Entry 234-2

How to Catch Bass in January with Greg Hackney

Day 2: Bass on the Rocks

Question: Greg, what’s another can’t-miss tactic for January?

Hackney: Bass will eat crawfish at any time of the year. In this month, anywhere you find rocks on the bank that extend down into the water, those rocks will warm-up, and the crawfish under the rocks will become a little more active. The warm water from the rocks is also heating up the water around the rocks. Therefore, shad and other baitfish often will move close to the rocks to try and pick up some of that heat. So during January, rocky banks and riprap are where the buffet is being set out for the bass. To fish these rocky structures, I like Strike King’s Series 3 crankbait in either the shad pattern or the crawfish pattern.

Question: What color crankbait do you like at this time of the year?

Hackney: Brown crawfish, the Shore Minnow, and Sexy Shad are hard to beat. The clearer the water is, the more natural I want the bait to look, because natural-colored baits in clear water make tricking the fish easier. Red is always a good color, but often a bait they can’t see very well like a more natural-colored bait will be a bait that will attract the bass.

Question: How are you casting to the rocks?

Hackney: The bank itself will determine how I’m going to cast to it. If the rocks come out from the bank and drop off sharply, I’ll throw straight to the bank and try to bring that Series 3 crankbait out and over the lip of the break every time. Most of the time, I’ll be casting at a 45-degree angle to the bank as I fish down the rocks. Oftentimes, if bass are holding on riprap, you’ll catch them in 2 feet of water and 10 feet of water. This is the reason that fishing at a 45-degree angle to the bank is best for fishing at this time of the year, because I can hit both those depths. If all my strikes are coming in that 2- to 3-feet depth, and I’m not getting any bites any deeper than that, then I’ll position my boat to cast parallel to the bank. I’ll run my Series 3 through that 2- to 3-feet water depth. I’m usually going to let the bass tell me by where I get strikes as to how to position my boat. But most of the time in January, when I’m fishing down a rocky bank or riprap, I’ll be casting at a 45-degree angle.

Question: What pound-test line will you fish?

Hackney: Most of the time I’ll be fishing with fluorocarbon line. If I want to get that crankbait deep, I’ll be fishing with 8-pound-test line. But if I can get away with it, I’d rather fish with 12-pound-test fluorocarbon. I will drop down to 8-pound-test if I need to get the lure deeper than I could with 12-pound test.

Next: Rolling Timber

Contents:

• Part 1: Bet on the Wild Shiner
• Part 2: Bass on the Rocks
• Part 3: Rolling Timber
• Part 4: Jig Up Big Spots
• Part 5: Hit Them in the Head