[ga] Bass Matters - Do you fish during the winter months?

["Bass Matters" <bass2@ls11.sendoutmail.com>]

><> ><>       BASS MATTERS - November 20, 2002      ><> ><>
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Greetings Wiggly Worms!

Do you fish during the winter months? Whether you do or don't
today's article is focused on fishing during the winter 
months. 

Remember jokes and comments are always welcomed in my inbox,
so please feel free to write.  

Until Saturday,
Brock


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Bass Fishing in Winter
By: The Bass Doctor (Charles Stuart)

Fishing for bass during the late fall and winter months can be 
a daunting task. During the regular season, you have identifiable 
structure to fish, vegetation is in bloom and the sun offers you 
shaded areas, which will produce fish during the heat of the day. 
Winter however does not give you any of those visible signs.

So what do you do? Well once again, you must turn to your 
understanding of the bass and its lifestyle during these "lean 
months". When I use the word lean, I am referring to the food 
chain which can be drastically reduced by the elements. 
Exceptionally cold weather can kill smaller fish and aquatic 
life leaving the bass only a limited diet for three or four 
months. You will often hear bass fishermen talking about the 
"big feed" prior to winter, when bass will eat anything and 
everything to carry them through to spring.
  
Bait selection at this time is critical. In very cold water, a 
bass will move only a minimal distance for food. The bait of 
choice has to be something that is equal or greater than the 
energy expended.
  
Compare your own lifestyle during the winter months, you store 
up food and fuel for the winter to avoid unnecessary trips to 
the store. And you really hate clearing the driveway and brushing 
the snow off your vehicle if it's not absolutely necessary, 
correct? Well it's the same for a bass. Why should the fish dash 
around for small items of food when it will not compensate for 
the energy expended to chase down and catch it?

The use of large, slow moving baits is the key. Don't be afraid 
to throw 10-inch or 12-inch plastics, like the new Uncle Josh™ 
"Incredible Creature™" and "Incredible Lizard™" range of lures,
where you once threw a 4-inch offering. Slowly retrieve these
baits, inching them back to shore. Large jigs tipped with 3- 
or 4-inch pork trailers maneuvered in a similar fashion will 
produce fish, you just have to be patient.
  
During summer, that smaller bait should be in and out of the 
water in thirty seconds. However, with the winters' climactic 
changes, you must now leave the larger bait in the water for 
as long as three minutes!

A good tip here is to keep your baits warm. I place a few 
imitations into a plastic bag and keep them in my pocket. This 
keeps the bait flexible and will work well in frigid water 
temperatures. Remember small attention to details like that will 
separate you from the rest of the fishermen, and you will catch 
more fish.
  
The key to winter bass fishing is patience. That's not an easy 
thing for my fellow New Yorkers! But you should give it a try.
  
Bring some hot coffee and plenty of food for your energy. Remember 
to dress in layers. Hypothermia is very nasty and is a condition, 
from first hand experience, I do not recommend!

[thanks to www.uglybass.com]

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                  FISHING JOKES CORNER
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Taking care of his baby sister one day while his parents
went shopping, young John decided to go fishing and he had
to take her along. When his parents returned later in the
day, John told them, "I'll never take her fishing with me
again! I didn't catch a thing!"

His mother patted him on the shoulder and said," Oh, I'm
sure she'll be nice and quiet next time and not scare away
all the fish."

John replied, "It wasn't that. She ate all the bait!"

[Thanks, Shannon, for the great joke]
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Questions...Comments...email us at: mailto:bass2@sendoutmail.com
<a href="mailto:bass2@sendoutmail.com">Email brock</a>
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             END OF BASS MATTERS - Copyright 2002

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