Winter Bass Fishing: 9 Must-Have Lures

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Planning on some winter bass fishing? Here are some bass facts & lure suggestions to help with your success.

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• Bass don’t need to feed every day, so they don’t eat as much or as often, making smaller baits or extremely slow moving big baits good options
• Bass group up and move around as little as possible, populating areas with food and deep water nearby. So spend time looking for deep concentrations of bait, cover and bass.
• This is great news! They do eat, and they stick together. So if you find one, there are likely many nearby, and one or some are bound to be hungry.

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Given this info, here are the best lures for winter bass fishing:

• Blade Bait: A blade bait is the perfect lure for stair-stepping down steep 45 degree banks to where bass are resting.
• Casting Jig: Best for smallmouths, cast a casting jig to 45 degree banks and steep points and bluffs. Even better when tipped with something with flat appendages that undulate more than twist and thump.
• Deep Suspending Jerk Baits: To imitate shad dying – kicking, fluttering, floating – deep diving suspending jerkbaits are best. The sound, flash and displacement in clear water can all lead big bass out of the deep to grab an easy meal.
• Drop Shot:  Since bass are often tight to the bottom, keep leader lengths fairly short and let the drop shot sit for long periods. It won’t need much action!
• Grub: It may be simple and old-school, but this bait really shines when the water is ultra cold. When bass suspend in vertical cover, a grub can be a great lure to catch those otherwise stationary bass.
• Jigging Spoon: This lure casts like a rock, gets to the bottom and into the strike zone with blazing speed. It can be worked in place vertically with ease.
• Tail Spinner: This lure also gets to the bottom fast and can be easily manipulated (hop, wind & pump) in various ways both near the bottom and up in the strike zone.
• Shad Rap: A favorite of the pros in coldwater tournaments! 
• Under Spins: When fishing deep flats, this lure can be cast and wound slowly along the bottom or up off the bottom if you find the bass suspended.

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