Winter Bassing on the East Rand
Bass still need to eat during winter , which means they can be caught ! On the East Rand
the requirements may differ from dams in other areas . This article deals with where they
can be found , how they eat , what to use to catch them and how .
Where the fish are in winter
Here on the East Rand , the bass are mostly deep inside the reeds . This may contradict
some of what one reads about other dams , but there is a good reason for it – namely the
overly fertile water quality found in the area
There is no control over the quality of water running into the dams , allowing an
unacceptably high concentration of phosfates and nitrates in the water . These promote
growth of vegetation ranging from reeds to aquatic weeds to microorganisms . At some
stage these forms of vegetation die off . Everything settles on the bottom to rot , a process
which requires oxygen . This makes the depths uninhabitable to fish and forces them into
the reeds . Instead of going deeper towards the bottom , they go deeper into cover and
suspend there off the bottom .
Rather than to die off and rot , the reeds appear to be dormant during the winter .
Off course there are also some bass in the deep watergrass , but they are more difficult to
catch and it just does’nt look like good bass habitat as there is mostly a silty layer
covering the grass .
And at times they will also be found in the shallows
But reeds is your most consistent pattern .
Winter Eating habits of Bass
In order to catch a bass , one needs to know it’s eating habits
In cold water , the bass suffers a slowing of metabolism . They become sluggish and
require far less nutrition . Even after having eaten , they take long to digest a meal – up to
10days if it’s a big fish they’ve caught . In other words they may not look for another
meal in that length of time .
Big bass need more sustenance than small ones and that is probably why one is inclined
to catch mostly bigger fish of over 500g in weight . And the ratio of big ( 1,5 kg and
over) to smaller catches is excellent , with hardly any undersized fish inbetween .
A key factor to bassers , is that the bass will prefer a quarry that is big and slow – a
matter of economics namely as much energy as possible gained for as little as possible
expended in obtaining the meal .
Catching that Bass
Best conditions
This will be in the afternoon of a “nice” day or when there is a northwesterly wind .
Best places
These will be reeds that are not too close to the bank , facing into the wind and that the
sun shines directly onto . I would assume that deeper reeds are better but we catch them
deep and shallow .
Equipment
Rods
As high a quality graphite rod as one’s budget will allow for jigs and soft plastics .
Winter bites are almost undetectable which makes sensitivity paramount . Thereafter you
will be well served by the increased modulation as the soft tip will let you feel for the fish
without it feeling you at the other end . But the rod will have enough backbone to horse
the fish out of the heavy cover .These rods also make for better lure control both whilst
casting and retrieving .
Rod length is dictated by personal preferences but I would say go for longer ,as these
tend to keep the lure tighter to the cover . The lower the rod tip in relation to the water ,
the more it pulls the lure away , particularly on the drop .
So , if I had to pick the most ideal rod for this technique , It would be a top-of-the-range ,
7ft , medium-heavy power , fast-action rod .
Line
My favourite line for these applications is 20lb flourocarbon as it has all the right
qualities for the job – high abrasion resistance , invisible underwater , low stretch , low
memory , sensitive , fast sinking . And anything under 20lb will mean a lost fish here and
there .
Superline is also an option worth exploring and quite an emotional issue : it’s extremely
good in certain respects but extremely frustrating in others .
Reels
The baitcaster reel should firstly be high-speed . This because the strike zone is so small
during winter . Once the lure is retrieved out of this zone , it had better get back to you
quickly in order to make another cast and not waste time .
One does not need the best reels , but at least a good one as their good braking systems
mean less overwinds , because lures will hit the cover regularly during casts .
Spinning Outfits
A combo that I catch many winter bass on ,is a medium-action spinning rod , the reel
loaded with superline . This was discussed in depth in the Aug 2006 issue . Originally
seen as a solution to finessing heavy cover , it is just as good at getting weightless lures
of any size deep into the reeds .
What enables one to do this , is the fact that the lure keeps on travelling forward after it
hits the water , as opposed to when a baitcaster is used . With the baitcaster , one has to
stop the spool with one’s thumb to prevent an overwind and this action jerks the lure back
to the angler . So , whilst the lure was cast right up to the reeds , it actually swam back
and settled a few feet in front of the target .
By contrast , the spinning reel does not have to be stopped and the lure just keeps on
travelling inwards .
The superline makes it possible to get the fish out of the cover , which is not the case
when using light monofilament line .
