a meal on the surface is the easiest meal for a big bass in late winter.
Pro’s Comment: “This is completely false,” Walmart pro Wesley Strader says. “You don’t get many bites, but when you do it’s a good one. The conditions have to be right – late winter, water in the mid-40s, pre-frontal – but I’ve had some huge days throwing topwaters in winter.”
How to debunk the myth: Strader recommends a 1/4-ounce War Eagle buzzbait with an oversized blade. He usually creates his own by taking blades off larger buzzbaits and putting them on smaller ones. The reason behind this is he has to be able to reel the lure as slowly as possible, and the large blade and small body allow for it to creep along without sinking.
From there he heads to the backs of flats, where big females might be cruising even well in advance of the spawn. When conditions are as Strader describes, the bite can be on, though he says there is an easier way to know whether or not it’s the right conditions for a buzzbait.
“Bubbles,” Strader says. “When there is a bubble trail 4 to 5 feet behind my buzzbait, that’s when I know it’s the right pattern. I don’t know why, but the longer the bubble trail, left by the buzzbait, the bigger the fish I catch.”
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