This area of water usually warms the fastest after the ice out, and if you can find good hard cover, it’s a big-time bonus. Oftentimes the bass will be relating to deep water structural elements (rock piles, ledges, humps or the ends of secondary points) nearest spawning flats they intend to use in the next 60-90 days.
Table of Contents
How do you catch bass after ice melts?

Can you fish right after the ice melts?
Right after the ice melts, you won’t catch as many walleyes as you will two weeks after the ice melts. On a good day with two anglers in my boat, we’ll catch about 10 to 12 fish.
What do you throw after a cold front for bass?
Minnows, worms or leeches will all work well and play on a fish’s natural prey preference. Slip floats, livebait rigs and tipped jigs all have a time and place, and post cold front conditions are definitely one of them. Try to use the freshest and liveliest bait you can get your hands on.
How do you catch suspended bass in open water?

What is a ned rig?
The Ned rig is a finesse fishing technique that involves using small plastic worms, craws, or creatures paired with a light mushroom style head so it can easily float off the bottom. This rig was originally created by outdoor writer Ned Kehde and popularized in the Midwest โ so the name Ned rig stuck because of him!
How do you fish right after ice?
- Deep diving jerkbait. The jerkbait is probably my favorite lure for ice out fishing.
- Ned rig.
- Jigs.
- Drop shotting (or similar)
- Crankbaits.
Can you catch bass in the middle of the day?
The good news is that bass can still be caught well during the middle of the day, and if you know what you’re doing (and aren’t afraid to change tactics a bit), you can keep the bite going from launch to load.
How deep do bass go in winter?
Deep Water Winter Bass Hotspots A depth change of 2 feet or 20 feet could be a good wintertime bass hideout depending on the geographic location of the fishery. The water is too cold at the average depth of the flat (about 10 feet deep), so the bass seek out the deepest water they can find for a comfort zone.
Will bass bite after a cold front?
As the air temperature cools from a cold front, the surface temperature of the water will also begin to cool. This will force bass in shallow water to seek holding areas in deeper water where the temperature will be warmer.
Do bass bite during a cold front?
Cold fronts bring high barometric pressure into areas, which is notorious for making bass finicky and much tougher to catch. You can put a bait right on their nose at times and they won’t even think of biting.
Will bass bite topwater in winter?
Yes, a topwater lure during the Winter can be productive but takes lots of patience. Black bass can be caught in the Winter, summer, spring, or fall on topwater. But your technique must change drastically to have success. In the Winter, they prefer easier-to-eat baits, such as a dying minnow.
When should I suspend my bass?
Summer and winter are good times to find suspended bass. Deeper, clear-water lakes generally have quite a few suspended fish. With no cover to speak of, baitfish have to go to deeper water to find a place to hide. The bass will suspend and wait for them to come by.
How do you catch a suspended bass in the winter?

How do you find deep water bass?

What’s the best rig for bass fishing?
TEXAS RIG The Texas Rig is one of the most popular bass fishing rigs. It is a way to fish a soft plastic worm close to or in cover such as weeds. This rig requires a special cone-shaped weight and a “worm hook” which is designed to be threaded through the worm so that the point of the hook is not exposed.
When should you throw a Ned rig?
Once you’ve found a likely spot, just throw the ned out there and let it sink on a slack line. Watch as it falls for the telltale ‘tick’ that indicates a fish. Often you won’t see any indication of a fish biting, but when you reel up to move the bait, there will be a fish on.
What is a Mojo rig?
The mojo rig is an ultra finesse technique and is best used under extreme circumstances. The mojo rig is often viewed as the technique of last resort. A technique that anglers will use even if bass are not biting a drop shot bait!
Where do fish go after ice out?

Where do bass go in cold water?
Often times the bass in Winter will pull off shore and lay in the lowest, deepest spot they can find off shore. If you’re on a small body of water this probably means the middle of the deepest coves. If you’re on a big body of water this could be the middle of a bay or even the center of the lake, miles offshore.
Where do bluegills go after ice out?
When ice comes off the ponds and lakes, bluegill fishing gets hot. They’re out there, cruising around in vast, slow-moving schools and grazing like cattle on zooplankton and chironomids. They sometimes hover higher in the water column as the sun sets, and then drift quietly down to the darker deep when night falls.
What month is best for bass fishing?
April is the best month to fish for bass. Depending on your region, bass may just be starting to come out from their winter depths or already well into spawn.
Why are the bass not biting?
Bass don’t make big moves when conditions suddenly get tough, but they will reposition to a nearby location that provides them more comfort. For example, if you’ve been catching them under overcast conditions and it gets sunny, bass will move closer to cover and are less likely to chase a bait.
What time of day are bass most active?
The best time of day to catch largemouth bass is generally early mornings from dawn until about 2 hours after sunrise and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until the last light of dusk. The worst time to catch bass is nighttime along with the middle of the day during the dead of summer.
What is the best bait to use for bass in February?
Jigs and creature baits are great options for the big bass of February. Slow-moving baits are best as bass are sluggish in the cold water. Lake of the Ozarks, located in central Missouri in the northern part of the Ozark Mountains, is a bass-producing phenomenon.