January 2022

Mark Zona's Top Three Cold-Water Baits

Mark Zona shares his three top lures for cold water bass fishing and how he prefers to rig them in the winter.

 

 


There is a common misconception that 50-degree water is cold water, but to a bass it isn’t. 50-degree temperature doesn't put them in wintertime mode, but 35 to 42 degrees does. Mark Zona has caught some of the biggest bass of his lifetime in 38-to-40-degree water.

The best lures for cold-water bass are not intrusive, they are subtle. These baits slow down to match the metabolism that the bass are in.

The number one bait is a 3.25” Rage Swimmer. This bait could be considered the cold-water version of a wacky rig Ocho because it generates so many bites. This bait can be slowed way down and can also be fished like a bottom bouncing bait. Make sure to keep bait color choices natural.

The next wintertime bite-getter is the Baby Z-Too. This bait catches big ones. Mark Zona fishes this bait differently in the winter. Instead of a dropshot, he uses a ned rig head to achieve a very subtle action and slow the bait down. A drop shot gets a lot of action, so he prefers to use the ned rig approach because of the elastic quality of a Baby Z-Too.