Bobby Didier & TeamDHCB are winter bassin…

Posted: December 4, 2012 by Hellcat in Fish Reports, Gear Fishing, Warm Water
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As my most prominent warm water contributor and a sponsor/partner of AAA since the very beginning….please welcome back my good friend and fellow Grant High General….Bobby Didier owner of Die Hard Custom Baits.





Winter Bassing


by Bobby Didier

Winter Bassing

Winter time bass fishing can be a very frustrating time to hunt bass anywhere. As the water cools down the bass slow down as well. They usually go to deeper water and hunker down. As the water gets colder their metabolism slows down so they eat less frequently. They don’t want to waste energy chasing prey anymore and that is what is so frustrating. To know where they are and to not get them to strike happens a lot in the winter.

When I approach winter fishing here, in the desert of southwest Utah, I can either fish for numbers of bites or just for one big bite. Because our winters are very nice, the lakes never freeze and the opportunity to bass fish is year round. This also results in our bass getting big and doing it quickly. As a result, I prefer to fish for a trophy fish and not lots of fish. On some days, the problem is that this approach also has me getting skunked and, at times, wondering if I can still catch a winter bass. But, on other days fishing can be good and I’ll get that big one or just catch lots of fish. So, don’t ever believe you can’t catch bass in the winter. My advice is to keep trying and you will find that you can catch them. Finding them is the most important thing to focus on in the winter. They will bunch up together down deep and that can make it tough to locate them. Once found, you can choose whatever method you want to catch them.

The first rule of thumb, when winter bass fishing, is that you want to slow down. Whatever you’re doing and whatever way you’re fishing, just slow down. Drag your baits slowly on the bottom. Sometimes “dead sticking” (not moving the bait for long periods of time) is a great, winter time technique. To me though, this is a very boring way to fish and very hard for me to do. For me, the best technique for fishing this way is a Drop-shot rig. A Texas rig is also effective but a Drop shot is a spinning rod technique using a light line (6-8 lb). The rig has a split shot hook tied with a Palomar knot and a weight 12-16 inches below the hook. A plastic worm is nose- hooked to allow the bait to hover horizontally over the lake bottom. This is a very good bass fishing technique when bass are not in a the mood for feeding. I use the Drop shot method, with great results, on beds where fish do not want to bite anything else. It’s a stationary, vertical technique but you can cast and drag back slowly to change things up a little. You can also try different plastic baits on the hook. You never know what they want until you get bit. This technique is probably your best shot at getting the most bites. The rub is that you will catch a lot of small fish in the process. This isn’t a bad thing especially when you just want to have fun and catch some fish.

The next approach is one that I enjoy the most and doing it year round. I like throwing swim-baits and spinner-baits and retrieving them very slowly on the bottom at whatever depth I can find them. I want my lure crawling along the bottom bumping into everything I can. The more casts you make, the more your chances of hooking into a bigger fish are. I like the fish to react to the bait, and not taking a lot of time to think about it. This slow-moving bait is an opportunity that is presenting itself and the bass can’t resist taking advantage of it. If things are right, you can have a great day of winter fishing and end up catching a big fish using this technique. This approach can also be very tough to stick with, especially if you go an hour or two without a bite. When this happens, I will keep casting because, when that bite comes along, it’s likely to be a big fish, one that is better than the ten little ones you could have caught using another technique. This is my approach for real, winter time trophy fishing.

Now what’s your choice?

Comments
  1. Strick says:

    Getyo needs to get this and send it up to Lured. Nice write up. Dig the Die Hard Bait pics as well. Matter of fact I got a big ass Die Hard twister tail worm that I’m gonna kill a winter steelhead on. A big one.

  2. Outstanding info Bobby! Very accurate information there that I find to hold very true myself. SLOW SLOW SLOW is the order of the day, just like you said. Very tough for a power fisherman to have the patience for, but definitely needed in order to get the bites. I’m with you, fishing for the big bite is great. It takes time and patience, but the quality at the other end of the bite makes it worth it 🙂
    Slowly dragging a jig on the bottom and letting it sit can produce big bites too in the winter!
    Nicely written and very educational 🙂

  3. The Hustler says:

    Great info from a true Bassassin.

  4. Hellcat says:

    “Bassassin”!!!!!!!!! I love it!

  5. Bobby Didier says:

    Thanks guys, I tried to keep it simple. Jigs are always a good lure in the winter too, but so many variables come into play with jigs.

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