# Cold Weather?



## johnsona (Dec 4, 2003)

How do you think the largemouth fishing would be now that we've been in a cold snap for a while? I went out about a week ago and pounded them on a spinnerbait, but it was 70 degrees that day. What do you think would work best if they're not as aggressive?


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

Jig n Pig and pitch it into the heaviest cover you can find in 4-6 feet of water adjacent to the spawning areas. There should be some big females staging there in a pre spawn pattern. Also a soft jerkbait can be killer in rough conditions.


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

Yesterday, I went to the same 20 acre lake that johnsona fished two weeks ago. It was high and bright, and the first time the wind has laid down for two weeks. Water temperature was about 50 degrees. Classic cold front conditions. I caught 13 fish in 5 hours. Started with the fire tiger terminator spinnerbait, went to the 6" black sluggo, finished up with a 7" black, texas rigged power worm. The fish were hard on the wood, with deep water nearby. They hit everything hard, although the finesse presentations were more productive. Three c&r whoppers, only two fish smaller than 14". What a great afternoon! It just goes to show that if you wait for perfect weather conditions, you might be missing out on a great day. Count to one, and cross their eyes! Burl


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## Dave_w (May 25, 2005)

Okay, from my standpoint, you have three options. Option One sucks most of the time...you can keep pounding away at fish in the shallows who, frankly, aren't going to be in the mood for it.

Option Two is hard, but will produce fish under any condition, so long as the fish are deep. Just look for those fish residing in areas 20-30 feet down. Or deeper, if they happen to be there. I'm a skin diver, and I can tell you that once you get that far down, the only changes come from the seasons. Barometric pressure doesn't matter. Air temperature doesn't matter. These fish live in a world that doesn't change too often. Figure out where they are, on rock piles and shoals and in weedlines and slopes and edges and anything that just looks fishy, and you drop a four-inch Senko or similar jerkbait, rigged Texas-style on an unpegged sinker, or a small worm, or a tube bait, and just drift with the wind. Bring some beer and smokes. It's fun.

Option Three is unconventional and controversial...troll for them. I like a blue Risto Rap for 30 feet of water, a Rebel Spoonbill Minnow for 25, and Original or Jointed Rapalas for 20 feet and less. Cover water. Keep the engine running as slow as possible and cover as much water and structure as possible. If you catch a fish, make another pass. Yeah, yeah, I know it ain't tournament legal, but you're here to fish, not pretend you're some sissy pansy-boy pro. Trolling has produced 6 out of 10 trophy-size fish for me.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Did well on Senkos this weekend, and it was always overcast and wet. These monster coldfronts bite...but as long as the bass do too...I'm not complaining!


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