1/03/2006
We
have So much to look forward too
Once the river
opens....
Weekend
anglers hate it. Even guides and pro bassers dread it, foggy cold
days interrupted at times by Rain at times brings plenty of cold
muddy water. It's our sports one-two punch -- the toughest conditions
bass anglers are likely to encounter of the year. And that’s
right it's coming to a lake or river near you very soon. Heck
what else can we count on for the 2006 season but increased license
cost and soon muddy water. As you can tell Vince and I struggle
through it.
As we know,
Mr. Bass is cold blooded and doesn’t need or want to eat
much as the temperature drops . While this can be very tough on
the overall bite still . Besides being cold-blooded, the bass
is primarily a sight feeder. Even though it has a lateral line,
it mainly uses its keen sense of sight when feeding.
In clear water
like lakes, the bass can see a considerable distance and will
forage along weedlines, points, ledges, the bottom, the shoreline
and other structures, looking for a meal. It feels comfortable
in its surroundings.
In muddy water
as flows increase, the bass can't see nearly as well and won't
wander far from a home base -- usually an object like a stump
or log. Sticking with They'll be very tight to cover. Biologists
believe that when their visibility is restricted, bass 'park and
hold' tight to submerged objects because these objects serve as
a reference point in their low-visibility world. When they can
see only a few inches, they probably feel some sense of comfort
when hunkering up to a stump, log or rock, just as you'd feel
more comfortable sitting in a chair in a totally darkened room
than trying to walk and feel your way around in the blackness.
Flipping
or pitching with weedless baits like jigs
and plastic
worms (see below) are highly recommended presentations. "Because
visibility is limited, you can move close to stumps, logs and
other targets without spooking the bass. Drop the lure right in
the thickest part of a brushpile or stump and work it very slowly.
Often a strike feels like no more than a dull resistance, just
as though you'd hooked a small branch. Just slight pressure, set
the hook, if it’s not the tree or stump it may go three
or four pounds.
Here’s
some things to look for as winter temps take hold.
Runoff areas
with warmer water -- Mud has usually entered the system via runoff
from tributaries, typically following a hard rain. Often the temperature
of the runoff will be warmer or colder than the river water. If
it's warmer, this will pull a ton of forage as well as predatory
species like bass into the back-ends of the flowing tributaries.
A surface-temperature gauge can be the most important piece of
equipment on your bass boat now. If the lake water is 42 degrees
and the murky runoff in the back ends of the tributaries is 48,
most bait and gamefish will be in the runoff. In winter, I'll
fish the warmest water regardless of how muddy it is.
Shallow cover
in protected coves -- Bass will seldom be very deep when their
visibility is restricted by dirty water. To the contrary, when
mud enters the system, it often pushes bass shallower where light
penetration is better. Plus, muddy water can warm up quickly on
a sunny day. Coves on the north/west side of the delta offer the
most wind protection; the chilling breezes tend to hit hardest
on the opposite (south) shore. Again, your boat's surface-temp
meter will show that the water on the north shore may be 5 to
7 degrees warmer than elsewhere in the lake."
Big objects
inside the shallow zone -- Bass will hold tight to stumps, big
rocks, dock pilings and other large objects -- and I do mean tight.
Big stumps with exposed root systems and boulder-sized rocks are
especially good. I'd look for these in 5 feet of water or less."
This should
help you as winter blues take hold in the Delta, if you want more
action now head to the spotted bass Lakes.
Pennies
on the dollar for fishing rods, reels, baits, lures, and more?
You be the judge!
