Entry 157-5
How to Catch January Bass with Randy Dearman
Go to Carolina this Month
Editor’s Note: Randy Dearman, avid fishermen and professional angler, of Onalaska, Texas, has fished professionally for 20 years. He works as part of Strike King’s Pro Fishing Team and has competed in seven Bassmasters Classics.
If the bass haven’t moved up in January, they’ll usually be holding close to shallow water, but they’ll be on the deep side of the lip of the break. That’s the reason I like to fish the Carolina rig this month. The two baits that I use most this month when I’m fishing the Carolina rig in deep water are the Strike King 3X Lizard or the Strike King Floating Worm.
One of the big mistakes most people make when they fish Carolina rig in cold weather is they fish it very slowly. I know all the books and the magazine articles say that during the winter months, the bass’s metabolism slows down, the fish move slowly, and they won’t hit a fast-moving bait. However, remember, the bass don’t read those magazine articles or watch TV shows. So, they don’t know that the only bait they’re supposed to hit is a slow-moving bait, and they don’t know what the word metabolism means. So I fish a Carolina rig fast this month.
I generally like to fish it on a 1/2-ounce lead sinker instead of a 1-ounce lead sinker. And I’ll be casting the bait into 4 or 5 feet of water that drops off into deep water. Your first and secondary points are ideal places to use this technique. Too, don’t overlook the points of pockets. I don’t drag the lizard, stop it and shake it. Once the lead reaches the bottom, I continuously drag the lead across the bottom and move the lizard, rather than letting it sit in one place. My favorite colors for the lizard and the worm are watermelon in clear water and Junebug in stained water.
Although many of the principles you read about fishing slow with big baits when the weather’s cold are good rule-of-thumb tactics, don’t forget that bass are individuals, they have individual personalities and habits, and none of them will always do the same thing all the time. If they did, we’d catch them all, and then we wouldn’t have any fish to continue to fish for. So don’t be afraid to try different tactics, various sizes and kinds of baits and fast retrieves when the weather’s cold.
The biggest bass in the lake didn’t get to be the biggest bass in the lake by biting the same types of lures fished the same way that everyone fishes. That bass grew big by not biting the same kind of lures fished the same way that everyone else fishes. So, try some of the techniques and the baits that I’ve recommended that have worked for me, and I believe they will work for you.
Contents:
- Part 1: Fish Fast this Month
- Part 2: Let the Jig and Pig Root the Grass
- Part 3: No Lips
- Part 4: The Zero’s My Hero
- Part 5: Go to Carolina this Month