Personally though , I only use the spinning rig as a variation or in filthy weather when the
bass are deep inside and tight to cover , as a spinning reel wastes time .
Lures
Your “confidence” soft plastics and jigs should be the starting point . As mentioned under
feeding habits , this is the time to use big lures . Many people confuse the cold water with
post-cold frontal conditions , when finesse lures are required .
Besides , it’s easier to detect a bite on a big lure , as the bass turns a big meal around in
it’s mouth in order to swallow it head first to prevent injury from a spiny dorsal fin . A
small lure like a 3inch grub , by contrast , will be inhaled with a serious amount of water ,
not touch sides and be exhaled when the bass suspects something – all very rapidly .
Crabs appear to be the main winter fodder and I therefore prefer using craw – style lures .
And I follow the maxum of “ curl tails for dirty water , straight for clear “ . The water on
the East Rand is almost exclusively gin-clear . In a nutshell , I’ll use a Yum Dinger
instead of a Dead Ringer .
Don’t dismiss jigs – they’re fantastic ! In fact they’re the most productive lure in the USA
, especially in winter .
The “watermelon “ range of colours is by far the most productive for both soft plastics
and jigs .
Spinnerbaits are also deadly effective in winter .
Terminal Tackle
The best sinker to use will be a tungsten worm weight , which is smaller than lead of the
same weight and environmentally friendly . Use as light a weight as you can pitch
accurately into reeds . The lure needs to fall slowly in winter , but it is more important to
place it exactly right .
Pegging the sinker with a rubber stopper or mojo elastic may have it’s drawbacks , but
prevents hang-ups in the reeds .
Hooks should be of heavy-wire and the type should match the lure . Try and go as small
as possible as this also slows the rate of fall .
Rattles can be inserted in the lures to call fish or entice them to bite . They are less
important in the clear water , though .
Weightless and mojo-rigging also work , but they are applied differently to when a worm
weight is used .
Positioning
On the East Rand , the best chance for success would involve using a stable small craft to
get into the best position , which is almost always away from the bank .
Pick out areas that are getting direct sun and wind . Then focus on sections in these areas
that have bassy – looking features . Examples would be were there are different types of
vegetation converging , green reeds amongst dormant ones , any hard objects such as
wood or tyres in the reeds , clumps of horizontal reeds , gaps , isolated reeds away from
the main bed , underwater reed stumps .
In a strong wind it is imperative to drop anchor as one needs to work an area for long –
mostly for hours on end . The northwesterly can really pump and in those conditions I
initially anchor about 30m away from the target , using a genuine anchor with a 1m
length of chain to connect anchor to anchor rope . Despite the anchor lying flat , it will
still drag over the silty bottom untill it catches on to something .
One can also anchor in line with the target area for weightless and spinnerbait
presentations .
Presentation
The most desireable presentation would be to pitch a texas – rigged soft plastic or a jig ,
even a spinnerbait ,accurately and without splashing , right into gaps . The optimum
distance for this application is about 10m .
With a spinning rod loaded with braid one can lob the lure in . This cast is similar to the
pitch , except the lure is’nt held in the free hand , but simply swung in a pendulum
motion . The bow-and-arrow presentation is brilliant for getting a weightless lure in( see
photo ) . It splashes quite hard , so practice “feathering “ the line with your index finger .
The reason why I would anchor so far away in strong winds , is that I vary my
presentations as I drift in . From a distance I would throw a weightless lure with a sidearm rollcast to land it softly . I keep a rod specially rigged for this . This targets any fish
that may be active and therefore ouside the reeds or just inside ,lying in ambush . They’re
usually easier to catch , but mostly coindencidental . and not the biggest – we usually get
bass in the 400g – 1.2kg range . A friend of mine once caught 12 bass like this in 13 casts
– several between 1.5 and 1.8kg .
From a bit closer , I would cast a spinnerbait past the corners of the reedbed and retrieve
it by bumping it against the reeds .
Having drifted , or rather dragged , in close enough , I start pitching . Repeated casts are
the key here and we have literally spent up to 5 hours in a session working a 15 m area.
I ca’nt stress enough the importance of having a stable boat for this technique as you
need to fish from a standing position whilst at anchor – and that in wind and chop . Most
craft are not designed for this and it is my theory that this is why one seldom sees a small
craft angler fishing in these conditions . The Famous Inflatable Bass Boats are designed
to handle this easily . And that gives us whole dams to ourselves during Winter .
