Arrival of snow and cold prompt some anglers...maybe most...to stay indoors. However, that doesn't include the likes of MLF pros David Walker and Brent Chapman.
As the old song says, Rocky Top always will be home sweet home to Walker, who lives in Sevierville, Tenn., in the heart of the Smokey Mountains. When the forecast calls for snow, that's when Walker begins to get his tackle ready for a cold but active day of fishing.
"I don't know why, but on snowy days, it's on," he said. "I don't really know what to attribute that to, but the fish get pretty darn active. You'd think the weather would have a negative effect on the fish, but it's exactly the opposite. Typically, winter isn't a great time of the year, but if it starts snowing, you can guarantee that I'm going to get out there."
Kansas pro Brent Chapman echoes Walker's winter assessment. His first experience with snowy fishing was about 20 years ago on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. For six days, Chapman struggled to figure out Ozark bass in the midst of constant snow. While he struggled, though, other anglers prospered, using the opposite approach of what Chapman's instincts told him about catching fish in cold water.
"As a young and naive angler," he said, "I was fishing slow, like you'd think would be right under those conditions. After getting beat badly all week, though, I found out that guys were hammering the fish on a buzzbait. So now I like to do that when it starts snowing up here in Kansas and Missouri. I work a little quicker, since the fish for some reason become more active in the snow."
When the snowflakes start falling, Chapman looks for a 45-degree rock bank for structure. Walker likes to work the bank as well, but with a specific bait in mind.
Said Walker, "The main thing I want to do is cover a bunch of water. I usually try to start with a crankbait and work down the bank. I get my boat as close to the bank as I can, so my bait keeps hitting the bottom. I want my crankbait to be hitting and deflecting off the rocks and other cover as much as possible."
Laydowns and brush piles are pieces of cover that Chapman likes to focus on when there's snow on the ground. While he goes with a buzzbait, due to his lessons learned in the past, Walker picks up a jig when fishing heavier cover.
"Whenever I don't think I can get my crankbait through specific cover, I reach for a jig," Walker explained. "I look for laydowns, docks or brush when using that jig. I'll usually pitch a jig out there in stuff like that--you honestly can use a jig the entire time if you feel like it."
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