Cold-water Bass tactics with Cory Johnston

B.A.S.S. / FLW angler and Power-Pole ambassador Cory Johnston dives into targeting smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass during cold-water months.

“Everything from your technique to the fish themselves pretty much slows down when it gets cold in that 40-degree range,” says Johnston. “You have to adapt and change your tactics to fit the stage, meaning targeting the middle to bottom of the water column and working lures with a sluggish style.”

Johnston lays out his top three top tips for bigmouth success in chilly waters:

#1 – Use suspending jerkbaits and deep-drop jigs.

“Largemouth bass are suspending in the water column or sitting on or close to the bottom in winter. I use the Jackall Rerange Jerkbait and slow-twitch it to get the hit. Or I utilize a ³/₈– to ¾-ounce Punisher football jig in natural coloring like green pumpkin and bounce it off the bottom. For smallmouth bass, I find they seem to key in on tube jigs or a Jackall Rhythm Wave 3.8 swimbait better.”

#2 – Power-Pole Drift Paddles can play a key part in success when fishing Canada’s lakes.

“During cold-water months, I slow drag jigs, so when I deploy the Power-Pole Drift Paddles, they allow me to dial down the drift and control my presentation for more-effective casting and a better hookup ratio. You can be more methodical — and thus more productive — when using the paddles to stay in the strike zone.”

#3 – Drop the Power-Pole shallow water anchors.

“Generally, I’m fishing shallower 2- to 10-foot depths. I can drop the poles outside of a sand patch, boulder or weed edge and work the area hard for multiple hookups. Remember, these bass are moving super slow, and you really have to work an area over hard to get a strike. The pole lets me stay right on top of the spot to make repeated casts to get bass interested.”