While many Louisiana sportsmen will head to duck blinds or deer stands after the New Year, a small but dedicated cadre of bass enthusiasts will be out in the cold to look for some of the biggest bucketmouths of the year. Before moving shallow to spawn, big female bass stage on humps or ledges in deeper water -- and anglers finding these staging areas can connect with some impressive fish.

Displaying a bass that he took on a Calcutta swimbait at a southwest Louisiana marsh in winter is Bart Farris. Photo by John Felsher.

"I look for fish on the graph and drop a bait right on them," said professional bass angler Tanya Kreuzer. "Once I locate them, I can figure out how to catch them. Bass always like to hang near humps, ledges, logs or rockpiles in deep water. I look for anything different on the bottom contour. Creek channels and the deep ends of points are always good places to look for bass in the winter. Where a creek channel hits the main lake is also a good place to look for bass."

When Kreuzer finds a hump with fish, she probes it thoroughly. Since cold water often makes bass lethargic, winter fishing frequently involves a painfully slow, methodical approach. Non-aggressive bass might not chase fast prey, but they may slurp something passing within easy striking range. When temperatures drop, dragging a Texas-rigged worm or a jig and pork or plastic combination slowly over the bottom could bring results. Pause frequently. Pull it over drop-off edges and let it fall.

LESS IS MORE
"Most of the time, I start out with a jig, but if the fish are biting really finicky, I'll switch to a drop shot," Kreuzer said. "With a drop shot, I use 6- to 8-pound fluorocarbon line. When fish are finicky and the bite is tough, I go to smaller hooks and line. For hooks, I use anywhere from a 1 to a 6."

A drop shot simply consists of a hook attached to the line 12 to 36 inches above a weight. Sweeten the hook with a small grub, worm or other soft-plastic temptation. Some people even add multiple hooks to test various baits or colors at different depths. Some anglers use a lead jig head tipped with plastic as the main weight and attach a grub or worm above the weight to tempt fish either directly on the bottom or suspended slightly above it.

A drop-shot rig keeps a bait in the strike zone longer. With the sinker on bottom, shake the line so that the worm vibrates in a bass's face. Although anglers typically fish a drop shot vertically, some drag it across the bottom like a Carolina rig. Sometimes, working a bait too vigorously could deter strikes, but the slightest quiver could provoke a reaction.

"In the winter, when fish are typically more lethargic, bass don't want baits that move too much," Kreuzer said. "Many people put too much movement on the bait. People don't realize that just a tiny bit of rod movement can move the bait quite a bit. When the bite is tough, I often dead-stick a bait. Leaving the rod as still as possible, I hold the line really taut and twitch it a little every once in a while. Sometimes, I lay the lure on the bottom. Occasionally, I pick it off the bottom and hold it there for a few seconds before letting it drop to the bottom again; then I dead-stick it again for awhile. Often, a bass picks it up while it's on the bottom."