Cold Weather (For Arizona) Fishing

First off. There are a couple things that need to be defined.

Yuma Verison:
Cold Weather - Water temps in the low 50s
Deep Water - Four to Nine feet.
Really Deep Water - Over eight feet.

I went out with Manny Garcia on saturday. We hit the water around first
light and didn't stop until after sunset.

We hammered the water starting with some areas that always have warmer
water. In that area it was in the mid 60s. Nothing. We saw a couple fish
hanging next to the current in the channel on our way back in there, but
they wouldn't hit anything we threw at them. No big deal. Those fish get
hammered pretty hard as every boat that goes upt hat channel see them. Then
we worked the deep water along the cliff face, and the trees standing
underwater. For this area that really was deep water running 8-10 feet. I
didn't see any fish on the chart either. Neither along the cliff face or
around the trees. I was beginning to doubt that my sounders were working
properly. Mostly we tried slow cranking in that area, but I also slow
rolled a spinnerbait and fluttered a spoon in the area. Nothing.

We headed further back towards the warm water and tried wacky worming some
semi protected pockets that always seem to hold a few small fish. Nothing.
We did see some spawning beds, but no fish on them. I am guessing tilapia
or carp, becases we saw a lot of movement back in the tulies. So we worked
our way back flipping and pitching the tulies. Nothing. We might have had
a hit or two, but I'm not good enough with a jig to say for sure. Manyy
tossed a brush hog, and I used a blue black jig.

We spent half a day playing in this area before we decided to run a few
miles up river and try some different circumstances.

We worked a couple lakes off the lower Arizona Channel. We dropped worms in
trees. We flipped the steep bank. We flipped the shallow bank. Nothing.
In the second back lake we hit we did havea nice surprised. As we motored
around the corner to get in we saw about 70 or 80 ducks take flight and as
many mud hens go paddling back into the brush.


Off to Ferguson Lake to pitch some of Manny's favorite banks, and then
cranked and spinner baited some tree fields in 3-6 feet of water. Manny had
one solid hit in the brush.

I still had not seen any fish on my chart. It did show some cluter from
dieing grass beds, but no fish.

On our way out of that area we went across a point. I charted several fish
suspended over one side of the point. No hits though. We cranked it, but
I'm not sure that we really hit them with the right bait, or at the right
speed. I am thinking I should go back and anchor just off that point. Then
work it with a jigging spoon or slow crawl it with a carolina rig.

We hit a channel off the main river after that. We pitched the banks for no
good results, and cranked the channel. There was an amazing amount of grass
still growing in that shallow channel. It certainly should have held some
fish.

Finally I decided to show Manny a place that had produced fish for me all
summer and into November. Its a large relatively flat bottom area that tend
to get a fair number of underwater weed beds. Based on what came back on my
baits there was still a foot or so of them left on the bottom, but it was
basically featureless. What makes this area interesting is that it is a
fairly large are that averages 9 feet deep with some points off to either
side. When shad are running they seem to get funneled up into this area.
During the summer you can get a topwater bite here quite often, and later it
works pretty good with drop shots and spoons worked with a pull and flutter
down retrieve. Nothing showed on the chart. No clutter and no fish. What
got my attention was actually just off the area. I crossed over one of the
points and spotted a sole small rock on the chart in about 6 feet of water.
Otherwise the bottom was basically featureless. There were two fish hanging
over that rock. I cranked the area a bit, and threw a spinner bait to drag
it along the bottom near the rock. I am thinking that I need to go back and
work that solo rock carefully with a carolina rig or jigging spoon. I'm
also thinking I might want to gather up some large rocks and four or five
more down in that same area to maybe hold a couple more fish.

Now, a lot fof areas we fished had tree stumps and stading trees under
water. Lots of them. We really didn't find any fish on them. I did chart
fish on a lone rock on a realtively featureless bottom.

So my conclusion is that the fish were structure oriented, but not in areas
with lots of structure, but in areas with no structure.

I'll try and get out again later in the week and try out my ideas. Any
suggestions?

