Today's weather --What would you do?
 

I am itching to go fishing. The forecast for today is cloudy with a high of
48. Chance of rain tonight or early Monday morning. The water temp will be
45-50 degrees.

I have never had much luck bass fishing in the winter, but I am determine to
try.

Can anyone share what fishing patterns you would use on a day as described
above?

Thanks
Phil

Phil wrote:
I am itching to go fishing. The forecast for today is cloudy with a high of
48. Chance of rain tonight or early Monday morning. The water temp will be
45-50 degrees.


Winter??? That sounds like mid-spring to me! I'd probably start with a
hard jerkbait, but would have a jig & grub handy.

Hi Phil - I've spent alot of days on the water like you described with only
limited success. Now, add sunshine into that mix & things turn right
around. With than rainy forcast there generally comes overcast skies & a
slow bite in the winter. I only fish in those conditions if I have to
(tournaments).

Warren



"Phil" wrote in message
...
I am itching to go fishing. The forecast for today is cloudy with a high
of
48. Chance of rain tonight or early Monday morning. The water temp will be
45-50 degrees.

I have never had much luck bass fishing in the winter, but I am determine
to
try.

Can anyone share what fishing patterns you would use on a day as described
above?

Thanks
Phil

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Hi Phil - I've spent alot of days on the water like you described with
only
limited success. Now, add sunshine into that mix & things turn right
around. With than rainy forcast there generally comes overcast skies & a
slow bite in the winter. I only fish in those conditions if I have to
(tournaments).

See, now that's where you might be making a mistake. You should
periodically fish under crap conditions so that when crunch time
(tournament) comes, you have an information base to fall back on.

Quite often, I fish in less than ideal conditions because I never know for
certian what weather I'm going to have for a guide job. I need to know how
to produce fish under any weather condition. Janet thinks I'm nuts to go
out by myself when the weather's cold, miserable and nasty, but the clients
appreciate it when we're putting fish in the boat and others aren't.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

They must be banging down your doors to go fishing in Wisconsin in winter,
eh Steve!

JK- I've actually spent hundreds (ok, maybe dozens) of days like that on the
water, that's where I drew my conclusions from...

Warren

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Hi Phil - I've spent alot of days on the water like you described with
only
limited success. Now, add sunshine into that mix & things turn right
around. With than rainy forcast there generally comes overcast skies &
a
slow bite in the winter. I only fish in those conditions if I have to
(tournaments).

See, now that's where you might be making a mistake. You should
periodically fish under crap conditions so that when crunch time
(tournament) comes, you have an information base to fall back on.

Quite often, I fish in less than ideal conditions because I never know for
certian what weather I'm going to have for a guide job. I need to know
how
to produce fish under any weather condition. Janet thinks I'm nuts to go
out by myself when the weather's cold, miserable and nasty, but the
clients
appreciate it when we're putting fish in the boat and others aren't.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Today's weather --What would you do?

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Sun, Jan 30, 2005, 7:50am From:
(Phil)
I am itching to go fishing. The forecast for today is cloudy with a high
of
48. Chance of rain tonight or early Monday morning. The water temp will
be 45-50 degrees.
I have never had much luck bass fishing in the winter, but I am
determine to try.
Can anyone share what fishing patterns you would use on a day as
described above?
Thanks
Phil
========
Phil, I am now a fair weather fisherman, but in my younger days, I went
fishing in some pretty miserable weather...quite often I might add :). I
found that I did pretty good in conditions like you expect, by just
fishing a bit deeper cover, a bit slower than usual. I try and think
like what the bass may be thinking.....If it's cold out, I'm gonna
hunker down, and let the prey come to me grin.

JK

That's my usual tact these days, too... the older I get, the more I enjoy
being able to feel the reel in my hands as I fish, so I look for warmer days
and sheltered banks. But tomorrow I'm heading to Tims Ford for some
shallow-water smallmouth action. Temp should get up to the mid-40's, NE wind
about 10 mph, and we'll be in it most of the day, looking for the banks and
points that get the most pounding from wind-swept waves. I expect to crank
quite a bit, or throw small hair jigs on 6-pound test Suffix line. My
spinnerbaits usually get a rest when the water temps drops below 45
degrees, but I might break out one and jig it down a rocky bank a few times.

For an idea of what I can expect, go to http://tennesseebassguides.com and
read the latest two trip reports... 1/29 and 1/27.

Joe
--
Free background to help banish winter blahs
at www.secretweaponlures.com/scrsvr.com
_______________________

"John Kerr" wrote in message
...

