What's the coldest water you've ever caught a bass in TEXAS??

A few (decades) ago me & a buddy were looking for something to do. We didn't have the inter-web thingy so after we had watched all the VHS tapes of Bill Dance & Jimmy Houston we owned for the 7th time, we decided to go see if we could catch a bass from this small pond not far away. It had been sleeting-snowing and very cold for days, kind of like today.

We drive to this pond and walk over the dam. It was blocking the North wind. I distinctly recall there being ice around the shoreline in places 6 feet out. We each took one rod with a lure tied on. Mine happened to be a 1/3 oz gold black back Cordell Hotspot. This predates the Rattletrap. The pond was small enough we could cast all the way to the other shoreline with the 20 mph wind behind us.

A couple casts my bait landed on the ice near the other shore with a little tink-tink sound. I would pull it off and let it sink. It couldn't have been more than 4-5' deep at the edge of the ice. I would guess the water might have been 8' deep in the middle of the pond.

We were so competitive back then. I figured if I was going to out-fish my partner I would need to use a slow retrieve with the bait. I would let the bait sink all the way to the bottom, turn the reel handle about 4-5 times then pause. We didn't really dress for the extreme cold weather because we were young and didn't think it thru well. I think I had on a Bass Pro Shop 30 MPH suit.

My buddy says, let's get outta here and I agree. We make one more long cast and as the bait is sinking to the bottom a bass grabs it. I never felt the bite. The fish was just there when I started to reel. I thought I had snagged some brush on bottom. As it turns out it was a pretty nice fish of about 3 pounds. He punches me in the shoulder as I hold it up in his face. I release the fish and we run for the warmth of the car.

So, how cold was the water at the bottom of the pond? Still water freezes as its temp drops below 32 degrees so the surface temp had to be low 30's. I was hopeful that one of you young energetic guys would take a digital thermometer and do a survey for us on TFF this weekend here in North Texas.

I would love to know what is the surface temp and also water temp at five foot increments as you go down to 30 feet.

Just above freezing. Buddy had a 10 inch lmb in a 10 gallon aquarium on his back porch yrs ago that froze solid. Days later after it thawed the bass came back to life. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes

Was on Texoma several years ago when the water was in the upper thirties. Threadfin were stunted and the bass started schooling in the back of a cove. Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it.

Walking ponds during freezing events like this can be interesting. You'll see huge dead tropical fish like Plecostomus and Oscar's that couldn't handle the temps after being released from aquariums

For me that I can recall was 41. Huntsville State Park, aka Lake Raven. Buddy and I caught them schooling that day. We had almost 28 pounds best 5 on schoolers. It was wild. Jerkbaits and traps.

That is Crazy!

Rumor has it that Mary Kay is cryogenically preserved in the basement of her Pink Palace in Addison.

38-39 degrees. They absolutely crushed Texas rig skft plastics in 1' of water on Lake Worth.

Yesterday 27 degrees on lake Arlington

Puff n pass

I was just thinking about water temps at different depths yesterday. Wondering how the best way to get a bunch of volunteers to measure water temps at different depths in different parts of Lake Fork, all at the same time.

You found 27 degree WATER TEMP yesterday at Lake Arl??

Thats cold water bro

The pond behind my home in DFW just froze over.

Just a personal observation. I have caught fish on Texoma at 39 water temp after it came up from 38. Over the years I had difficulty catching fish on dropping water temp below 44 but could catch fish when the temp started back up. It did not seem to matter how low it was as long as it was coming up.

42 is the coldest, had it a couple of times and it sucked.
Pretty much anything below 50 is gonna be a arse whipping for me.

You can always use a temp probe. I use one with depth increments marked on the line every 5 feet and put the results in a chart graph to find a thermocline. It will make an "S" shape to show it in between the curves.

better throw the workhorse or gliding gizzard to break through!

I grew up fishing in Indiana in the 60's and right when the ice would break up the bass would turn on. Never had a water temp gauge but ice was still floating around. I guess about 35-38 degrees. Our go to bait was a black johnson minnow with a split tail eel reeled as slow as possible. The bite would be good in 4 to 8 foot of water for about 3 days then it would stop until the water reached mid 40's. I moved here in 1980. Best move I ever made. Never knew why they would bite after ice out but you could count on it.

In Texas low 40's is the coldest I've caught a bass. Surface temp. Never caught a limit in those temps.

Ha oops. Misread that. 43 yesterday at Arlington

39 degrees.

