It has been a painfully long winter here in the northeast. Temperatures have been brutal, and most areas have seen more ice cover than we have in well over a decade.
So much ice that many of my ice-fishing friends are using equipment they thought they may never get a chance to use again. The last three plus months have not been what we open water anglers hoped for. It was so cold that the month of January will go down in the record books as the 14th coldest on record. Based on the way February has started, along with some silly rodent’s shadow, it could be well into March, perhaps April before ice gives way to open water on many area lakes.
Targeting ice-out bass is honestly NOT for everyone, and for good reason. Most launch areas will be a little unkept–sticks, logs and other debris generally litter the ramp, and if your lake has docks and ramps to assist in launching, you can bet they are several weeks, perhaps even a month from being installed. Tough launching and beaching your boat on the shoreline can be deterrent enough for even the hardiest of anglers. Once that is resolved, anglers need to keep in mind that it is most definitely going to be cold out on the water. Generally, 5 to 10 degrees cooler than it is on land. Any wind coming off the water will be brisk and often has anglers wondering if it is even worth it. Here the adage, “If you know, you know,” should ease those concerns.
The good news is that as soon as ice starts to disappear and water starts to open up, bass will begin to move out of the deeper water and start feeding more aggressively. Even if air temps have only risen a little, the overall length of daylight triggers bass to feed and bulk up in preparation of the spawn. Before I even consider launching, I will do a few drive-by’s to make sure ALL the ice is gone. Once the ice starts to melt, it is generally gone in a week or so.
Concentrate efforts on the northernmost end of your favorite lake or river. Preferably the northwestern shorelines and northern coves where direct afternoon sunlight warms these shallow areas. If there is a creek influence in these areas, you can bet active fish will be nearby. This is true for more than 90% of the lakes I fish, and the temperature gauge on your sonar should verify a change in water temp as you go from the main lake into these areas. Narrowing down where to start is important because locating active bass is still a challenge in cold water. Anglers who are new to late winter / early spring bass fishing will still have to search hard for their first action of the year. But rest assured, the bass you catch will be worth it.
Search baits, such as suspended jerkbaits, medium diving cranks and swimbaits are generally my lead off lures. Since minnows account for most, if not all the cold-water forage for bass, we want to mimic them. Crayfish, amphibians and insects are likely still seeking refuge under rocks, burrowed in mud or in decaying leaf debris. Some will be dined on as they emerge, but minnows will make up the primary forage until they do.
These three lead off lures will slowly but effectively cover water and find active bass. Select the appropriate jerkbait for the water depth you are in. Shallow is relative and in deeper lakes, shallow may be 10-15 feet and in other lakes, four to eight feet. Water depth will determine the lip configuration, so recognize that it may change as anglers work different depths while they move along the banks, into coves and creek mouths. Fan cast the jerkbaits and methodically cover as much water as possible. Allow the lure to pause a few seconds between jerks and pay close attention to anything that feels odd. Bass are known to bump or slap a lure before striking it.
The same goes for crankbaits. Select diving depths according to the water depths. Crankbaits work best when they are at or near the bottom. The dust cloud they create when hitting the bottom or deflecting sharply after hitting submerged logs and rocks will trigger strikes. A fellow cold-water angler, Floyd, prefers crankbaits to jerks, suggesting that they cover water more efficiently. He suggests a deep-lipped crankbait with a slow, tight wobble. Key here is to get the crankbait down quickly and then work it slowly along the bottom with minimal effort. Having seen this work flawlessly myself, I prefer lipped cranks over lipless models in cold water depths less than 10 feet. In deeper water, lipless cranks will likely have the advantage.
If the area is full of debris or unfriendly to lures with treble hooks, swimbaits are an excellent choice. Especially when rigged with a flutter jig. They can be dragged through or around cover more easily than lures with exposed hooks. Selecting length and jig weight should depend on both the size of the available forage and jig weight based on wind and depth of water. For slow rolling, a swimbait with a wide paddle tail will help slow down the speed and create enough motion to draw bass in. If bass are staging off shallow flats leading into coves, consider dragging the swimbait along the bottom. Pay close attention to what you feel. Bass often prefer gravel and rock to mud and sand as they forage in colder water. The correct rod, reel and line combination will easily allow the angler to feel the difference.
Slow rolling spinnerbaits can be effective depending on the body of water. I generally prefer a smaller framed spinnerbait, as they come through cover better than most any lure out there. Alabama Rigs can be extremely effective for locating feeding bass in cold water. While not a personal favorite, one cannot argue how effective they are. Again, bottom contact (dragging bottom) can be critical this time of year.
This author is hoping and praying for ice-out and open water fishing soon. Like many, chomping at the bit, anticipating the arrival of a certain migrating songbird and signs to put winter away for good. Be safe and please leave a few for me!
Author Chris Gorsuch is a licensed charter guide in the state of Pennsylvania. He started the Reel River Adventures guide service in ‘07 and spends 225-250 days on the water annually. His home base is on the Susquehanna River where he operates 20’ jetboats.You can follow his daily fishing reports on Facebook ‘Reel River Adventures-RRA’ & Instagram @Chris_Gorsuch