--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com
All about fishing in Yuma, Arizona
Promote Your Fishing Website FOR FREE

Bob La Londe wrote:

First off. There are a couple things that need to be defined.

Yuma Verison:
Cold Weather - Water temps in the low 50s

Heck, the water temp coming out of my faucet isn't even that warm!

"pat gustafson" wrote in message
...
Bob La Londe wrote:

First off. There are a couple things that need to be defined.

Yuma Verison:
Cold Weather - Water temps in the low 50s

Heck, the water temp coming out of my faucet isn't even that warm!



Heck I figured the water coming out of your faucet this time of year went
"Clink!" when it falls into the glass. Seriously, I put that in because I
figured it would make a difference. In fact I'll bet we get slightly cooler
water in the spring when we have a lot of snow runoff from up north, but at
52 degrees fishing gets hard around here. I'm just trying to figure out how
to work with it.


Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

Bob, for the most part, I stayed in San Diego during December, January,
and Februrary...the river was just not "kind" enough for me then g.
But one time I camped out at Lake Martinez in January, and caught some
really nice bass under the wooden boat docks at the marine camp end. I
used mostly soft plastics, but my son got a few on top water early in
the morning there. Later in the afternoon we hit the Arizona Channel,
and Hidden Lake, got a few there too. I have no doubt you know those
waters way better than I ever will, but you brought back memories of the
"River" with all the places you described...so I thought I'd say hi
grin.
JK

"John Kerr" wrote in message
...
Bob, for the most part, I stayed in San Diego during December, January,
and Februrary...the river was just not "kind" enough for me then g.
But one time I camped out at Lake Martinez in January, and caught some
really nice bass under the wooden boat docks at the marine camp end. I
used mostly soft plastics, but my son got a few on top water early in
the morning there. Later in the afternoon we hit the Arizona Channel,
and Hidden Lake, got a few there too. I have no doubt you know those
waters way better than I ever will, but you brought back memories of the
"River" with all the places you described...so I thought I'd say hi
grin.
JK


Topwater in January? Wow! I'm impressed. I caught more numbers of fish on
topwater than anything else this year, but I haven't seen so much as a
minnow hit the surface since early November.

Martinez lake is a pretty good area. There are guys who fish it exclusively
most of the year.

The Arizona channel takes some real work these days. Most of the cuts have
weed growth laying over the channels. You can go in the lower channel and
fish three lower lakes, but then you either have to go back and take the
main channel up to another opening or cut through by running your boat up
over the brush. I've explored by going over the brush, but its slow going.
Good for a day long adventure, but very time consuming for a tournament. I
have caught a couple nice fish in some of those back lakes. In the summer
its a great area for sight fishing with rubber worms, and in the winter
there isn't any better place for duck hunting because so few other boaters
will take the effort to get in there.

So anyway, when are you going to come out and teach me the errors of my
fishing ways?

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

Local pro and guide Boby Barack gets stripers on topwater this time of year.
Low light times, early / late and about 4' of water. Throw a zara spook
(clown is good) or follow up with a big dart head with a big worm.
Bill

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
s.com...
"John Kerr" wrote in message
...
Bob, for the most part, I stayed in San Diego during December, January,
and Februrary...the river was just not "kind" enough for me then g.
But one time I camped out at Lake Martinez in January, and caught some
really nice bass under the wooden boat docks at the marine camp end. I
used mostly soft plastics, but my son got a few on top water early in
the morning there. Later in the afternoon we hit the Arizona Channel,
and Hidden Lake, got a few there too. I have no doubt you know those
waters way better than I ever will, but you brought back memories of the
"River" with all the places you described...so I thought I'd say hi
grin.
JK


Topwater in January? Wow! I'm impressed. I caught more numbers of fish
on
topwater than anything else this year, but I haven't seen so much as a
minnow hit the surface since early November.

Martinez lake is a pretty good area. There are guys who fish it
exclusively
most of the year.

