If you still have the itch to find bass before winter, here are is an article I wrote to help get your line stretched. I’ve used these same methods outlined in this post, to find places where the bass can linger even when the water gets cold.

 




 

 Find Bass Before Winter

If you are like me, you want to squeeze out as many bass as you can even in cold water. Here is a list of three areas you can locate cold water bass, and the techniques to try to get them “Kraken.”
 

Where to Find the Bass:

This can be a tricky time of year to find fish. The fluctuations of the weather make fish change their minds constantly on where they want to be, and when they want to feed. Here are some areas to find bass before cold Jack Frost ices their mouths shut.
 

 

Rip- Rap:

Rocky shorelines are a great place to find fish. Rocks will tend to trap heat which make them a good place for baitfish, crawfish, and other critters to linger before it gets too cold. Oftentimes, bass can be found lying on the rocks in a foot of water trying to soak up the last few rays of sunshine. Plus, they can grab an easy meal while they are there.

Effective techniques to try around rip rap this time of year are; slowly walking a topwater bait a foot away from the bank, for that explosive topwater bite.  There may only be a small window for the late season topwater bite, but being prepared is never a bad thing.  I’ve also found cranking a soft plastic can work well.  This is slowly reeling a wobble head rigged craw so it bangs against the rocks.  You can draw some great reactions strikes with this technique. The bass may be also thinking about moving a little deeper. In this case, try something like a deep running jerkbait, or slowly crawl a spybait along the rip rap to grab you a few bass.  Regardless of what ends up being the key bait and technique, be prepared because these fish will rip the rod out of your hands.
 

 

Green Grass:

Green grass gives off extra oxygen attracting bait fish and bass.  If you can find a hole with green grass, you have found a bass magnet! As the grass slowly begins dying off use your electronics while idling around, and throw out some deep diving crankbaits to rip up and see the type of grass you have around you. Your ultimate goal is to find that healthy green grass.

Once you find the healthy grass areas, there are a few techniques you will want to throw at them. A wacky rigged finesse worm of some kind will often entice them to strike. The slow sinking presentation will require some patients on your part, but the Wacky Rig is always a go to of mine.

Another effective technique is ripping lipless crankbaits through the grass to get reaction bites. Size and weight of your lipless crankbait will depend how deep the fish are holding.  5 feet or less and you can get away with a 3/8oz, but any deeper and you may want to consider a 1/2oz.

If all else fails, don’t forget to try slow rolling a spinnerbait or a swimbait through these areas to catch a monster bass feeding up for the winter.  Make your color selection based on water clarity and any specific forage you know about in that specific body of water.
 

 

Muddy Water:

Muddy water warms up faster and stays warmer than clear water. You can often find bass still up in the backs of the creeks holding in the warmer dirty water.  You will also notice that there are still a few schools of baitfish hanging around too, so get in those creeks and go in after them!

Great ways to catch them in the dirty water are pitching a jig around heavy cover, throwing chartreuse squarebills banging them off of structure, and the trusty old Spinnerbait.  All of these techniques make some kind of vibration or underwater disturbance which allows a hungry bass to locate and slam the bait in the murky water.  Since the fish will rely on their lateral line to located your bait, loud and obnoxious baits are a good thing!
 

 
I hope this helps you find a few more bass before winter! Make sure to subscribe to the blog to get more great tips for catching bass. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog, to keep “Kraken” bass even as things start getting cold.

As Always,

Stay Stoked!
 
 
 

Gear to Use:

The links above and below in this post are affiliate links were you can pick up baits, rod’s, reels, line, and anything else I used to “Krak” some bass before winter. Krakenbass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits, and gear I have personally trust and know work. I put these links to make them helpful for you, and not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. I hope these products can help you “krak” some bass! Thank you for your support.

Baits:

Lucky Craft LVR Lipless Crankbait
Bobby Garland Biffle Bug Green Pumpkin Fishing Lure (8-Pack), 4.25-Inch
Jackall ASKA 70 SR Squarebill Crankbait
Damiki DC200 Deep Diving Crankbait
Megabass Giant DOG-X White Python Topwater Pencil Bait/Dog Walker
Strike King Finesse KVD Spinnerbait, Chartreuse Sexy Shad, 3/8-Ounce