Entry 231-2

Wintertime Bass Fishing with George Cochran

Part 2: Spin Them Up

Question: George, what’s another tactic you use in December to catch bass?

Cochran: During the winter months, a spinner bait is hard to beat for productivity, if the weather’s right. All lures work best under a certain set of conditions. No lure always works under all conditions. That’s the reason tournament fishermen have big tackle boxes. Once they evaluate the conditions of a lake on the days they’ll be fishing, they try to pick the lures the most appropriate for the wind, the water color and the light penetration.

For instance, a crankbait works well in December usually. However, if an area has a lot of wind, rain or cloud cover, don’t forget your spinner bait because it can produce some really-good days of bass fishing this month. In December, I prefer to fish the Strike King emerald-shad colored spinner bait with a green head. Strike King is the only company that produces this color. This spinner bait looks exactly like a shad.

During December, I like a 1/4- or a 3/16-ounce spinner bait, if I’m fishing under bad-weather conditions. If I have a pretty day in December, I’ll be fishing the Series 1 and Series 4 spinner baits. I let the weather and the water conditions dictate my lure choices this month. I fish the spinner bait around standing trees or parallel it to the bank. Sometimes, I’ll catch bass in open water away from any type of structure. The bass will be in open water this month because they’re feeding on the shad in open water. Normally we expect bass and shad to be related to cover. But there are times during the year when shad swim in open water. Therefore, the bass have to be in open water, if they want to eat.

During this time of year, when the shad move to the backs of the creeks, you’ll find them in open water. You can cast and retrieve your spinner bait to catch suspended bass not holding on or over any type of cover. At this time of year, bass often will be feeding out in the middles of bays and over the top of creek breaks. That’s why people often have trouble catching bass. The bass are in open water, and the fishermen are accustomed to casting down the bank or at bank targets.

You can cast all you want down the banks, but if the bass are holding away from the banks or down the creek, they won’t see your lures. You won’t catch them. So, don’t be afraid to cast in the open water. Remember that when you’re fishing for suspended bass, like I’ve described, the bass will come up to take bait, but they won’t go down to get bait. When you see fishermen fishing the creek channels or the banks with lures designed to run along the bottom, they aren’t catching bass because they’re fishing below the fish.

When you’re fishing the spinner bait in open water, start your retrieve when your lure’s just under the surface. On the next cast, let your lure sink a little deeper. On the third and the fourth casts, allow the lure sink a little deeper. Once you determine at what depth the fish are holding, you’ll know how deep to let your spinner bait sink before you begin your retrieve. This technique isn’t only ideal for spinner-bait fishermen. When you’re fishing your crankbaits, use this same type of retrieve. Fish in the top story of the water first, and then allow your crankbait to get deeper. When I’m fishing the crankbait or the spinner bait, I reel the lures with a steady retrieve, kill the bait and then start reeling again. Most of the time the strike will come when you pause or hesitate the bait because the bass believe the bait is a dying shad.

Question: What pound-test line are you fishing with your spinner bait?

Cochran: Most of the time I’ll be fishing with 12- to 15-pound-test P-Line.

Next: It’s Not Too Cold for Top-Water Fishing

Contents:

• Part 1: Cranking Up Wintertime Bass
• Part 2: Spin Them Up
• Part 3: It’s Not Too Cold for Top-Water Fishing
• Part 4: Dead Stick the Jig When the Bass Batten-Down the Hatches
• Part 5: Use This When All Else Fails