Phil, I am now a fair weather fisherman, but in my younger days, I went
fishing in some pretty miserable weather...quite often I might add :). I
found that I did pretty good in conditions like you expect, by just
fishing a bit deeper cover, a bit slower than usual. I try and think
like what the bass may be thinking.....If it's cold out, I'm gonna
hunker down, and let the prey come to me grin.

JK

I've been comparing wintertime spinnerbait fishing tactics with a couple of
folks here at ROFB, and Jack Dalzell reminded me of something.... I've
always relied on a short-arm spinnerbait with a single CO blade for cold
water, but I should be open to other ideas. I mentioned my usual setup to
Jack, and here was his reply:

"My experiences with very cold water (35-45 degrees) is, I use a 3/4oz
shad/shiner color (white or white/chartreuse if the water is stained,
chartreuse/blue for mud) with a small Colorado blade in front of the largest
Indiana blade I have (not sure of sizes, but I sure am fond of Indiana
blades, especially during cold water) with a #11 Uncle Josh pork in either
white or chartreuse. I slow roll this bait on any rip rap that I can find,
throwing the bait very shallow and retrieving it out to about 10-15 ft of
water. Most strikes are very subtle, feeling like a leaf on the bait, or the
blades quit turning. One other tip that I have is... I wrap the hook shank
with electrical soldier. The SW baits really are equipped for this because
of the keeper barb which prevents the soldier from moving, and I have
created many a 1-oz. SW using this technique."

Thanks, Jack.... good suggestion. I'm looking at one hanging on the
microphone stuck to my monitor right now.... better toss it on the top of my
sack so I can try it out tomorrow.

Joe
--
Banish winter blahs with a fishing background
at http://secretweaponlures.com/scrsvr.htm
(Got the URL right this time)

Today's weather --What would you do?

Joe, I use to live in Estell Springs...a block from Tims Ford. I went
fishing almost every day :). A lot of good water there, but I did most
of my fishing at the upper end from the bridge in Estell to the river
inlet. Caught some nice bass around the old brick factory site.

Have a geat day on the water!

JK




Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2005, 10:25pm From:
rofbmail secretweaponlures com (Joe=A0Haubenreich)
That's my usual tact these days, too... the older I get, the more I
enjoy being able to feel the reel in my hands as I fish, so I look for
warmer days and sheltered banks. But tomorrow I'm heading to Tims Ford
for some shallow-water smallmouth action. Temp should get up to the
mid-40's, NE wind about 10 mph, and we'll be in it most of the day,
looking for the banks and points that get the most pounding from
wind-swept waves. I expect to crank quite a bit, or throw small hair
jigs on 6-pound test Suffix line. My spinnerbaits usually get a rest
when the water temps drops below 45 degrees, but I might break out one
and jig it down a rocky bank a few times.
For an idea of what I can expect, go to http://tennesseebassguides.com
and read the latest two trip reports... 1/29 and 1/27.
Joe
--
Free background to help banish winter blahs at
www.secretweaponlures.com/scrsvr.com
_______________________
"John Kerr" wrote in message
...
Phil, I am now a fair weather fisherman, but in my younger days, I went
fishing in some pretty miserable weather...quite often I might add :). I
found that I did pretty good in conditions like you expect, by just
fishing a bit deeper cover, a bit slower than usual. I try and think
like what the bass may be thinking.....If it's cold out, I'm gonna
hunker down, and let the prey come to me grin.
JK

Yep, I know the old brick factory pretty well. A very nice stretch of river
through there. My dad is from Decherd, and I enjoy getting back down that
way. He has lots of stories of fishing there in the first half of the 20th
century.

Today, when we visited Tim's Ford, the weather let us down.... it was mild,
partly sunny, in the lower 50's, and mostly calm. Not at all what we
wanted -- strong winds. We caught fish early (smallmouth mostly, but also
spots and largemouth), with the largest of the day over 3 pounds. Most were
caught on crankbaits (red Bombers for me) or Gene Larew Long John Minnows
on 3/16 ounce jig heads. The bite dropped off about noon, and we ended up
with ten for the day.

Joe
___________________
"John Kerr" wrote in message
...

Today's weather --What would you do?

Joe, I use to live in Estell Springs...a block from Tims Ford. I went
fishing almost every day :). A lot of good water there, but I did most
of my fishing at the upper end from the bridge in Estell to the river
inlet. Caught some nice bass around the old brick factory site.

Have a geat day on the water!

