CODY MEYER
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Even though Connell says spotted bass want to get out of the current during the colder months , having water flow is still vital .
“ Current is a huge deal all year long , and really , the most important thing for spotted bass ,” Connell explains . “ How fast the water is flowing changes everything in how the baitfish move and how the spotted bass position themselves .”
That means looking for eddies and rock banks and ledges during the winter months , as they create a perfect ambush point for spotted bass .
“ They want something they can hide behind and get a break from the current ,” Connell adds . “ It has to allow them to rise and eat if they need to . That ’ s what makes eddies so important , but not all eddies are created equal , and they have to have all of the right ingredients . You want the right water color that ’ s not too dirty , and there has to be baitfish around .”
Generally , Connell sticks to water shallower than 20 feet for spots around his home , but believes the mid-depth range is best this time of year .
“ Most of the eddies , shoals and rocks that I target are between 8 and 12 feet of water ,” he says . “ These places are also the same places they ’ ll be when they start thinking of spawning in February and March . This is how it is on all of the lakes in the Coosa River system .”
Meyer ’ s favorite fisheries in Northern California are vastly deeper , but his approach is similar .
“ The bass will use long points that run way out in the lake as ambush points ,” Meyer says . “ Even though the water may be 100 feet deep , those big tapering points are still structure they can relate to and follow . The key is to find out what depth the bass and forage are in , because it may be down 20 feet , or it could be much deeper .”
To determine this , Meyer relies heavily on his electronics , including the Garmin Panoptix LiveScope system , and works to create a milk run of points to fish in a day .
“ You can do it with standard 2-D sonar and see how far down you ’ re marking them to give you a clue , but it ’ s so much easier with forward-looking sonar ,” Meyer adds . “ Fishing for big spotted bass is all about timing , and you may have a few sweet spots where they could be and might have to rotate through them several times until they ’ re there and feeding .”
While targeting bass feeding on trout and salmon may be foreign to some anglers , Meyer uses a similar approach when fishing some Southern fisheries like Lake Lanier .
“ Lakes with blueback herring are basically the same thing ,” Meyer says . “ There will be a lot of suspended fish and they are going to use points and brush piles the same way and ambush the herring .”
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