OK, I know it. I’m nuts. I admit it. It’s a fact. Even Becky will back me up on that. But, I catch a lot of bass, too, and so here goes one of my all-time favorite ways to fish — in the snow!
When I say snow I’m not talking about a little covering over the grass, or the day after when it starts to warm up and the sun comes out. I want the temperature to be in the 20s and I want the wind blowing and swirling around. Most important, though, I want the snow coming down like crazy. I want it covering my boat so heavy that I have to shovel it out every so often.
Do you know why I want that? Because when it snows the barometric pressure drops, and that’s a trigger that makes them bite.
I’m going to give you my two best snow power baits, but before I do that I want to say that for some of you this might be a little early. I don’t care. It’s best to be prepared — mentally, physically and tackle-wise.
Power Bait #1
This is a bait that’s been around forever, and there’s a reason for that. It catches them. I’m talking about a vibrating, lipless crankbait.
My first, and only, choice is a Rapala Rippin Rap Lipless Crankbait. It comes in three sizes and at least 20 colors. Like I always say — well, almost always — the best colors are the ones that look like the local forage, what they’re eating. That’s especially important in the winter because the water is usually really clear. That gives the bass super good visibility.
Fish this lure a little slower than you do in the spring, summer and fall. But that doesn’t mean totally without movement. Keep it coming, and cover every inch of the water, vertical and horizontal.
Power Bait #2
This one is for when they’re not as aggressive. It’s a suspending jerkbait. I go with a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad. It’s available in a deep running model and a shallow running model. They both will suspend perfectly still in the water when you stop them, no drift up or down.
I carry a couple of each because you never know how deep they’ll be holding. Every day is different. But, and this is really important, don’t think that just because the water’s cold the bass are deep. Maybe they are, but maybe they aren’t. Cover all the water you’re fishing with a deep diving and a shallow diving model until you find where they’re at.
My color choices are exactly the same as they are with my Rippin Crankbait.
The thing about using this lure is that its cadence is the most important thing. I crank it down at first with five or six turns of my reel handle and then start it back with short, soft pulls and fairly long pauses. If that doesn’t get them going, I speed things up. There’s no set formula for this. It’s trial and error all the way.
So here’s what I want you to do: Break out your long underwear along with your insulated coveralls and go catch some snow bass. Who cares if your neighbors think you’re crazy. You know the truth.
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