Everybody gets on here a complains how cold it is but I love it . It groups them up.I've fished with buddies from Kentucky , tennessee , Alabama that came down here in Texas and they really helped me put together a better bite.
Tip number:
1. Slow down , slow down. Most of us fish to fast in the winter. . Pull it up to cover and leave it, shakey it , slow pull it over and leave it
2. Learn to fish a jerkbait and rapala ,wiggle wart. Feather the baits through . A stop and go retrieve is amazing.
3. A silver buddy is awesome in cold weather.
4 .Fish the conditions not the water temps. I've caught fish in two feet water in 38degree water temp. Example a windy day on Fork we started flipping creek channel edges nothing for 2 hours . Friend let's run some main lake and secondary ponts in creeks . First cast friend boats a 6lb bass on a jerkbait . The rest of the day we caught
fish every stop on jerkbait, jig and shakey head.

What has helped you this winter?

Nice info

Great winter tips--my fishing buddy caught a lot yesterday on a shaky head.
When the water temp drops below 50deg F fish tend to go deep, but not all of them. Agree, had good luck in creeks this winter going slow and small (beetle spins, 1/4oz traps)

Going for deeper fish below 50degF, vertical presentations--drop shot, small jigs, spoons, wing dings

Using pork trailers and gulp alive worms

With a warming trend in the middle of winter, I had good luck at the 15-10ft depths with a very slow hesitating retrieve with deep crank baits.

it is hard to have anything help you when we have had the winter we have had this year. it is about 18 degrees right now. had some freezing drizzle last night, and is snowing lightly right now with more to come as the day and night goes on. going to have some sub zero temps until around wednesday. kind of hard to learn anything when it is just flat too bad to go most of this winter.

i am envious of those that have been able to go. it will be summer time before we know it though.

bo

Yep my observations over the years has been exactly that "slow down". I won the very first bass tournament I ever entered after a snow storm and blue northerner blew through on Lake Erling in Arkansas in the mid 80's. I was slow rolling 3/8 oz. tandem willow leaf spinnerbaits in different colors, off of a main creek point in 25 feet of water letting the spinnerbait sink to the bottom. Also lure down sizing seems to help but still fished slow. I've also caught fish in the dead of winter dead sticking a Smithwich Rogue. I found out that would work after I back lashed a reel while casting one of these......

Stay home until the water temps reach 60

I got hooked on fishing a spinner bait all this winter. I swear the only way it got bit was when it was laying on its side. Slow is not slow enough to describe the retrieve.

This but my number is 50.

In water under 50 I have caught nothing. Not even a bump and I fish slow.

I think next season, I am going to stay home when waters under 50.

Taught me to watch the internet for what local liquor stores have a sale.

Roger that. LOL

Shad will be migrating out to the main lake and be bunched up. Bass will follow. They were easy to see on side image, mark them and drop a spoon on them. I will say I spent 2 months deep cranking on Rayburn this winter and was not successful. Could be location or the way I held my mouth... Blew off some deer hunting opportunities. Will give it another shot next winter.

Can't say it taught me anything new, but it definitely reminded me how much I hate winter time fishing. I usually forget in about a years time...

I learned alot about winter fishing,That for me to catch more fish I should try different lakes like Squaw Creek! Lol

Winter teaches me how much I appreciate spring and fall

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