How to Catch Fish in Cold Water
- 1). Select fish to target that bite well in cold water. Examples are crappies, sunfish and walleyes. Some anglers fish for bass in cold water, too.
- 2). Choose the proper equipment. If the water is cold enough to freeze the surface, then choose ice rods between 24 and 36 inches, paired with small reels that hold 2- to 4-pound test line. If the water is cold, but not frozen, select a spinning rod paired with a reel loaded with 6- to 8-pound test line.
- 3). Choose your lures. One-eighth-ounce jigs or lighter are productive whether fishing atop the ice or in open water. Hooking a small minnow into the jig or sliding a 2-inch grub on is effective. An alternative presentation is to fish with a bobber. Hang a minnow on a plain hook below the float.
- 4). Target cold-water areas such as drop-offs and reef and sunken island edges. Try to find areas that have cover such as rocks or brush on the bottom. Anytime you can find green vegetation when the water is cold, it probably will hold fish.
- 5). Determine how far down in the water column the fish are holding, then set your bobber so your minnow hangs at that depth. If you decide to fish with a jig and grub or jig and minnow, cast the combination and let it drop to the bottom. Retrieve it very slowly along the bottom. Plan to spend at least 3 minutes per cast.
- 6). Target bass with a 3/8-oz. lead-head jig and pork chunk trailer. Look for any cover you can find. Start shallow and progress deep, looking for green vegetation and submerged brush or timber. Cast the lure to the cover multiple times, allowing it to fall to the bottom. Retrieve it slowly along the bottom.
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