Cold Weather Spinnerbait Tips

winterbassWhile the Northern portion of the country is pulling numbers through the ice, the warmer regions of the United States are still able to offer action on the water, and not the frozen kind. If you’re able to take the boat out for bass this winter, keep reading for some spinnerbait tips that will help you when the temperatures drop.

Even though it’s cold, a sunny warm front heating the surface waters for a few days makes for some good action. This will draw bass up from deeper waters and drives them to feed. When they swim upward after a warm front, bass will readily strike a spinnerbait swimming above them. When this happens, start your hunt by casting a spinnerbait towards structure such as fallen trees, or windfalls on steep, rocky banks. Here, bass can quickly move shallow or deep as they respond to the weather.

With a 7-foot medium-heavy baitcasting rod and 50-pound braid, you should have little trouble. The sensitivity of braid will let you know right away when you’ve got a strike, but you’ll also be able to feel every bump when it contacts a log. Where you don’t want to use braid, though, is in crystal-clear water, where 14-pound fluorocarbon is a much better option.

When you’re choosing a bait pattern, start with a ¾ ounce chartreuse and white. I’ve also found that using one with a small, nickel Colorado blade ahead of a gold number 7 willowleaf blade leads to success. The big willowleaf blade’s flash allows you to creep the spinnerbait along at slow speeds but still draw strikes from sluggish bass. Let your spinnerbait sink to your desired depth and then slow-roll it back to the boat.

Slow-rolling structure after a period of sunny days will definitely boost your chances of catching bass during the colder months of the year. If you’re still able to get out on the water, implement the tips outlined today and you’ll be sure to pull fish after fish to your boat.