In any event, the writer (a fella named Dave Brummond) took a survey on the Internet of the top five best bass lures, then matched it with the right techniques you need to be successful this time of year. What follows are the results of his research.
A spinnerbait got first nod, especially when fished in 3 to 7 feet of water. Bright colors, such as orange, white and chartreuse produce best in murky-water conditions, and translucent colors, such as light gray, generate best in clear water.
"Using a slow retrieve this time of year, due to the falling water temperature, is a common tactic," said the writer. "On the other hand, make sure to always let the bass tell you what speed they prefer. Vary retrieves until you catch a few. Adding twitches with the rod tip for a reaction strike can be a useful method as well. If you are attracting tentative bass (e.g., short-strikers), experiment with a trailer hook.
"Spinnerbaits most commonly produce best when fished around cover like logs, stumps, lily pads, salad bars...and don't forget another top producer, downed trees."
The next best lure, according to the writer, was a jig and pig, with black/blue the best color in off-colored water. Black and brown is also an excellent choice.
As he noted, "Most anglers tie on this bait during a cold front, when the bass have buried themselves in cover. Many anglers use it as a 'go to' bait when they can't buy a bite with any other lure.
"Make sure to fish this bait slow this time of year. Flip or pitch between 5 and 15 feet around dense cover, such as thick weeds, logs and downed trees. Once it settles to the bottom, utilize the rattle (always have a rattle on your jig) by lightly shaking the jig to make fish aware of its presence. Hop the jig four to five times, delaying about five seconds between movements, and pitch again. Work it into stump roots and drop it so it penetrates into thick weeds. Once you feel the lure brush against cover, shake the rod tip to exploit your rattle to attract the curiosity of a nearby bass.
"A high-visibility line is recommended to detect sudden line twitches. If you see or feel anything strange, different, or out of the ordinary, set the hook immediately."
Next up in the survey results of best early-winter baits was a floating Rapala. This well-known producer is hard to beat when bass are in the shallows, looking for an easy meal to start the winter. They don't want to chase a meal too far. Rather, they prefer an easy-to-eat bait, such as a dying minnow.
Said the writer, "A rainbow trout-colored Rapala twitched next to dying lily pads is a deadly method. Make a cast next to cover or toward the shoreline, twitch it underwater, and allow it to float back to the surface. Make about five twitches, and then bring it in like a crankbait, jerking it underwater all the way back to the boat.
"Do not set the hook very hard. It's easy to jerk too quickly and take the bait out of its mouth. Wait until the splash is gone to assure yourself a solid hookset."
Coming in next to last was a 7-inch power worm, which the writer defined as "a great weapon to have in your arsenal this time of year." The most common size, as he noted, though, is a 6-inch worm, adding that a 4-inch one can be just as effective. Texas- or Carolina-rigged (18 inches between hook and swivel) worms will produce year round when working drop-offs and breaklines.
"Cast out to structure, and let it settle to the bottom," said the writer. "Hop it slowly, like you would a jig. In between hops, shake the rod tip to allow the brass and glass combination to make some noise and possibly attract a fish from nearby dense cover. Keep your rod tip high to detect light bites, and be ready to set the hook at any moment.
"It's also extremely effective under docks and around logs and various underwater structure and cover. Make sure you always use glass with brass weights. Vary the size of your brass weights, depending on the size of worm and depth of water you are fishing."
And finally came a Rat-L-Trap...an ideal lure this time of year, especially for big bass. Extremely noisy, it attracts bass from distant cover and structure and works best when used in depths ranging from 6 inches to 10 feet.
"Retrieve it just fast enough to stay a little above the weedline or bottom," said the writer. "Give it sudden twitches for maximum sound. This lure can cause a reaction from a big bass holding next to cover. Run this bait parallel to docks and lily-pad edges. You even can run it down the side of a log, keeping your rod tip in the air. Don't set the hook too hard, as you do a worm or jig, because the fish usually hook themselves. Change the factory hooks with larger ones the day you buy the bait. Big mouths require big hooks...plain and simple."
A lesson to be learned here is that, in some respects, bass fishing really hasn't changed all that much in the last 25 years. These same baits are just as effective today as they were back then.
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