Winter Wonderland...

     It is definitely a winter wonderland because I am wondering what is wrong with this winter weather! This time of the year is without question one of the most rewarding times of the year to be out on the water. Usually the water is in the mid to upper 40's here in the Smoky's but that is not the case with this exceptionally hot December. Water temps are ranging from the lower mid 50's all the way to the upper mid 50's and all though we may be confused the fish are not! I would call this an elongated fall pattern! The fish are still very aggressive and you can get away with fishing faster than normal for this season. The biggest thing to remember is they are feeding up heavy for the cold months to come!

     

     I have 5 go to baits in the late fall and the early winter that never let me down on highland reservoirs! I don't have them ranked in a particular order but all are very important to my arsenal this time of the year and I assure you that they'll put fish in the boat.

#1 Reaction Innovation Skinny Dipper in White Trash

Here in the Smoky's we have a bait fish called a Blueback Herring! These things are like candy bars to a hungry fish year round. With cooling water temps these herring like to move up in the water column and they bring the bass with them! I like to get on points and humps and position my boat in about 20-25 feet of water and cast the skinny dipper to about 3-5 feet and retrieve it at a decent pace. I use a 1/4oz 3/0 R&S screw lock swimbait jighead for the 5" skinny dipper! These replicate a herring so well and always produce!

#2 Mark Dove River Double Willow leaf Spinnerbait in Blue Glimmer
When the wind is howling and the herring are up shallow in the pockets you can't beat running the bank with white double willow leaf spinnerbait! The flash of the blades mixed with the skinny profile of Mark Dove's spinnerbait if a fishing catching machine in the late fall! These fish are so instinctively aggressive that you can always catch them mimicking bait fish!

#3 Rapala X-Rap XR10 Jerkbait in Olive Green
People can spend all the money they want with a $30 megabass or a $20 Lucky Craft jerkbait but there is nothing that imitates a dying shad for $9 like a XR10 in olive green. Our bluebacks have more of an olive green tint on their spine than a blue, but a brighter side than the stock color of the X-rap. I like to trick out my X-Raps with nail polish to have more flash. Wind blown points, wind blown pockets and humps with current are the places to find big bass with a jerkbait all the way through the winter into April. When they're eating bait fish in cold water and there is any wind, a jerkbait will crush'em!!!

#4 River2Sea S-Waver 200 & #5 Huddleston 68 Special ROF 12 both in in Rainbow Trout 
This glide bait and Hud are cost effective and catch monster bass up here in the Smoky's in the early winter! When the water gets chilly, the sleek glide of the s-waver and hard thump of a Hud mesmerizes big bass looking for an easy high protein meal. Trout imitators are a lethal weapon to use this time of the year! The way I look at it is, I'd rather have 1 giant yummy delicious meal than a few snacks. Big bass want to be efficient when feeding and nothing catches their eye like a trout!

From late November last year! A 10+ on a glide, a 5lbr on a skinny dipper and 6lbr on an XR10! HAMMERS! I hope this post leads you to catching more and bigger fish this winter and early spring!