The option of anchoring alongside , just in front of the reedline : here I cast a senko-type
lure weightless or with a small splitshot parallel to the reeds . I then let the wind and
current carry the lure up against the cover . This technique is aimed at the fish outside , as
once they swim with it into the reeds , the angle complicates your chances of getting
them out .
A spinnerbait down this line is my favourite , though : a larger area is worked and the fish
can get “called” to venture outside the cover and hit . Once again , repetitive casts are
called for – be prepared to do it for hours on end . And it’s advisable to be able to reach
the target area in person – you’re just asking for your spinnerbait to get stuck , so being
able to go and retrieve it makes for tighter casts .
Active Feeding vs Reaction Bites
Bass are only in active feeding mode for about 10% of the time – and in winter it’s much
worse . The rest of the time they are in a neutral mode at best .
It follows then , that it would be more productive to coax a reaction bite out of them . To
achieve this , one needs to let a lure fall right past the basses nose and it must be done
without any splashing . It requires extreme efficiency but with a major benefit – the exact
nature and colour of the lure is not important .
If the lure lands on the bottom 30cm or so away from the bass , it might sidle up to it to
gobble it up . Here the type of lure and it’s colour and it’s action ( or lack of action )
becomes important .The less active bass will take longer to bite that lure and
unfortunately first inspect it carefully .
Retrieval Methods
They say that a bass prefers to take a falling lure 99% of the time . It makes good sense ,
then , to pitch a lure at a target as many times as possible in order for it to fall ( it won’t
land on the exact same spot every time ) . This could entice the time-saving reaction bite .
Once the lure has landed , hop it or shake it and when it is out of the strike zone , burn it
back to you and repeat – multiple pitches into a zone are called for .
The other option is to pitch your lure into the gap and “dead stick” it , a small hop or
twitch and “dead stick “ untill the lure is out of the reeds for an absolute maximum of 2m
.So it’s slow motion -your mind will be cast back to earlier in this article that the winter
bass will be interested in a quarry that is big , yet easy to catch . But once the lure is out
of productive range , once again burn it in and pitch again with minimal time wastage .
A spinnerbait can also be pitched and dropped to the bottom . Or it can be cast over
sparser reeds and slow-rolled through . It’s important to bump the reeds as the bass are
usually tight against it .
Keep in mind too , that the cover is’nt limited only to that which one can see sticking out
above the water . All the more reason to be able to stand on a boat and to wear polarized
sunglasses , preferably with amber ( brown ) lenses .
Detecting the Bite
Winter bites can be hard to detect . A few reasons are that the bass are big and don’t
bump the lure in their mouth and they are lethargic , so they don’t hit the bait . They often
only take something falling right past them and won’t swim to and pick up a lure . Then
there is the fact that you are fishing so tight to cover that it’s hard to discern between
feeling what is a fish and what is something else .
One can’t really explain to a beginner what a bite feels like , as it varies so much .
Sometimes , especially in winter , the very fact that one isn’t feeling anything at all,
means fish on !
The best advice is to quickly learn what the lure itself feels like in the water and watch
your line .In other words , if your lure feels different or your line stops it’s fall too early
or tightens or moves or twitches it could well be a fish .Obviously there are also times
when you clearly feel the tap or vibration of the bass .
Setting the Hook
Once you suspect that it might be a fish on the other end of the line , what will follow
depends on your own style .
Some people , once they have the slightest hint of what could be a fish , snap their rods
hard in an upwards movement , as if fishing on a hair trigger – “when in doubt , clout” .
This has it’s pro’s and con’s .
I have proven to myself that one actually has ample time to line everything up and see US
pro’s take their time, too . I mentioned earlier that bass will turn the lure around in their
mouth .
Once I think that there could be a fish on , first thing is to lift the rod tip gently to feel for
resistance . A bass just feels differently to a reed . By then , one is allready prepared
mentally for striking . Should the rod tip tell you there’s a fish , drop the rod tip towards
the bass and snap it upwards .
Now , I noticed a mistake made by many – they drop the tip back again and bye-bye bass
. It is imperative that one should keep the tip as high as possible and keep the pressure
there .The intention is to disorientate the bass with the hit and then keep it moving
towards you .Set the drag on your reel so it will won’t release while the fish is still inside
the cover .
Only once you have the bass well out of the cover can you even consider playing it .
In Conclusion
So don’t be put off by winter – all it requires to catch a bass is commitment and patience
Martin Engelke , Famous Inflatable Bass Boats , 011-894 5991 , 083 456 1073 ,
martin.famousb@absamail.co.za