Yesterday was pretty mild compared to the last five days, but the cold nights have dropped the water temperature to 38 degrees making even a 5-10 mph breeze uncomfortable. But as with any cold weather fishing, warm clothes and a bright sun make an outing worth the discomfort (unless ya gotta go!)
When air temperature goes down so does my mental stamina. You can't go into a daze casting like a robot and expect to catch fish. Fish are in a variety of depths and proximity to shorelines and your lure is the true and only fish finder. If my mind was more active, I would have put a buoy marker out after catching fish rather than have to guess after my boat drifted away while taking fish off the hook.
I've found that even a boat's wind-re-position 10 yards away from where fish were caught can affect where casts should have been as in the case of a small tight school or group of fish. But again, the cold made me lazy and the buoy marker wasn't used. But at least general areas were learned and a few patterns evolved.
Granted, 18 fish (crappie, sunfish, mostly y.perch and small bass) are nothing to brag about, but every outing is a, well-I'll-be learning experience and better than just sitting around the house, wondering how the fishing was while sitting in the sun on the back porch.
As usual for cold water, 1/32 oz was my only choice along with just a few lure designs 2" or less in length - including the experimental design below that didn't disappoint- a cut-paddle tail worm:
I've been known to be the only boat on the water the day after Xmas. (Of course that's when I was many years younger.)
