Winter Jig Fishing for Bass by Gabby

Now is the time of year that the large mouth bass will start to move to deeper water to hold till spring. The milder temps will move the large mouth some and they will look for the warmest water they can locate. And the small mouth bass are much more suited to the cooler water and the colder water. When the water temps get in the low 50's the large mouth bass will become less active and will feed less. But the small mouth bass on the other hand will still remain active in the cooler water. They will feed and move around all winter expecily on top rated small mouth lakes like Dale hollow lake and Lake Cumberland. And the bait that is the top choice of most large mouth and small mouth bass anglers to use at this time of year is the jig. The jig comes in two basic styles. A rubber skirted model and a hair skirted model.. The rubber skirted jig is mostly used in water temps ranging from the mid 50's on up to the warmer water. While the hair jig is used in the cooler water temps ranging from the mid to low 50's and on into the cooler water temps. This has long been the belief that the hair jig was only effective in cooler water temps. But I can tell you that this is not always the case. I have fished the hair jig all year even in the warmer water months. And the hair jig has out fished the rubber jig on almost all the trips I have used a jig. But as I stated before the hair jig is a top choice bass bait by most winter anglers. Your choice of hair jigs should consist of the smaller sizes like the 3/8 oz and smaller. As far as colors I prefer to stay with the darker colors like black , blue, brown , orange, purple or a mixture of these colors. Some winter time bass anglers like to use a white or chartreuse color. And you will want to use a long rod like a medium action. One that has a good back bone to set the hook but not a super stiff tip. Be sure to use a light weight quality line in the 8 to 10 pound test range for large mouth fishing. And most small mouth anglers choose even lighter line like 4 to 8 pound test. You may want to use the ultra clear fluorocarbon line at this time of year. This line is all but invisible in the water and has good abrasion resistance and has almost no memory. This makes it a top choice to use at this time of year. Look for areas to fish that has deeper water close by or has deeper water cover. Banks that have a steep drop into deeper water are good places to fish for winter bass. Also structure like points, humps, old road beds, wood or deep brush piles, standing timber and channel drop offs and bluffs are all top places to start your winter bassing. Once you have decided on a place to fish, you will not need to make long cast . Instead target your cast to a certain part of the cover you are fishing. Make a short cast with your jig and watch the line all the way till it goes slack. Then very slowly start by lifting your rod to make the jig start to move. Be sure to watch your line all the time you are fishing the jig . Most strikes will only be a slight twitch of the line or a small sideways movement. Most strikes will occur as the bait is first cast and is falling to the bottom. If you make your cast and don't see or feel nothing then slowly begin to retrieve your bait and feel for the cover as the jig makes its way back. If you feel any thing odd or lose contact with the jig , reel down and set the hook hard. Sometimes the lightest bite can be a big fish. This is big fish season and the jig is a big bass bait. So get out of the house thi winter and give the jig a try. If you have any type of fishing story or question contact me at gabbysfishingfever@yahoo.com