Hall has a theory that the colder it is , the slower a bass will move – not just in how frequently / infrequently they move around in an area , but also in how they process and react to what ’ s happening in the water around them . “ I think it gets so cold that they won ’ t chase anything and will only feed if something comes right in their face ,” Hall said . “ If you can line up and make the perfect cast , they aren ’ t going to move , but if it ’ s right in their face , you have a great chance at getting them to react and bite .”
Cox and his sight-fishing approach differ greatly : his obvious preference is for sunshine and calm weather . For him , it ’ s more about the timing on the calendar .
“ The biggest bass of the year always seem to be the ones that come up first to spawn ,” Cox said . “ They come up and do their thing and get out of there . I ’ ve also noticed the best places to find a big one will be one of two things ; somewhere very far away from everyone else in the thickest cover or hidden backwater , or right near deep water . You aren ’ t typically going to find a giant spawning around a bunch of other beds .”
Reese fits in the middle when describing the perfect situation to catch big bass .
“ Historically , my best days for big fish , most of them were overcast with a little wind ,” he said . “ Water temperatures in the mid-50s during the prespawn with those conditions get my juices flowing because I know my odds are much better for catching a giant on a swimbait . It ’ s pretty straightforward , but the warmer the water temperature , the worse the conditions are for catching big ones .”
INGREDIENT # 3 – Trophy bass lures
It ’ s a fact that the biggest bass in a lake can be caught on just about everything , and stories of monster bass caught by crappie anglers fishing small jigs pop up all the time . In general though , larger lures produce bigger fish .
For Hall , especially during the winter months , that means an Alabama rig . The reason for using this is partly because of how well it shows up on his Garmin LiveScope , but also because the bigger profile appeals to larger bass .
Reese prefers swimbaits and has a long history with them – everything from 5- to 14-inch baits ( yes , 14 ).
“ I probably have more swimbaits than anyone on tour ,” Reese said . “ I ’ m addicted to them and have something for every situation . In my eyes , they ’ re the best way to imitate the big forage that the big fish eat , and you have to have a swimbait for every situation . No one bait will work every time .”
Reese bases his bait selection for trophy bass on the fishery and what the bass are eating , but water temperature is another component of his decision on which bait to throw .
“ The top-hooked , jighead-style baits in the 7- to 9-inch range that imitate trout are going to be the best for slow rolling when the water is still cold in the prespawn ,” Reese said . “ I like a swimbait with more action and harder tail kick when the bass are closer to spawning , and then after they spawn . The single-jointed glide baits work well
Sight-fishing guru John Cox finds that the biggest bass in the lake usually spawn first , and tucked far away from smaller fish .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
APRIL-MAY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 53