Wired2fish contributor, Chad Warren, goes against winter bass fishing convention by concentrating his efforts on shallow bass relating to timber and brush. While tactics like deep water damiki rigging can work excellently, isolated cover, such as trees and brush, can be bass magnets, but they’re hard to find. Warren shows us how to locate productive fish-holding cover and how he positions his boat for effective jerkbait fishing.
GEAR (retail links)
- JERKBAIT
- ROD
- REEL
- LINE
- FISH FINDER: GARMIN ECHOMAP™ ULTRA 122sv – Buy at GARMIN
- LIVE IMAGING
- TROLLING MOTOR
Forward-facing sonar teaches anglers the importance of maintaining offset from the fish – they can be incredibly spooky and unwilling to bite if you get too close. Warren starts by running his range outwards of 70 feet in search mode, then brings it back between 40 -to 60 feet when casting to fish. The decreased range expands the image, making it easier to video game bass out of the branches.
Warren avoids getting closer than 30 feet from the target and inspects it from several angles with LiveScope before leaving. Similar to changing crankbait casting angles, different viewing angles yield additional insight and potentially more bass. It’s not uncommon to catch a bass and blow up the spot, so drop waypoints and return later to catch a few more.
Treble hooks and timber don’t always play nice. Warren advises casting slightly beyond the cover, just enough to get the bait down to depth but not too far where the bait risks running too deep and snagging. Make casts from multiple casting angles before moving on. The carrying capacity of an individual tree can be quite impressive. Check out more winter fishing tips!
