As this duo explained, the water temps had dropped from the high 50s to the low 40s, and the air temps had fallen from the 50s to the 20s, and yet, the big fish still were chomping the jigs these two guys had been throwing for more than four months. Granted, the fish had moved around some, but the baits had stayed the same.
Said the angler above, "Common knowledge suggests that there comes a point around December when the night bite ceases to exist until late spring. It also suggests that, if you are to catch fish, it should take place between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight (at least, that's what I was taught). Well, I'm here to say all that is totally bogus."
He went on to explain that on one February night...in the wind, rain and cold, no less...he and his buddy had caught a five-fish limit that weighed 38.1 pounds. His best five alone were well over 36 pounds. He subsequently came to the conclusion that "common knowledge is bull. It's limited by the minds of those who refuse to experiment. Why do most people get them between 10 p.m. and midnight? Because they're not crazy enough to be out there at 3:30 a.m. (while the ice is building up on the deck) to see if the big fish still are biting. If you want to stick big fish, I believe you need to be willing to do what others will not."
While in the middle of an eight-day rain pattern, this same fella decided to go to one of his favorite lakes and throw a swimbait for big largemouth. After making the 45-minute trip there, he launched his boat and ran 10-plus miles to his first spot and began throwing a large swimbait called a "baitsmith magnum." The waves were running 2 to 2.5 feet tall, which he described as "nothing you can't fish, but you don't want to try and run against them."
The wind was blowing a steady 10 to 15 mph when he hollered...to no one in particular because he had no partner..."fish on!" However, his 8-foot Dobyns rod didn't load up, so he shook his head, tweaked the bait a little, and started casting again.
Long story short, he had a few bites but didn't land a single fish. More importantly, though, in a matter of minutes, the lake went from fishable to out of control. He was dealing with one-quarter-inch hail coming down so hard he couldn't see through it. Huge waves were coming at him, and there was lightning everywhere. An hour and a half later, he was sitting at home, soaked, a little shaken, bruised from the hail that was hitting at 60-plus mph, while trying to dodge lightning. The main thing, though, was that he was still alive.
For a normal person, an experience like that would have been the end of that day's story, but not for this hardcore dude. No less than 10 minutes before getting a call that cancelled his evening plans, he called a buddy, and 15 minutes later, the two of them were starting a two-hour drive to this fella's favorite night lake...with a boat still full of water and batteries with only partial life.
While the buddy (right) was retying from that fish, he felt his swim jig settle, and as he picked up the slack, something just didn't feel right. Bottom line: A 9.6-pounder landed in the net a few seconds later. After taking some photos and making a clean release, the two fellas moved on to the next spot of the night.
On about the fifth cast, the fella was free-swimming his bait down the rocks there when he felt a "tick." He quickly engaged the spool, reeled down, and reared back on yet another hard-fighting fish. Yelling for the net, his buddy quickly jumped into action and slid the net under a healthy, chunky 8.9-pounder.
The duo continued fishing until about 2 a.m. but never had another bite. The moral of this story, according to these two hardcores, was that "even when it's cold, the big 'uns still are out there, and they have to eat. You just have to decide if it's worth the effort."
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