The
Finicky Fish Finder
Geological features on the surface of the earth, to include the
bottoms of lakes, rivers, streams and canals are considered
tectonics, where our team of Ed and I are in search of that winter
Lunker, a real slob hiding in ambush for an offering. Through Bass
tectonics and lure presentation, we will catch those hard to bite,
finicky eaters, and winter bass! The holy grail of winter bass
fishing is the current edges along the sides and culverts emptying
into these bodies of water. These are as important to finding bass in
canals as structure is to finding bass in lakes. The canal bass will
go into the current looking for food, then dart back into the slack
water adjacent to the current to rest. The ideal time to fish for
bass is when the water levels are low and there is good water clarity
with stable water flow. Bass are very predictable when the water
levels are stable and the water is clear. If you happen to be bass
when the water is rising, due to an afternoon rain storm or the
opening of a weir or dam at one end or the other, as the water rises
or falls, the fish will often go into a feeding frenzy, because of
all the worms and insects that are washed and exposed from the banks.
Think of tectonics as changing structure or a moving bottom; in
geological terms, it is movement in causing, or resulting from
structural deformation of the earth's crust. I use the term loosely
in this article as each time it rains, footings crumble, a bank or a
cut can occur from wash outs, culverts moving water through them can
cause underwater swelling through the grass growing on the bottom of
the lake or body of water ; a movement of the earth has taken place,
though small, causes and forms structural habitat to marine and
aquatic creatures. It is an analogy or better yet a correlation of a
tectonic event. By watching for and fishing these normally ignored
occurrences in a flowing body of water, big bass can be caught and on
a regular basis. Florida winter bass tectonics is all about fishing
marine to man-made structure that holds fish.Whether angling a urban canal in North Port or taking to the open water of Okeechobee, a basses metabolism becomes higher proportionally as the temperature gets higher. When in cold deeper waters, they show less active and need to eat less. Just as in winter angling, less eats mean more casts in provoking a strike, unlike the fall where dropping water temperatures cause a turn on to baits in filling up body fats and protein for the winter, when offerings can be slow and far between. Winter bass, like all other times of the year travel in schools of around the same size and are usually stacked around structure according to dominance. Culverts with fresh running waters into a canal are great bass attractors as when the water flows out it pushes mud up or over to the dominate side of the stream. This can cause mini-eddies along the banks to which cold water bass hang in wait for a floating morsel to eat. In winter fishing, bass are cold blooded so movement is at a minimal. Using too much energy in tracking a meal is just something a bass will not do in the winter, unless provoked. To this end, one has to bring the baits to the bass in order to hook it up. In angling for winter bass, you have to take into account that they are predators but not active ones, as their favorite meal is not actually the one they will struggle for. The bass would rather wait patiently for its victim to come by and unexpectedly get in their way. Winter bass very often go for injured or less energetic prey even though this might not be part of their regular menu. A bass's menu in general is crawfish, minnows, worms, insects, frogs and even small birds, if it can get its mouth around it. For an experienced fisherman, knowledge of the eating habits is a must in angling for these fish anytime of the year. The old saying of match the hatch always applies when freshwater angling for Florida Largemouth Bass. Frogs, like bass and all the various minnows to Pan fishes are cold blooded, so if the water is cold, so too is the prey. Slowing down your retrieve and start, stop intervals if using a jig or worm are your best bets in a hook up.
Rocks to outcrops and floating vegetation provide fish a safe haven from birds of prey and others who to are out in search of a winter treat. Hydrillias, water lilies and dead floating debris are too ambush points where bass hang out. In catching winter bass, a toss of a Ringed worm out and hold on to your hat as the bait flutters down, there could be a fish on at any minute. A Ringed worm is a worm rig that has a great temptation to bass that are in a neutral or even negative feeding mood, as in winter angling. There’s something about a Ringed worm’s look and action that makes the bass turn on its bite.
