January is typically the coldest month of the year in North Carolina and usually sees fishing by only the true die-hards.
But even though stuffed full of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and cakes and pies during the holidays, bass anglers should be ready to brave the cold and test new fishing gear they found under the Christmas tree.
Some of you may remember the “Blades when its Blue” feature story a few years ago in North Carolina Sportsman. The article, written by managing editor Craig Holt, highlighted how to fish spinnerbaits in deep water during the winter.
The focus of this article was to fish heavy spinnerbaits at creek channels ledges to imitate dying shad in the winter. The water temperature typically would be in the low 40s, which would seem too cold to produce much of a largemouth bite.
While slow-rolling spinnerbaits is an excellent cold-weather technique, not all the fish are relating to creek channels this time of year. Some bass can be taken at points, flats and weed beds well away from the channels.
When the water is in the low 40’s, a suspending jerkbait such as Daiwa’s Double Clutch or TD Minnow, can be deadly when jerked then paused a few seconds.
Small grubs on ball heads jigs also can trick non-channel dwellers.
One thing you can be certain of — the biggest population of largemouth bass will be near a sharp drop, but not necessarily directly oriented on it. That happens especially during a warming trend when bass can get extremely active and anglers can experience some great fishing.
It’s true that some fish will never leave the channel, but it is fun to get in on some shallow, aggressive bass during January.
What’s the main weather factors that trigger such bass activity? How about three days of air temperatures in the 70s and lows no colder than 50 degrees, a southerly breeze, and maybe throw in a warm rain. That’s when it happens, in my experience.
And when it does, anglers should go to their favorite lake as fast as they can. Then head to the north shoreline where the wind likely will be pushing warm surface water just as it does during late February and early March.
Tie on an Assassinator spinnerbait, throw it toward the bank and hold on. It’s gonna be fun.
Fishing during such periods isn’t always that simple, but get in the right area and it will be happen sooner or later.
The place to be
Locating fish is a key during such a warming trend.
I search several types of areas, the first being a flat or bay near a major creek channel that comes somewhat close to the shore.
Look for old dead weeds, logs, or flooded grass from our recent drought. Baitfish presence is great but not absolutely crucial as they may be feeding on crawfish just becoming active as the water warms.
Chances are you’ll see tiny minnows and bream — I would hate to be a bream during these conditions.
The obvious lure choice if there’s flooded grass would be a spinnerbait.
If we don’t recover from drought and our lakes remain low, seek out visible shallow stumps at the edges of creek channels and the main river channel. Such stumps can be dynamite.
Aggressive bass can be caught by anglers using square-billed crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, or virtually any lure in your box that’ll come through stumps. Last year during a January warming trend, I caught several bass while using a buzzbait.
Cover water
The third technique to consider is just covering water.
If there is not a mass bass migration, there will be always be some bass shallow and with a warming trend, they’ll be more active.
Picking up one here and one there could get interesting with an activity increase. So picking up a TD Vibration, crankbait, or spinnerbait and just covering water could give you a lot of action or lead you to a big school.
If you believe global warming really is happening, nothing could be better than hoping for a little extra warmth for a few days during January. That can be a lot of fun if you make the effort to be at your favorite lake — and help take the edge off waiting for spring.
Dustin Wilks is a 30-year-old professional bass angler and Raleigh native now living in Rocky Mount. He has qualified for the Bassmaster Classic four times and operates Fish Like a Pro Fishing Lessons (252-883-6749, www.fishlikeapro.com ). His sponsors include Skeeter Boats, Yamaha, Daiwa, Keelshield and Culprit.
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