The Challenges
Fish have great eyesight: Check out the size of the eyes on the next fish you land. They are huge! In clear & calm water, they can see everything. When the water is gin clear and the water temperature is less than 50°, this is the time for Winter Finesse Fishing. The fish are moving slow. They will not chase your bait. They will not touch your bait if it appears unnatural. Fish do not waste energy in cold water. It’s finesse fishing time.
The Bite in Winter: The bite will be subtle. You will only feel their mouth close on the bait. One little thump is all the indication you will get. Set the hook. For weedless baits, set the hook hard. Otherwise, the weedguard will do its job and prevent you from snagging the inside of the fish’s mouth! Braided line is your friend here because it is the most sensitive. Be prepared for frustration. Winter bite is hard to detect. Besides, your hands are cold and numb!
The Gear: Use spinning gear with very light lines
Rod: 7’6″ to 8′ medium/light or light power. I’m using a 7’6″ St Croix Eyecon medium-light power extra fast rod. It is a walleye rod that works great for casting light lures.
Reel: Use a quality 2500 size spinning reel. I’m using a Shimano Vanford 2500HG.
Line: 4lb or 6lb test line. I’m using 6lb Berkley FireLine in the crystal color, with a 6lb Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon leader. 6 feet of leader. I use a double uni knot to join lines because it is the easiest for me to tie, it casts great, and it is strong.
The Bait
Jigs: Downsized Arkie style or structure jigs with a downsized crawfish trailer. Try the Strike King Bitsy Bug black/blue and green pumpkin/orange colors. The trailer color does not have to a perfect match. Cut the trailer down to size with scissors. Big meals are hard for fish to digest in cold water. Give them something small and easy to eat. Something they don’t have to work too much for. Work it super slow with long pauses.
Mini Jig
Strike King Bitsy Bug in black/blue with green pumpkin trailer. Trailer is cut to size.
Mini Jig
Strike King Bitsy Bug in red/orange with red trailer. Strike King 4″ Rage Menace trailer is cut to size.
Grubs: 3″ or 4″ Kalin’s Lunker single tail grubs in dull colors like green pumpkin or smoke. Use a downsized finesse jighead. Reel it back super slow, letting it tick the bottom and any cover.
Finesse Grub
3″ Yamamoto single tail grub in green pumpkin on a Z-Man mushroom jighead.
Bottom Dwelling Grub
4″ Kalin’s Lunker Grub in green pumpkin on a Great Lakes football jighead. Football jig heads are good resting on the bottom and swimming cross current.
Jerkbait: ZOOM Super Fluke in translucent colors like glimmer blue, monkey milk, pearl. Cast it out weightless and let it sink. Count to 50 Mississippi, twitch it, repeat. This mimics an injured shad floating in the water column. An easy meal with little energy spent to get it.
Soft Jerkbait
Zoom Super Fluke in blue glimmer color. Texas rig these with a 4/0 wide gap worm hook.
Dropshot: This technique puts a small bait right in the nose of hungry fish! Present ZOOM Fluke or Tiny Fluke (3″ to 4″ minnow) 1′ to 1.5′ off the bottom. Use a translucent minnow. Monkey milk, albino, or ghost colors. Fish are dull in winter. Drag it super slow with pauses.
Dropshot Arsenal
Fluke inn albino color, 2.5″ Mister Twister grub in pumpkin, 2″ Kalin’s Lunker grub in salt and pepper, 3″ Yamamoto grub in green pumpkin. Eagle Claw #6 bait holder hooks (these are very sticky). Owner dropshot weights (these are easy, to use/reuse, and they come through all kinds of cover).
The Technique
Get the bait away from you. They can see you. They can hear you splashing and thrashing. They can smell you. They know what you had for breakfast. This is where the long, limber rod and the light lines are your friend. That gear is built for getting distance between you and bait. Throw it is as far as possible. The spook zone may be as far as 100 feet from where you are standing.
Put the bait where they are. If you were cold blooded and stuck in cold water for a few months, where would you be? On sunny days, any dark cover will warm in the sunlight. Throw to dark rocks, stumps, laydowns that are very near deep pools. Put your bait in contact with the cover. The fish will be in contact with the cover because it is warm. Or go as deep as possible. The coldest water is generally on top, and fish will hold in the deepest crevice of the deepest water.