When water temperatures drop below 50 degrees, bass become very lethargic. This makes targeting largemouth during the winter a little tricky. Usually, anglers slow down their presentation and downsize their bait to increase bites. However, this isn't the only way to catch winter bass, and sometimes, throwing aggressive baits can still work. You just have to slow down your retrieve. Either way, winter bass fishing is all about reading water and being prepared with a number of different baits. Here are the best winter lures to help you do just that.
Finesse Jig
Several different styles of jigs work well in the winter months, but the best for cold water is the finesse jig. This smaller-profile bait mimics a slow-moving crawfish along the bottom and presents a perfect, easy meal for lethargic bass. The key feature of this bait is the skirt around the head. The outside half of the skirt is trimmed to decrease the jig’s overall profile and create a collar to mask the head of the bait. Throw finesse jigs around rocky points and other hard bottoms to get bit. I like to pair my finesse jigs with a Missile Baits Baby D Bomb Creature Bait.
Ned Rig
A Ned rig functions as the finesse jig’s little brother. To build one of these baits, take a Ned head and slide a soft plastic bait, like the Z-Man Finesse TRD, on the back of it. There are dozens of Ned baits on the market now, but the most effective ones to date are still the simplest looking. Imagine a half-Senko sliding up on a jighead. The real beauty of this rig is in its simplicity. Just throw it out, let it sink, and drag it back along a clean or rocky bottom. The Ned head is designed so the bait stands up.
Jerkbait
A jerkbait is one of the most popular baits for wintertime fishing, especially in late winter, just before the pre-spawn. These baits work well on cover-oriented winter bass around docks and seawalls as well as on suspended fish in deeper water. Jerkbaits can be twitched down to where the bass are and then paused right in front of their faces. Then pumped again to imitate a fleeing baitfish. This quick-burst, start-stop action works great at producing reaction strikes.
Finesse Crankbait
The Rapala Shad Rap and baits like it have caught countless fish from frigid water. These baits have thin, long profiles with very tight actions, as opposed to the wider wobble of big round crankbaits. This subtler action is often necessary to get bit in water below 50 degrees. These baits are light and often require spinning reels to throw them. Fish finesse cranks in water that’s 1 to 8 feet deep and aim to maintain contact with the bottom as you reel them slowly along.
Squarebill
Squarebills also work great in the winter. Flat-sided squarebills, like the Berkley Frittside 5, have a similar tight action to the finesse crankbaits. But the rounder squarebills, like Bill Lewis SB-57, work great too, you just have to fish them really slow. The key to getting bit on a crankbait in the winter is to fish it just fast enough to keep it down, so that it can maintain contact with the bottom and bump into and over cover. Don’t reel it any faster than what’s necessary to do just that.
Spinnerbait
Spinnerbaits are one of the more aggressive baits that you can consistently get bit on in the winter. Using Colorado blades allows you to slow down your bait while simultaneously creating a lot of vibration. This combination makes double Colorado blade spinnerbaits ideal for fishing in cold, shallow, muddy water. You’ll want to slow roll a spinnerbait in the winter, reeling it just fast enough to keep the bait upright and the blades turning.
Umbrella Rig
An umbrella rig is an extremely effective winter-time bait, especially for bass suspended deeper around structure, such as bridges and humps. These fish were previously difficult to reach before the invention of the Alabama rig. But now, pairing this castable ball of baits with forward-facing sonar has made these bass extremely reachable. Unlike many winter bass, these fish are active and looking to feed on bait balls. Throw an umbrella rig, and you’re sure to get bit.
Jighead Minnow
The jighead minnow has become a staple for forward-facing sonar year-round, especially in winter. Pairing a small jighead with a miniature minnow-style bait creates an ultra-finesse presentation. But, since this bait is so subtle, you have to hit the fish right on the head with it. This is where forward-facing sonar comes in handy.
