The Best Winter Bass Fishing Techniques

Here are a couple of the best winter bass fishing techniques to keep you catching fish through the winter. Often winter is the time when bass fishing slows down, but you can use these techniques to still catch them. This post on winter bass fishing techniques will show you the ideal set ups, lure colors, and a video of these winter bass fishing techniques in action. Enjoy!

The Best Winter Bass Fishing Techniques

From my years of experimentation the following are two solid winter bass fishing techniques you can use with confidence. Included in this post is all the right tackle and gear to get you set up optimally for winter bass fishing. Plus, some video training on how these techniques can work for you. Lastly, I’ve created a box of my best winter bass fishing baits for you to purchase, so you don’t have to go through the hassle of knowing exactly what to get.

Quite honestly, winter bass fishing is a lot of fun for me. There is almost zero fishing pressure, and you can still catch some bass. They typically don’t fight as hard because the cold water makes them a little lethargic, but winter bass fishing still gets you buzzed when you get that bite! Winter bass fishing is a blast because nobody else does very well, so it makes it feel that much more rewarding when you get into them. Take these tips, and give me some feedback on how they work for you on your home waters in the comments below. Let’s go!

Blade Bait – Winter Bass Fishing Techniques

Fishing a blade bait is one of the best winter bass fishing techniques. A blade bait is generally small in size, and a perfect imitation of the small bait-fish usually schooled up in the winter time. Another reason the blade bait catches fish when other baits won’t is the incredible vibration and fast falling action. The tight fast vibration of a blade bait generates attention from bass because they can sense the water displacement with their lateral lines. Also, the dying fall of a blade bait triggers a reaction in a bass to quickly gulp the bait down.

The Holo Ayu Damiki Vault is my go to blade bait for winter bass fishing. It has some of the  best natural colors, and a solid action for drawing strikes. The hooks can sometimes get caught up in your line, but outside of this it’s a real great bait-fish imitator. This blade bait has produced several fish for me during the winter months. The 1/4 oz sized bait on a spinning rod and reel set up is my choice for fishing this technique. A spinning rod will help you get a ton of distance out of your casts, and help you hook up on fish optimally with a blade bait. Check out the video below to see how a blade bait can work for winter bass fishing.

Float & Fly – Winter Bass Fishing Techniques

The float & fly is a great winter bass fishing technique. It tends to produce some bigger fish this time of year. The bass love the float n’ fly because it imitates a suspended isolated bait fish. It’s too easy to eat, so they don’t pass it up. Plus, another benefit with a float n’ fly is you can target the exact depth you want.

There are a million different illustrated ways to do this technique. One of the most popular is using a 9 foot rod, so you can cast this light set up with all the leader. I’ve found a hack that will actually help you cast it further and get down to any depth you want. Here’s how I do it, so you don’t have to go out and by a whole different spinning rod and reel combo.

First, start with a good fly. The Spro Phat Fly was specifically designed for this application, and it’s the one I use. My favorite two colors are grey ghost and bluegill. Use the 1/8 oz size to help you get a little more weight, so you can cast it further with your bobber. Second, place a line tie bobber stop on your line. Add  a small bead underneath the stop to prevent your bobber from slipping over it. Third, place a slip pencil bobber on the line. You want a bobber that is heavy, so you can cast it further. Next, tie your fly on the line. Lastly, measure your line leader you want below your bobber,  and slide the bobber stopper up your line to where you want your fly to suspend. You are now ready to cast, and catch!

The spinning rod is ideal for this set up because you can literally reel up a line bobber stop into your spool. Most spinning rods have big enough eyes the knot for the stop will fly right out on a cast if you have a heavy enough bobber. Check out the illustration below of how your float n’ fly should be set up. Also, check out the video below to see how to rig the float n fly for winter bass fishing. This is such a fun way to fish even though it is painfully slow. I love the visual strikes you can see from the bobber. It’s good stuff!

Winter Bass Fishing Techniques Video

Here is a clip of these top winter bass fishing techniques producing in cold weather. The water temperature for this video was 45 degree’s. Pretty spicy cold! Ice was forming on my rod guides, and it made things a little difficult. Enjoy! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel to get notified of any videos posted to help you catch more fish.

 

 
 Lastly, I hope you enjoy this post. Leave a comment about some of your favorite winter time techniques for us bass addicts who can’t seem to get enough of it. The links above and below in this post are affiliate links were you can pick up baits, rod’s, reels, line, and anything else used to “Krak” some bass this winter. Krakenbass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits, and gear I personally trust and know work. These links are provided to primarily be helpful for you, and not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. Hopefully, these products can help you “krak” some bass like they have for me! Thank you for your support.

As Always,

Stay Stoked!!!