Can you believe it? Christmas time is already here and where did the year go? Why it seems like yesterday that we were out fishing the flats and coves for spawning bass and crappie. Now when we go to the lake we here the ducks as they Culp their wings as they come in for a landing in the pockets we are fishing and the loud boom, boom, boom of the duck hunters firing away at them.
As fisherman we want to get back up in the small shallow pockets and in the back of the creeks to find those big winter time bass not really taking in consideration that we have duck hunters out there in the same pockets trying to get in on the early action of the ducks making their flights from one spot to another. As fisherman we feel that the lakes belong to us and we should be able to fish where we want and we can but why not let the hunters have a little fun to, so do as I do, start a little later because you don’t have to be there at the crack of dawn to catch fish in the winter. When you start an hour or twoafter day light the morning temperatures will be more pleasant and more enjoyable for most and you will catch just as many fish. Now I agree that if you are after the stripe bass and the sand bass you need to be there early but if you are fishing for them well that’s ok because you won’t be fishing where the hunters are anyway.
Winter time bass can be caught several ways. One way is that bass can be found bunched up on the main lake humps and on old road beds another way is to find them in creek bends and another of my favorite ways to catch them is to find them on the main lake points and around boat docks in and around brush piles.
The deep water bass can be caught on jigging spoons, drop shot rigs, Texas rigged plastic worms and Carolina rigs. To find these bass you will need to use your Lowrance graph or fish finders and a good map of the lake your fishing. First take your map and locate humps and roadways and mark them in red by making a circle around the location that looks best to you and then go out on the water with your map and your Lowrance fish locator and work back and forth over the hump until you find the fish. After I find the fish I like to start with the jigging spoon first and switch up until I find the lure they like best.
The next way is to find the winter time bass in the creek bends. Now I said creek bends not just the ones most fisherman talk about the ones where you go way back to where the creek narrows down and gets shallow but I also like the ones out deep on the main lake. Sure you can get them back in the shallows and this a very good way to catch a big trophy bass and you can sometimes catch some good numbers this way, but if you want to find big numbers of bass and a chance to catch a giant bass then you may want to try this tactic out. Take your lake map and find your old road bridges and then look at the creek channel that runs under the bridge. Now move out from the bridge and mark the bends especially the ones where it makes an S shape. These bends where it makes the S bends will be a great place to find and catch a giant bass.
My lures of choice will be my bug eyed jig, a one ounce spinner bait, my dimple 1/2 ounce jigging spoon and a flat tailed grub. My Bug Eyed Jig is a casting jig that I make and sell and what makes it different from other jigs is my special blend of colors and it has close to one hundred strands in its skirt along with having big bug eyes which makes it sort of rock and bump its way through the brush and rocks. The color is black/blue, red/black, brown/gold and amber. This jig color works well for me both deep and shallow water for big bass.
Another lure I like for this deep water creek bend is my dimple spoon. The dimple spoon is another lure I make and sell and what makes it different is that it has a great shinny silver finish with small dimples to make it flash even more. It comes with a #2 treble hook, extra strong split rings and a solid ring swivel to keep from twisting your line.
To fish the Dimple Spoon just drop it straight to the bottom and hold your rod straight out so that you have full control and feel so that you can tell if anything bumps it at all. Now with your rod give it a slight twitch up and then keep your line tight as your spoon falls back to the bottom. Repeat this over and over working your creek bends and when the day is done you will be the winner.
Now last but not least shallow water fishing brush piles around boat houses and main lake points, brush piles and rocks.
I can here it now how do you fish boat houses with brush piles around them and main lake points with brush piles and rocks and not have major problems with hang ups. Well I have three choices for you one is a spinner bait not just any spinner bait and it is called the 430 special. The 430 special is a spinner bait that I make and sell and is designed to run up close to the surface and gives off extra vibration over other spinner baits and will fish trough some of the roughest stuff out there. The 430 special comes in three colors white, chart/white and fire tiger all with 24 carat gold blades and I also make a fire tiger with fire tiger colored blades for when the bass are chasing blue gill or when you have muddy or stained water conditions.
Next is my Bug Eyed Jig, my Bug Eyed jig is made to rock through and bump over the roughest cover.
Now last but nowhere close to last is my new rattling shaky head spin jig. You talking about a bait that catches big bass shallow in and over and through the cover my new rattling shaky head spin jig will stand behind no lure made today. This bait will vibrate your rod and rattle up the fish all in the same motion. I can make it in a variety of colors but the ones that work best for me in shallow water is white and chart/white. This new swimming shaking spin/jig is super in the shallow water and also fished like a jig in both brush and grass. Just try it you will never be without it again.
These are just a few of the many ways that big bass can be caught in December and I hope that you will try them and that you catch that end of the year giant bass using at least one of my ways mentioned.
Until next time catch all that you can and keep only what you can use and release the rest so that our children to can enjoy the great sport we call fishing.
From my family to yours we hope and pray that you have the very best Christmas and New years ever. Happy Holidays everyone and I hope to see you on the water soon.
To order lures that I make or to purchase gift certificates for Christmas you can call me at (903)561-7299 or (903)530-2201 or you can email me at [email protected]: Ricky Vandergriff
