There always have been...and likely always will be...some anglers who stake their success in cold-weather bassin' on being able to find them in deep water. After all, that's what anglers have been told to do for a very long time, and too, quite a few have scored some unforgettable results doing just that.
However, there's also a camp of followers who believe you shouldn't overlook the possibilities that lie in fishing shallow water during the wintertime. Wired2Fish writer Walker Smith and his buddy, FLW Tour pro Clayton Batts, find themselves in this latter group.
As a result of their spending several weeks together one winter fishing only shallow water...very successfully, I might add...they developed a series of tips designed to help others achieve the degree of confidence it takes to pursue a similar course. Here's their advice:
Warmer water means active bass. You certainly can fish deep-water schools and catch a bunch of bass. Wintertime bass schools don't relocate very often, so it's a great way to catch numbers of fish. If you're looking to catch bigger bass and have a great chance at a huge limit, however, finding the warmest water is essential...and you'll likely find that in calmer areas.
"When the water gets cold, bass don't eat very much," said Batts. "Their metabolism becomes ridiculously slow, resulting in very little feeding activity and small feeding windows. Shallow water warms up faster in sunny conditions.
"As the sun becomes higher throughout the day, bass will gravitate toward the warmest water available and slowly move onto shallow flats and cover in order to feed. This sparks an increase in their metabolism and makes them more apt to chase down prey.
"Warm water doesn't only attract bass; it also attracts big schools of shad and makes the crawfish more active, as well. When the bass slide higher in the water column and into shallower water, they have a virtual buffet just sitting there waiting on them."
Focus on shallow water close to deep water. Winter bass don't like to move if they don't have to. Rarely will they totally pack up and relocate in the colder months. More times than not, they prefer to move vertically throughout the water column, making adjacent deep water a very important ingredient to a productive shallow pattern.
"If you're talking about shallow bass fishing in winter, you don't want to target the very backs of creeks," cautioned Batts. "Instead, look for shallow water that has deeper water nearby.
"Oftentimes, these kinds of areas can be found on main-lake or main-river banks, channel-swing banks, or near primary points. These areas essentially give bass the best of both worlds: access to a shallow feeding area and the security of deeper water in which they can suspend. With very little exertion, they're able to have everything they need to survive in a single, compact area."
Start with reaction baits. Throughout the winter months, you won't see Smith throwing soft plastics very often.
"You can cast to some deep bass or pitch to cover, in hopes of getting lucky and catching a nice one," he said, "but a crankbait is always my starting point. It allows me to do two things: eliminate dead water and force reaction strikes from otherwise inactive bass."
Batts agrees with this theory, primarily focusing on hard reaction baits, such as shallow-running crankbaits and bladed swim jigs.
"My first choice when fishing in winter is a 3-to-5-foot Spro John Crews Little John crankbait," said Batts. "Although the shallow bass you're targeting are most likely looking to eat, you have to remember they probably won't be chomping at the bit. It's important to make these bass react to something.
"Slow your roll! Crankbaits really can shine in the winter, but it's important to slow your retrieve to cater to the inactive bass. Many of your bites will come when the crankbait barely is wobbling side-to-side, so if you think you're fishing slow, slow down even more.
"Bladed swim jigs also provide a great in-between presentation for shallow winter bass. When retrieved slowly, they represent a big, protein-rich meal that a big bass doesn't have to aggressively pursue. When I throw a bladed swim jig this time of year, I like to stroke it slowly off the bottom," Batts continued. "It still provides enough thump and flash to force a reaction strike, while its big profile tends to attract larger bass. This technique provides a lot of my kicker fish in winter tournaments, but you have to be patient. You'll probably only get a few bites on it, but they'll definitely count."
Use soft plastics and jigs as a fallback, but go against conventional wisdom. If the shallow bite isn't happening with favorite hard reaction lures, a jig or heavy Texas rig makes a great fallback option. You won't be able to cover water as quickly, but you'll still have the opportunity to elicit reaction strikes.
"Although conventional wisdom dictates we choose the smallest, most non-threatening and natural soft plastics throughout the winter months, you can catch some great big bass by simply upping your bait size and fall rate," said Batts. "I like to use a half-ounce Secret Lures MVP Flippin' Jig when it gets really tough. I'm definitely going to stay in shallow water, but I'm going to slow down and bulk up my profile. For the same reason, I prefer hard baits this time of year. I like a big, heavy jig, so I can surprise that big bass and make her bite quickly."
Understand how to change with the weather. As Batts learned, "When I first got on this shallow, cold-water pattern, it was hit-or-miss for me. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I was catching my big ones at lunchtime one day and at sundown the next. After I got out there with Smith a few times, I finally figured out that I had been missing something very simple: The sun is the determining factor.
"Shallow water warms up very quickly on a sunny day, especially when it's stained," said Batts. "When you're dealing with these big, shallow bass, feeding times tend to get thrown out the window. It's all about the sun. Regardless of what time it is, or how long the sun has been up, you need to be in shallow water when the sun is out.
"As soon as the clouds roll in, the bite totally shuts down. My Lowrance lit up with bass on nearby river ledges that I graphed without seeing a single fish when it was sunny. They simply slid into deeper water. The question, though, was: How do I catch 'em without the sun? After some experimentation, I found a pretty productive technique.
"When the clouds came in, a lot of the bass instantly slid back into deeper water--no questions asked," Batts continued. "If you consistently had been catching them on a specific piece of cover in the sun, you had to turn around and throw a jig or a heavy Texas rig to adjacent deep water. They wouldn't move much at all, so you had to comb the surrounding area and find where they had relocated."
Gravel and clay banks are hotspots. As already discussed, shallow winter bass fishing is all about warm water. To get the most out of your next fishing trip, make a concerted effort to look for bottom composition that will conduct and hold heat.
According to Batts, "Gravel and clay bottoms conduct heat very well in winter. One of the best ways to catch a giant bass is by fishing small crankbaits in these areas. If you can find laydowns or nearby docks, it's an added bonus that will only sweeten the deal."
Smith added, "Throughout my guide trips, I've noticed the same thing. I can go down an entire shallow bank adjacent to deep water and not get a single bite until the bank transitions into a hard bottom. The previous areas looked great to the naked eye and fit my pattern perfectly, but the heat that the hard bottom was emitting was concentrating the bass into very small and specific areas."
Make repeated casts. Shallow-water fishing isn't the same in winter as it is during other times of the year. You probably can work your way down a stretch of bank and crank up some fish, but it's important to be a little more hard-headed than that. If you see a piece of cover, whether it's a laydown, dock or stump that fits the pattern and looks like it should hold a bass, don't give up on it.
"Take a risk," said Batts. "Bass can get into some really thick, shallow cover this time of year, but you need to get your bait in there with them. The frustration of multiple hang-ups can be well worth it when you land a huge bass.
"If you think a bass is sitting on a specific piece of shallow cover, you need to make at least five casts to it," he added. "That fish may not be looking for a meal, but if you make it mad enough, it'll eventually get tired of the monkey business and crush your bait.
"Repeated casts also are important because shallow wintertime bass, especially in the south, tend to get tucked very far into cover to absorb the heat it conducts. There's a good chance it didn't even notice your bait on the first cast, so you need to give it a fair chance at detecting and locating your offering."
Batts and Smith agree that "whether you lack the equipment to bass fish in deep water, or you simply don't enjoy it, you shouldn't let the cold, nasty weather discourage you. If you want to catch big bass in shallow water, try to apply these tips during your winter trips. You may not catch a bunch of bass, but the ones you do catch probably will be bragging size."
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