Winter Bass Fishing: 9 Must-Have Lures

Planning on some winter bass fishing? Here are some bass facts & lure suggestions to help with your success.

• Bass don’t need to feed every day, so they don’t eat as much or as often, making smaller baits or extremely slow moving big baits good options
• Bass group up and move around as little as possible, populating areas with food and deep water nearby. So spend time looking for deep concentrations of bait, cover and bass.
• This is great news! They do eat, and they stick together. So if you find one, there are likely many nearby, and one or some are bound to be hungry.

Related Stories: New Fishing Gear for 2017: 5 Innovative Fishing Lures

Given this info, here are the best lures for winter bass fishing:

• Blade Bait: A blade bait is the perfect lure for stair-stepping down steep 45 degree banks to where bass are resting.
• Casting Jig: Best for smallmouths, cast a casting jig to 45 degree banks and steep points and bluffs. Even better when tipped with something with flat appendages that undulate more than twist and thump.
• Deep Suspending Jerk Baits: To imitate shad dying – kicking, fluttering, floating – deep diving suspending jerkbaits are best. The sound, flash and displacement in clear water can all lead big bass out of the deep to grab an easy meal.
• Drop Shot:  Since bass are often tight to the bottom, keep leader lengths fairly short and let the drop shot sit for long periods. It won’t need much action!
• Grub: It may be simple and old-school, but this bait really shines when the water is ultra cold. When bass suspend in vertical cover, a grub can be a great lure to catch those otherwise stationary bass.
• Jigging Spoon: This lure casts like a rock, gets to the bottom and into the strike zone with blazing speed. It can be worked in place vertically with ease.
• Tail Spinner: This lure also gets to the bottom fast and can be easily manipulated (hop, wind & pump) in various ways both near the bottom and up in the strike zone.
• Shad Rap: A favorite of the pros in coldwater tournaments! 
• Under Spins: When fishing deep flats, this lure can be cast and wound slowly along the bottom or up off the bottom if you find the bass suspended.

Related Stories: These 9 Old Fishing Lures are Extremely Valuable