Winter time is approaching fast here in the Pacific North west, and h2o temperatures will fall into the mid-40s on most of our requires. It's a time when many give up seafood sportfishing for other interests. Many fishermen are chasing other types of seafood such as steelhead and fish. Walleye sportfishing is also the ideal choice for the winter season fisherman here in the North west, and many hunting activities are still going strong.
It is easy to see, that with all the choices we have, that winter seafood sportfishing is not as popular as some of the other choices we have for cool activities.
Winter seafood sportfishing in the North west is generally a tough proposition at best. I still seafood for seafood during the cool months when the elements isn't too bad. You have to measure achievements with a different measuring stick this season. A effective day might be a couple of nice seafood. I would like to share some of the things I have discovered about winter weather seafood sportfishing in the North west.
First of all, it requires a serious attitude modification to seafood for winter seafood. With the cool comes a slowly down in the bass' metabolism. The attack area reduces with every degree the heat range drops. The key ingredient for achievements is, you must seafood gradually. A seafood will not shift very far to attack and achievements improves the more time the attract is in the attack area. Not many fishermen taking with fishing rod have the patience for this kind of sportfishing.
Most of our natural ponds tend to be shallow and the winter season seafood will seek the inner h2o available. Extreme drop-off places with straight framework are great places to look for winter seafood. Stream channel ledges and stone bluff-type places will keep seafood on most of our ponds. Vertical components like pilings and bridge abutments are also outstanding. A favorite of my own on our seaside ponds are wooden train trestles. Vertical framework allows seafood to shift up and down, depending upon the elements, without using much energy.
I used to think that the only attract for winter weather sportfishing was a 3/8-ounce jig and pig mixture caught at a snail's pace. That is still a effective technique to catch winter seafood, but I have discovered a few other techniques as well. At periods, seafood will resist hitting larger lures and downsizing is the key. I have had great results using little 1/8-ounce lures in both hair and rubber skirts, with little chicken or plastic trailer. The rigged attract is about 3 inches wide lengthy. I normally seafood this little mixture on 8- to 10-pound-test range, with a G-Loomis 722 rotating rod. Normally, I won't be sportfishing more than 18- to 20-feet deep, and the mild attract falls gradually which helps you to slowly down. After the attract hits the end, let it sit for provided that you can stand it. For me, that's about 15 seconds and then I shift the attract gradually, with frequent lengthy breaks.
When seafood are having on straight framework, such as connects or pilings, I have another technique that has been effective for me on many occasions. Drop a 1/16- to 1/8-ounce marabou crappie jig down along the side of the framework. Drop it to the end and don't shift it. The little bit of activity and h2o current will shift the marabou. Many periods, this is all you need to trigger a attack. I have had great results on black or white marabou lures. If you don't get a bite, reel up about two legs and keep it still again. Keep duplicating this until you determine the depth the seafood are having at. Light rotating deal with and mild range help to balance this demonstration.
The rig I like to start with whenever I'm sportfishing stone hills or creek ledges is the split-shot rig. It is a great cold-water demonstration and will produce results when all else fails. I like a little 4-inch straight tail earthworms in dark colors for winter. Research with the range you place your taken above the earthworms. Sometimes, ten or twenty yards of only a few inches wide will work and other periods a more time space between the cause and attract works best.
One other technique is trembling a mild earthworms rig with or without a cup pellet. I will use two different stations for trembling in cool h2o. I rig one with a cause sinker without a pellet and the other with steel and cup. For some reason, one will usually out seafood the other. The key for these stations is very little activity of your rod tip when trembling. Small 1-inch movements are required. I have a friend who says you try to lift the sinker off the end without lifting the earthworms. I am going to experience a dropshot rig this winter. It should be an outstanding means for winter seafood. Give winter seafood sportfishing a try, the air is crisp and the ponds are quiet. Odds are high that you'll be the only fisherman on the lake.