3 Best Top Performing Winter Bass Baits for Largemouth bass.
Across the country, more big fish are caught in cold water than any other time of year. I’ve put together a list of the best cold-water conventional tackle bass baits out there that are commonly found in anglers tackle box or store.
Suspending Hard Plastic Jerkbaits
- Hard Jerkbaits that suspend perfectly in cold water like the LuckyCraft pointer, Spo Mcstick, and the all-time favorites Megabass 110 or a Rapala Husky Jerk.
Jerkbaits can be the most effective and productive lures in the game when the water temperature is in the 40s and below.
- Jerkbaits mimic a baitfish profile
- Employ erratic action for reaction strikes
- Suspend – a key for triggering bites from cold-water bass
How to fish: Twitch, twitch, and pause, twitch cadence around deep water docks, bluff walls, creek channels, and any remaining weed lines.
Tip: the colder the water, the longer the pause in between twitches.
Jigs
2. Jigs could or maybe should be listed as the number one bait for lethargic cold water bass. Crawfish or crawdads are still active in the coldwater and provide great protein-packed food for the bass looking to fatten up for the spawn and the onset of eggs.
- Jigs can be fished in laydowns
- Around any rocks or boulders
- Creek channels
- Deep points or ledges.
- Don’t be afraid to throw it shallow in any vegetation you might find.
How to: Use a trailer with less action in the winter such as a Reaction Innovations SweetBeaver without splitting the tail.
Sinking Weightless Worm
The weightless worm packs a very heavy punch! When fished with light line and patience it can be fished as deep as any bait you have. It will make it down to those suspended fish at forty feet, it just takes patience, but you will often be handsomely rewarded with lunkers on the line. The stealthiness of this lure will allow you to drop in on the fish multiple times without them catching on.
- Winter flats with some vegetation provide a great place for big bass to chase baitfish around and find a meal.
- Other times the fish are stacked up at forty feet on a point or a secondary point that is halfway back into the cove hanging around a big ball of shad.
- Deep docks on creek channels
How to: Light line and a spinning rod are the best weapons to deploy this tactic in the winter. Bass can be more skitish and need reassurance to commit to biting, the light line helps with that by providing a natural action to the bait.