Although the cat may not want to chase , its predatory instinct and reaction is to chase and pounce . The same is true with bass . In water temperatures as low as the 30s , we have successfully caught bass on crankbaits fished as fast as we could turn the handle .
To utilize this technique , you need very specific gear . First and foremost , you need a crankbait that has a very tight wobble . As water temperature drops , life underwater slows down . A crankbait with a tight wobble better imitates the movement of real baitfish and crawfish . There are a lot of really good crankbaits on the market , but many have a really wide wobble that doesn ’ t quite imitate wintertime forage .
Three baits that work very well for cold water speed cranking are the River2Sea Tactical Crank , Megabass Deep X 300 and the SPRO RkCrawler . Pair these baits up with a high-speed reel ( 7:1 or 8:1 gear ratio ) and crank them as quickly as you can turn the reel handle . The key with this technique is to pause your retrieve for a split second any time your crankbait hits or deflects off of a piece of structure , or cover . That ’ s when 90 percent of your bites will happen .
Again , bass are top predators , and they ’ re born to kill . Kill them with speed cranking the next time you ’ re out on the water this winter .
Alabama rig
The Alabama rig is a proven technique for catching big bass in the dead of winter . It ’ s a technique that works great yearround , but it works especially well in cold water when bass are looking for a big , easy meal .
Mimicking a small school of baitfish , the A-rig can produce when other techniques won ’ t . Fishing an A-Rig can be as simple as casting it out and reeling it back , but just like the crankbait , we like to fish it a little differently : fast and aggressive .
We fish it with lots of quick handle turns on the reel or rod twitches to mimic a frantic bait ball . With the correct A-rig , every quick handle turn or rod twitch compresses and expands the rig to look like a real school of bait fish . To get the correct movement and action from your A-rig , you need to be throwing a rig with light enough wire to allow the rig to compress and expand with the turns and twitches .
Two A-rigs that have light enough wire and have worked really well for us in winter are the Hogfarmer BFL Flex Rig and the G Funk Baits Bama Rig .
When fishing the A-Rig around hard cover like dock pilings or standing timber , make sure to add twitches as the A-rig passes the ambush points . Most of the time , just after the added twitch , that ’ s when you ’ ll get bit .
River2Sea Tactical DD Crank 75
SPRO RkCrawler 55
Megabass DEEP-X 300
If you ’ re fishing an A-rig in open water , make sure to add the twitches about every six or seven turns of your reel handle . Many times , bass will follow the ball of baits , staying a couple feet behind the bait as it pursues . As soon as you add the movement to your rig , it makes the bass feel like it has been spotted by the bait ball . The bass now needs to commit and eat or miss out on the easy meal .
Remember to check your state ’ s regulations on the number of hooks you can have on your Alabama rig . Some states allow five hooks and some only allow two or three . If you ’ re in a state that doesn ’ t allow five baits with hooks , make sure your teaser baits ( dummy baits without hooks ) are smaller than the baits with hooks . We ’ ve found that even on rigs limited to only two baits with hooks , placement and size dictate which baits get eaten more the majority of the time .
Remember to have your larger baits be the baits with hooks and have them rigged lower and further back than the teaser baits , and you won ’ t have any issue with the bass eating the wrong one .
Many traditional baits like jigs , finesse worms , and blade baits also work well this time of year , but triggering a bass ’ core instinct to chase down and eat in cold water takes it to a different level . This style of fishing is exciting and can lead to some of the biggest catches of the year – if not the biggest bass of your life . Next time you ’ re out on the lake , try speed cranking or winding an Alabama rig to get those big , sluggish fish moving .
Hog Farmer BFL Flex Rig
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