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Welcome to Toledo Bend Guide Service & Lake Cottage
01/22/2008
Toledo Bend - TX,Huxley
Winter fishing Tips
Understanding a few basic fundamentals for winter fishing will help you put fish in the boat. The three basic fundamentals you need to know are the fish behavior, best locations and the best baits to use.
BEHAVIOR: When the water temperature drops to the low fifties, the bass will move from shallower areas to deeper water following the bait- fish and where the fluctuation in temperature remains more constant. The cold temperatures will slow down the metabolism of the fish and they will not be as aggressive and moving around as much conserving their energy. Subsequently, we will need to slow our fishing down to entice a strike.
LOCATION: This time of year our electronics are probably the one single most important tool we have in our boat in locating key structure, bait fish, fish and cover. You need to concentrate along the deep creek channels, the river channel ledges, main and secondary points dropping off into deep water and deep main lake ridges and humps. At times the fish will be related to the bottom or suspended in or over cover.
BEST BAITS: Based on the location of the fish we’ve found using our electronics will determine the best baits to use. Typically this time of year you will want to down size your baits and your line size. If the fish are oriented on the bottom a jig and pig, slab spoon, Texas or CR rigged plastic will be most productive. If the fish are suspended just off the bottom a drop shot rigged with a finesse plastic or spoon will entice a bite. If the fish are suspended higher off the bottom a tail spinner or grub counted down and slowly retrieved through the school will trigger a strike. Also a crank- bait running at the depth of the fish will be productive. Remember, this time of year we need to entice the bite by fishing slow.
Don’t forget, January is a prime month for catching our deep- water slab Crappie and White Bass. The Crappie will gang up on the old river channel ledges over planted or natural cover. Live shiners or jigs work best. I prefer using a nine or ten foot jigging pole with an ultra lite spinning reel spooled with two- pound diameter, ten- pound test braided line. The braid enables you to feel the slightest bite and if you are pulling a big slab out of heavy cover, you have a better chance of not breaking off. Remember, in December, January and February there is no minimum length and we’re suppose to keep all the fish we catch since most will be coming out of deep water and won’t survive the trip up.
There’s no need in waiting for the White bass to reach the river proper. We’ll be catching them on the main lake river sand bars as the Whites migrate from the main lake to the river. Slab spoons and tale spinners will be the ticket.
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