New To Bass Fishing

[John Andrews]

Well this summer I have been having a blast top water bass fishing at springfied lake and the James river. I assume the fun is ending as the weather get colder. So my question is, what tips do you have for catching bass in the cold months. thanks for any advice

[Mitch f]

Keep fishing topwater, crank baits and jigs until the water temp gets down to 55

switch to crankbaits and jigs between 55 on 48

switch to jerkbaits and jigs until the water gets below 45

jigs below 45

Whats the common denominator at all temps? JIGS

In the fall the fish will be very aggrerssive

In the winter the general rule is smaller and slower

Now throw all the hard and fast rules I just posted out the window!!!

[Al Agnew]

Just to add to what Mitch said, finding them is the most difficult part of cold weather fishing. They are already moving toward wintering pools, and wintering pools are often few and far between. Once the water temps drop into the low 50s they'll be congregating in the wintering pools. As a general rule, wintering water has very little current and is deep enough that you can't see the bottom, or else has lots of big boulders or other cover they can hide under.

[E Green]

should the last part of sept and first two or so weeks of Oct still be very productive smallmouth fishing season in smaller wade streams and middle stretches of current river?

I am also taking the family to a cabin in Black MO next weekend for 3 nights and would love to fish on the black river up there. It looks like a wonderful area and cabin.

[Greasy B]

should the last part of sept and first two or so weeks of Oct still be very productive smallmouth fishing season in smaller wade streams and middle stretches of current river?

I am also taking the family to a cabin in Black MO next weekend for 3 nights and would love to fish on the black river up there. It looks like a wonderful area and cabin.

In my experance the stream smallies should be in their usual summer pattern about 4 more weeks. Typically we'll have a cool rainy spell the later part of October that will trigger a change. The change will be more pronounced in the smaller streams, less so in the larger ones.

[Al Agnew]

Maybe it depends upon the stream, but I've always found the fishing starting to decline about now in the smaller, wadeable and marginally floatable streams. Bigger is better in the fall.

[stlfisher]

This is my first year really trageting smallmouth so take this with a grain of salt, but the streams I have been fishing (wadeable in size) seemed prettty devoid of fish my last outing two outings. Granted a fierce cold front may have had something to do with it, but the fish seemed to have disappeared or were holding really really tight to cover. Still didn't see hardly any sunfish or baitfish roaming about either.

[E Green]

yeah not this past sunday, but the one before, I fished 10 mile and did great numbers wise and caught 2 0or 3 in the 11-12 inch range and then 1 big one that was about 15 inches (i know...not that big...haha....but this is a tiny creek) and a bunch of sunny's

Then just this past sunday, not one nibble.....I was using crank baits both times....

[John Andrews]

Thanks for the advice folks