The Ringed worm is a Gulp Black worm that is hooked through the middle of a small “O” ring so the two ends droop down in an inverted U-shape. The O-ring rig is positioned at the worm’s mid-point, and then the hook is hooked through the O-ring instead of inserted through the worm. This rig is cast out and allowed to sink to bottom, twitching seductively up off bottom, then allowed to sink again. This type of angling is good around shoreline cover, docks, and weed lines. Tackle consists of a seven-foot rod and spinning tackle with six to ten pound test line. Hook sizes should range in the 1 to 2/0 range. Purchase your “O”-rings at a plumbing store and make sure they are small, as Gulp worms are not the biggest kids on the block and you want a tight fit. Insert your hook right through the O-ring and Not the worm! Ringed worms are in general fished with no weight but if need be, a small, no head; finishing nail can be inserted into one end or the other of the worm. Tossing your bait out in a flip motion of an underhanded cast towards the sides of the pads or floating debris and letting your Ringed worm slip down to the bottom. As it is sinking, watch for even the slightest twitch or bump, as this could be the presence of a bass coming to dinner. As you see the twitching line or feel pressure of any kind, raise the rod tip slightly even to you eye level and if any, slowly reel in your slack. Hook set is not needed as the point of your hook is already exposed through the ring and it its mouth, “FISH ON!”
Bites in cold water are always subtle unless you are trying to provoke a strike. Bass will attack a bait if presented consistently, to the point where it pisses it off and it becomes provoked. This type of winter angling is best during the heat of the day or generally around two O'clock, anywhere. As the water column warms, baitfishes such as Bream to guppies will invade the shallows to soak up the warmer waters. Big Bass too move into these areas but generally hide under pads to overhangs in order to ambush any prey to which comes too close. Sometimes, unless you are a Pro-guide like Mike Shellen, who can throw up under the hand, without getting hung, you have to use an alternative approach and cast as close to the spot, over and over again, until you provoke a strike. Top water baits are best in achieving this method of fishing. The Bass Pro XTS is an excellent top water and is one of my favorites. I used the XTS in a provoke strike under a bridge, on a canal, in North Port Florida, by continually casting to the rocks edge where I had noticed a swirl of water from the tail of a good sized fish. I came up with a nice six pounder, which is about the average size of the big ones in North Port, that is until my son, Edwin, using a Baby Hedden Bomber hooked it up with a seven pound fish moments later. The ole' man got beat again!
Bass tectonics on a lake, like Okeechobee, in south Florida are vast in number as the bottom changes every year with water level movements, dams and locks opening to closing, cat tail patches vast and as far as the eye can see, to moving gator holes and floating docks above. Lake Okeechobee has 780-square-miles of water to find fish on. Spawning usually begins in October and can last through December. That puts the bass on this lake either in the shallows or heading to the shallows. The Big O is a shallow lake, which can make it dangerous during a winter chill or front. After the passing of a chill, the Bass head for deeper waters and at three to four feet, that is about it, unless you know of a gator hole or two, you best bet is to get a guide or fish the Rim Canal, which circumferences the lake for releases to feed the fruit trees and irrigation. The northwest corner of the lake is generally the first spawn of the year. The bass migrate into the shallows, which hold eelgrass, peppergrass, lotus pads and bulrushes close to deeper water, spawning to ambush points in feeding. The outside edges of the hydrilla beds, in 6 to 10 feet of water, are the first significant areas of cover between the open lake waters and the spawning shallows. Find good spawning cover near a channel or sharp drop where hydrilla walls meet the shallows is best done if using a guide who knows the area and can put you on the fish of your dreams. Captain Mike Shellen, www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com , enjoys the angling and will put the angler in you, as well trips with him produce more than just a bunch of bass, you will “enjoy seeing all of the bird life and other creatures that is present on and around the lake. We have been seeing a lot of Manatees in the areas where we are fishing, and have enjoyed observing them as they eat water lettuce and other vegetation. We have been sighting Eagles almost daily as well; the return of healthy habitat has triggered a resurgence of these proud birds around the lake.” Captain Mike and when I say Big Bass, these guys can eat the ones Ed and I caught up in North Port, like candy. A trip to the Big O would not be the same without a trip with Capt Shellen! He suggested.
Buzz Baits to cover a lot of water in searching for concentrations of bass and triggering some of the bigger fish to bite. A single plain aluminum blade with a white and chartreuse skirt can be very good but if the bass just follow or strike short, try a shift to a darker color skirt, such as black. If the buzz baits show fish or are slow to no strikes, shift time to my favorites; the top water and if there are too many weeds in using the surface lures there are always the stand by’s; Carolina or Texas rigged worms in the eight to ten inch variety, or maybe just a Ringed worm will boil it up for a bite. For the biggest fish, the use of live shiners are your best bet, but I'll stick with the hardware in angling the tectonics of Florida Winter Bass.
“FISH ON!” ™