The Arizona channel takes some real work these days. Most of the cuts
have
weed growth laying over the channels. You can go in the lower channel and
fish three lower lakes, but then you either have to go back and take the
main channel up to another opening or cut through by running your boat up
over the brush. I've explored by going over the brush, but its slow
going.
Good for a day long adventure, but very time consuming for a tournament.
I
have caught a couple nice fish in some of those back lakes. In the summer
its a great area for sight fishing with rubber worms, and in the winter
there isn't any better place for duck hunting because so few other boaters
will take the effort to get in there.

So anyway, when are you going to come out and teach me the errors of my
fishing ways?

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

WON Bass is talking about a major classic out of Fisher's Landing. Should
be interesting. Of course I have to decide what tournaments I fish and
which ones I don't so WON bass is not on my list this year, except maybe
going once or twice as a AAA to Havasu or Meade.


"John Kerr" wrote in message
...
Bob, for the most part, I stayed in San Diego during December, January,
and Februrary...the river was just not "kind" enough for me then g.
But one time I camped out at Lake Martinez in January, and caught some
really nice bass under the wooden boat docks at the marine camp end. I
used mostly soft plastics, but my son got a few on top water early in
the morning there. Later in the afternoon we hit the Arizona Channel,
and Hidden Lake, got a few there too. I have no doubt you know those
waters way better than I ever will, but you brought back memories of the
"River" with all the places you described...so I thought I'd say hi
grin.
JK

P.S.

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Fri, Jan 23, 2004, 2:34pm (CST+6)
From: (Bob=A0La=A0Londe)
WON Bass is talking about a major classic out of Fisher's Landing.
Should be interesting. Of course I have to decide what tournaments I
fish and which ones I don't so WON bass is not on my list this year,
except maybe going once or twice as a AAA to Havasu or Meade.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Bob, John is fishing all the WON events in the southern region this
year...maybe you two will hook up if you go as an AAA, that would be
neat!
As for top water in colder weather...they are certainly not my favorite
choices, but I have caught some really nice bass on them. I fished Tims
Ford in Tennessee in the winter time (lived a block from the lake), and
I tried everything, I fished over em, under em, and through em . I
figure that just because the bait fish arn't all over the top, doesn't
mean the bass wouldn't "eat" one if it was there grin. And like Bill
said, stripers hit top water in the winter, caught many of them that
way. But I know you are more familiar with that "river" area, and I
don't think I could add a thing to your arsenal...but someday I would
like to wet a line with you, I still like the river!
p.s. You might try throwing a spook up in the shallows a couple times
just for the fun of it though, look for real light cover...a twig, or
stick up. grin.

JK

"John Kerr" wrote in message
...

P.S.

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Fri, Jan 23, 2004, 2:34pm (CST+6)
From: (Bob La Londe)
WON Bass is talking about a major classic out of Fisher's Landing.
Should be interesting. Of course I have to decide what tournaments I
fish and which ones I don't so WON bass is not on my list this year,
except maybe going once or twice as a AAA to Havasu or Meade.
=====
Bob, John is fishing all the WON events in the southern region this
year...maybe you two will hook up if you go as an AAA, that would be
neat!
As for top water in colder weather...they are certainly not my favorite
choices, but I have caught some really nice bass on them. I fished Tims
Ford in Tennessee in the winter time (lived a block from the lake), and
I tried everything, I fished over em, under em, and through em . I
figure that just because the bait fish arn't all over the top, doesn't
mean the bass wouldn't "eat" one if it was there grin. And like Bill
said, stripers hit top water in the winter, caught many of them that
way. But I know you are more familiar with that "river" area, and I
don't think I could add a thing to your arsenal...but someday I would
like to wet a line with you, I still like the river!
p.s. You might try throwing a spook up in the shallows a couple times
just for the fun of it though, look for real light cover...a twig, or
stick up. grin.

JK


I threw Spittin Image (a fat stick type topwater) over a hole this morning.
I got my only decent hit all day on it. A real try to kill it splash.


--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com
All about fishing in Yuma, Arizona
Promote Your Fishing Website FOR FREE