JK




Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2005, 10:25pm From:
rofbmail secretweaponlures com (Joe Haubenreich)
That's my usual tact these days, too... the older I get, the more I
enjoy being able to feel the reel in my hands as I fish, so I look for
warmer days and sheltered banks. But tomorrow I'm heading to Tims Ford
for some shallow-water smallmouth action. Temp should get up to the
mid-40's, NE wind about 10 mph, and we'll be in it most of the day,
looking for the banks and points that get the most pounding from
wind-swept waves. I expect to crank quite a bit, or throw small hair
jigs on 6-pound test Suffix line. My spinnerbaits usually get a rest
when the water temps drops below 45 degrees, but I might break out one
and jig it down a rocky bank a few times.
For an idea of what I can expect, go to http://tennesseebassguides.com
and read the latest two trip reports... 1/29 and 1/27.
Joe
--
Free background to help banish winter blahs at
www.secretweaponlures.com/scrsvr.com
_______________________
"John Kerr" wrote in message
...
Phil, I am now a fair weather fisherman, but in my younger days, I went
fishing in some pretty miserable weather...quite often I might add :). I
found that I did pretty good in conditions like you expect, by just
fishing a bit deeper cover, a bit slower than usual. I try and think
like what the bass may be thinking.....If it's cold out, I'm gonna
hunker down, and let the prey come to me grin.
JK

On Tue, 1 Feb 2005 20:59:30 -0600, "Joe Haubenreich" rofbmail (at)
secretweaponlures (dot) com sent into the ether:

Yep, I know the old brick factory pretty well. A very nice stretch of river
through there. My dad is from Decherd, and I enjoy getting back down that
way. He has lots of stories of fishing there in the first half of the 20th
century.

Today, when we visited Tim's Ford, the weather let us down.... it was mild,
partly sunny, in the lower 50's, and mostly calm. Not at all what we
wanted -- strong winds. We caught fish early (smallmouth mostly, but also
spots and largemouth), with the largest of the day over 3 pounds. Most were
caught on crankbaits (red Bombers for me) or Gene Larew Long John Minnows
on 3/16 ounce jig heads. The bite dropped off about noon, and we ended up
with ten for the day.

Joe

Gee Joe, don't sound like it was a bad day or anything. We had a high
of 37 with a possibility of 40+ tomorrow. Course all weathermen lie
anyway so I will wait to see what happens. Joe, does the SW facility
need a good safety director/inhouse tester? :}


___________________
"John Kerr" wrote in message
...

Today's weather --What would you do?

Joe, I use to live in Estell Springs...a block from Tims Ford. I went
fishing almost every day :). A lot of good water there, but I did most
of my fishing at the upper end from the bridge in Estell to the river
inlet. Caught some nice bass around the old brick factory site.

Have a geat day on the water!

JK




Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Mon, Jan 31, 2005, 10:25pm From:
rofbmail secretweaponlures com (Joe Haubenreich)
That's my usual tact these days, too... the older I get, the more I
enjoy being able to feel the reel in my hands as I fish, so I look for
warmer days and sheltered banks. But tomorrow I'm heading to Tims Ford
for some shallow-water smallmouth action. Temp should get up to the
mid-40's, NE wind about 10 mph, and we'll be in it most of the day,
looking for the banks and points that get the most pounding from
wind-swept waves. I expect to crank quite a bit, or throw small hair
jigs on 6-pound test Suffix line. My spinnerbaits usually get a rest
when the water temps drops below 45 degrees, but I might break out one
and jig it down a rocky bank a few times.
For an idea of what I can expect, go to http://tennesseebassguides.com
and read the latest two trip reports... 1/29 and 1/27.
Joe


Remove the x for e-mail reply
www.outdoorfrontiers.com
www.SecretWeaponLures.com

Joe....Sounds like you had a day on the water that I wouldn't complain
about! grin

I really miss the covenience I had when I lived there, just seemed like
getting on the water was too easy! :)

I live just a couple miles from Kentucky Lake now....but don't seem to
be the same as being able to "holler" up to the house that I was headed
home with supper, when my house was within sight of the lake! grin

JK

"Phil" wrote in message
...
I am itching to go fishing. The forecast for today is cloudy with a high
of
48. Chance of rain tonight or early Monday morning. The water temp will be
45-50 degrees.

I have never had much luck bass fishing in the winter, but I am determine
to
try.

Can anyone share what fishing patterns you would use on a day as described
above?

Thanks
Phil



I can't give specific advice on the day, but your own question should tell
you a remedy for future situations. A notebook, journal, log, whatever you
wish to call it.

I make entries on any days I am able to fish, or take the reports from
friends that were able to go out and make notes on their successes or
failures. Note the weather, water temp/clarity, patterns that worked, or
didn't, and so on. You'd be surprised how soon you'll be able to "flip back"
to a day similar to the day you find yourself fishing, and the successful
pattern you had that last time it "was like this", will likely work today
too.