4.86 largemouth out of Alan Henry

S l o w crankbait

Shortly after the Siberian Express late December 1983, I caught several large spotted bass in 4' water an Sam Rayburn. Water temp was 38 degrees. Caught them on a jerk bait fished super slow.

It does not warm up much as you go down deeper. Remember warm water rises so if it was much warmer it would be mixing more and keeping the upper warmer.

I have caught a large number of fish on Bull Shoals in February. The cove were we put in was frozen over but the ice was real thin. That was back when a temp gauge was "special" and I am guessing the lake water was 40 or less.
Fished a hair jig. Black, black/purple and black/red in 3/16 to 1/4 with a little piece of pork on the end.


One club tourney on Bowie in January I caught a limit on a jig at the entrance of a small creek. There was only one other fish caught in the club that day and another club weighing in had done no better. I can't even remember the water temp but it had to be in the mid to lower 40's.

You might be surprised

Upper thirties! 38-39.

May not have been the coldest water, but it WAS the nastiest weather!

Fished a benefit tournament on Welsh many years ago and it was 19 degrees first thing that morning. Caught a fish that day on a Buzzbait.

He asked about coldest WATER, not air temperature.....

I'll let you know this afternoon.

39 degree water in the back of Smith Creek on Monticello. It was the first winter after they had turned off the plant. only caught 2 fish that morning, a 4# Monti football and a 8+Monti stud. Both on a tube on timber.

34,7 degrees on Grand one year

43° water temp
24° air temp
January 2019 on Lake Athens
Great day of fishing....horrible day for boating.

'bout 80

I think water was 47 degrees early, warmed up to 49 later in the day when sun popped out. High air temp of the day was 29.. Monti, Jan 1 after the shutdown, at big bridge. Didn't weigh it.

I don’t fish much when it’s cold.

Fished Alan Henry a couple years ago in January prefishing for a Bud Light Tournament. Air temps were in upper 20s water temp was probably low 40s.

Got on a good jig and spinner bait bite in 2-5’ of water way up the lake in the muddy water. Had one over 5, one over 4, and several over 3. Not my best day on the water but probably my best day on Henry as far as quality bites.

Fished the bud light with better weather and never caught a fish in the muddy water.

Used to fish for Walleye on Lake Meredith in December and January and would occasionally catch a bass (Large & Smallmouth) water temps would be in the low 40's. Fished a many tourneys up here in Feb where you had to dunk your rods in the water to thaw them back out.

Somebody go drive across Hwy 19 bridge at Fork or Coffee Creek bridge and tell us if the lake is frozen over.

Ripped traps out of grass in the back of Lil' Caney many many times while sleeting. The fish always bit when the storm was hitting and at its worst. 40 degree water temps were fine as long as the fish were biting.

Looked through my fishing log an coldest I could find was 52, if I've caught one in the 40's can't remember, I do have quite a few entries of fishing 40 degree water and I always blanked Went out and threw an A-rig at our pond yesterday just for the hell of it to see if I could catch one in the with temps below 50, eyes started icing up within 10 casts, no dice.

39 degree water temp is the coldest Texas bass I can confirm. Lake Fork. Black and blue jig back in a muddy creek in January one year. Caught my fair share of fish in temps in the teens and twenties, but few and far in between. I fished with the man, myth and legend Mr. Shipe on here on a morning that started out at 17 degrees one morning and high of 29 just a few years ago. That dude is tough. He was waiting for me to call it quits and I was doing the same. We stuck it out, had a great time and caught several. I've ice fished in legit -30s a couple times. I hunt in subzero temps most every year. I love the cold, but it's getting tougher as my hair gets more gray I've noticed...

Not quite today but maybe tomorrow... just icebergs today.







This should be icehole fishing only by tomorrow. First bridge you cross leaving from Alba. Williams Creek???

39º at Possum Kingdom. Early 80's. Awesome suspending jerk bait bite. I tuned the baits by wrapping lead around the hook shank so they were neutral. Caught one over 8 and several other good fish.

Yes that is Williams, thanks for posting.

18 Degree air temp at take off, never felt my face for the rest of the day.... water temps were in the upper 30's and the fish were surprisingly cooperative. Largemouth and smallmouth both came to the party, but there was no better feeling than getting in the truck and soaking up some heat after 8 hours in those conditions.

Used to fish ice in MI and WI as a kid...It would be single digits in the air, 8+" of snow, and sitting on a 5 gal pail jiggin' minners with my Pops and Grandpops