(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
If you’re one of the bass anglers who thinks that the only way to catch fish when it’s cold is to fish painstakingly slow, think again. Brandon Cobb has a shallow-water cranking strategy that may open your eyes.
“In some lakes a lot of fish go deep in the winter,” he admitted, but if there’s dirty water around he expects a sizeable number to stay shallow year-round. He loves to crank the bank and near-bank areas from late November through February, and while dirty water is usually best, the technique also works in clear water if there’s some wind.
He keeps his crankbait choices simple – Yo-Zuri 3DS SR and MR models, in shad or craw colors. They run true, they have small profiles and they’re castable. “Most baits that work real well are aggravating to cast,” he said, explaining why these are preferable. As for the color choices, obviously if he sees bass spitting up one prey or the other, that’s the direction he’ll head, but if not, he favors craw patterns when fish are tight to the rocks and shad if they’re hitting part way back to the boat.
He fishes both lures on his 6’11” medium-action Ark Century rod, which he designed as a dual-purpose stick for jerkbaits and crankbaits. It has a soft action, which helps with his hookup percentage. “You’ve kind of got to let that fish get it,” he explained. For the same reason, he believes that “you also don’t want a super-fast reel.” He likes an Abu-Garcia Revo MGX with a 6.4:1 gear ration. It’s small and handles light line better than it’s larger counterparts. That’s critical because while he usually relies on 10- or 12-pound line, sometimes he’ll go as low as 8. His preferred style is Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon. He admits that sometimes monofilament allows bass to get the lure better, but he prefers fluoro because it helps his baits run more naturally. That’s a trade-off he’s willing to make, and if the fish start coming off he’ll move to an even lighter rod.
He'll find key areas to crank before he hits the water, using his mapping software. He wants to combine high-percentage zones with the preferred cover of the day.
“Creeks are usually a go-to for me for winter cranking,” he said. That’s because they often have dirtier water. Within them he’ll start on flat, slow-tapering points, and alternate between those and channel banks until he finds which one they’re using. Then he’ll narrow down the preferred cover. “You generally need rock,” he said. If that’s not available, at least look for hard-bottomed areas. You want the bait to bounce off that cover and the hard bottom keeps it clean and active.
Don’t forget that these small crankbaits have small hooks, and keeping fish buttoned up may be difficult. Accordingly, he recommends that when you’re fighting the bass don’t change direction too much. That prevents your trebles from coming loose.
If you want to learn some of Cobb’s other wintertime cranking tips, including the importance of “corners” and his strategy to milk them for all they are worth, check out his full on-the-water video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
