My favorite thing in the world may be pulling up to a popular boat ramp at 10:00 a.m. and being the only truck there. Usually, when that happens, I wonder if everyone else knows something I don’t, like an impending tornado or a massive fish kill that I somehow missed. But, in the wintertime, empty parking lots are the norm.
Despite what your brain tells you, empty ramps don’t mean there aren’t fish to be caught. Wintertime bass fishing can be phenomenal, and it feels great to land a big bag when everyone else has winterized their boats and given up for the season. Here are the top bass lures and techniques I use to capitalize on uncrowded fishing in the winter months.
The Best Bass Lures for Winter
The Alabama Rig
The A-Rig is one of my top producers in the cold months. I mean, the thing got banned from professional tournament trails — if that doesn’t make you want to fish it, I don’t know what will. While it’s forbidden professionally, it’s perfectly legal for everyday anglers to use. However, check your state regulations on the number of hooks allowed on one line.
For example, in my home state of Tennessee, you’re restricted to three hooks per line. In states that limit hooks, you can utilize hookless “dummy” baits on your A-rig attached to hitchhikers.
I order custom bass lures online as much as the next guy, but sometimes I fail to plan ahead, so I like readily available baits that I can purchase in-store near me. I use two common options in the A-rig category: the Yum Flash Mob Jr. and the 6th Sense Divine Umbrella Rig.
Both are decent quality, but I recommend purchasing the packages with just the Umbrella Rig rather than “kits.” The kitted versions tend to have lower-quality jig heads and swimbaits. Pick your favorite ¼-ounce and ⅜-ounce swimbait heads to attach to the rig, and you’ll be all set.
I fish Keitech Fat Swing Impacts in the 3.8 size for swimbaits and 6th Sense Divine Swimbaits in 3.2 and 3.8. In the winter, stick to natural shad colors or chartreuse.
I love the A-rig because I can slow roll it on the bottom in 20 feet of water or chase the few remaining shallow fish on the banks. The key is a steady retrieve with intermittent rod pulses that cause the rig to collapse on itself and then expand.
Crankbaits
Crankbaits are my favorite lure to use throughout the entire year, and winter is no exception. While the key to winter bass fishing is generally “low and slow,” I do the polar opposite with crankbaits. I burn them extremely fast to try and fire up lethargic fish. Burning them and then pausing them over likely areas such as ledges, main lake points, and channel swings can produce phenomenal results.
This is an excellent technique for a few reasons. First, it will be some of the most fun fishing you’ll experience when the fish are willing to commit. Second, it allows you to cover tons of water quickly, which can be hard to do in the winter.
In the wintertime, you need to focus on tighter wobbling crankbaits. Some of my favorites are Rapala’s DT series and the Berkley Frittside. Both baits come in many colors and different diving depths, allowing you to cover shallow and deep water.
Jigs
Jigs are on my deck year-round and are known to catch big fish. In the cold months, when I’ve tried faster-moving bass baits to no avail, jigs are guaranteed to put some fish on the deck. Often, I’m targeting winter bass on hard structures like chunk rock, bluff walls, and rip-rap, so I stick to a classic football jig.
The best football jigs I’ve used to date are the Dirty Jigs Tour Level Football Jigs. They have high-quality Gamakatsu hooks and great color options. My two favorite colors in the winter are “Super Matt Brown” and “Black and Purple.”
Trailers are simple in winter — you’re looking for trailers with minimal movement. You’re cold, the fish are cold, the crawdads are cold. Nothing moves much in the cold, so your jig trailer shouldn’t either. Leave the multi-appendage creature baits at home and stick to simple trailers like the Rapala Crush City Cleanup Craw and the Berkley Maxscent Meaty Chunk.
A quick word on Maxscent: I used to believe scent didn’t make a huge difference when bass fishing. Then, I used Maxscent products. If you haven’t used them yet, do yourself a favor and buy them now. Here’s an annoying and overused but very accurate description: gamechanger.
I drag jigs slowly on the bottom during cold months, with frequent pauses and occasional shakes. It should feel grindingly slow, but it will all pay off when you land a PB.
Spoons and Blade Baits
Spoons and blade baits are very popular in the North, but I rarely see anglers in the South or West using them. That doesn’t mean they don’t work. Metal bass lures do a great job of imitating dying baitfish that are fluttering near the bottom, and cold-weather bass rarely pass up on that easy of a meal.
These baits get down quickly in deeper water, and I use them to cover depths of 15-40 feet, which is where you’ll find most bass in the winter. The best way to fish them is to either jig them directly underneath you just off the bottom or cast them out and “yo-yo” retrieve them back to you. To do this, lift your rod tip to lift the bait off the bottom, and then allow it to fall back down and reel in the excess slack.
The top spoon for me has been the Live Target Flutter Shad. These ultra-realistic spoons come equipped with feathers on the treble hook, giving the bait a touch more life than a standard treble hook.
For blade baits, I use the Acme V-Rod Bladebait. Like most blade baits, it comes with three different line ties. During colder months, I want the bait to have a tighter wobble, so I utilize the line tie nearest to the head of the bait.
Ned Rig
Yeah, I know fishing a ned rig makes me look like a newb. Yeah, I know it’s what you have your toddler fish with on a “fairy stick.” But when all else fails, when I have tried everything and the lake seems devoid of life, the Ned rig will work.
Most people view the Ned rig as a little fish/numbers bait. The Ned will indeed catch small fish, but that’s because it will catch every single fish, including big ones.
The Ned rig can’t draw in big fish from a distance like a jig or an A-Rig. However, if you put it right in front of a big fish, it will get eaten. Every month, I catch bass over 5 pounds on a Ned Rig. So set your pride aside and pick up a Ned this winter when you’re struggling to catch fish.
My favorite Ned Heads are the Strike King Tour Grade Weedless Ned Head. I don’t know why, but they tend to snag on rock significantly less than other heads, and they hold fish well. The lightest weight possible is my go-to for shallow fishing, and the heaviest weight possible is my choice for fishing 10+ feet deep.
I also get on my Maxscent soapbox when it comes to Ned rigs. Ninety percent of the time, I fish the Maxscent Lil’ General. It has a much more subdued color than other Ned baits and gets more strikes. However, if you’re used to fishing the OG Z-Man TRD, you will find that the Lil’ General is not nearly as durable. Be sure to stock up on multiple packs.
Is Winter Bass Fishing Even Worth It?
Winter bass fishing can be a daunting but rewarding pursuit. Low fish activity, frigid temps, and fish moving out of their usual lies can quickly frustrate anglers. However, if you head out onto your home waters armed with these bass lures, you have a leg up in solving the puzzle that is wintertime bass fishing.
At the very least, you’ll likely have the lake primarily to yourself, and it sure beats sitting at home watching a bass influencer on YouTube with ridiculous thumbnails.
