Tips on winter fishing for bass, crappie and bluegill

Winter is here, and with it comes winter weather. Warm one day and then cold the next or rain one day and then ice and snow the next.

Many times winter fishing has to do more with being able to fish rather than whether the fish will bite. When I fish in the winter I go more for the "get away from it all" than the "fish fillets I bring home."

When I fish for bass, I like to use plastic worms during the winter months. I use probably a 1/4-ounce slip bullet-shaped sinker and a large Tru Turn hook (I believe it's a 1/0.). I like to hone the hook a little to make sure it's sharp. Drag the hook over your thumb nail, and if it digs in you are OK. If it just slides, sharpen it. I like to use either a six- or seven- or eight-inch plastic worm in dark blue or purple. Make sure you don't have gas scent or something else on your fingers.

As you fish, recall the times last summer when you fished cover that was rather deep, say 10 to 15 feet at least. Cast toward shore, and let your worm sink down to the bottom. Slowly lift your rod tip and feel your worm climb over the sticks and cover on the bottom. Go really slow. I like to kind of jig my worm so I twitch the rod tip up a couple-three inches and slacken, and then up another couple three inches and then slacken. And then the thrill of feeling the bump-bump and string tightening of a fish taking the bait. I usually slacken the line and let the fish run a few seconds. And then set the hook when the fish again tightens the string.

When I fish bluegill, I like to fish right on the bottom in six feet or deeper water. I tie a small lead sinker on the end of my fishing line, say a 1/8-ounce size. I go up about 14 inches or so and tie a one-inch loop using a figure-eight knot. I then slip on a size 8 snelled hook. If there isn't many snags on the bottom, you can add another snelled hook up another 12 to 14 inches. I then add a red wiggler to each of the hooks. Baby night crawlers work, but I don't think as well as red wigglers.

Cast your hook sinker rig out and allow it to sink to the bottom. Reel your line up until the line is relatively tight and then simply watch the rod tip. I put my rod at a right angle from the line. Winter bites will be subtle, so pay attention. Normally a bluegill will hook himself if you use a size 8 or 10 snelled hook.

For crappie I like using a slip bobber. I first slip the little line stop on first. I like the Dogbone Bobber Stops from Cabela's best of all. After the line stop is on, I slip the glass bead on next and then the bobber. I buy my slip bobbers from Wal-Mart, the cheap foam ones. I add a 1/8- ounce split shot to the line and then tie the hook right on the end of the line. You can play with how much weight. You want enough weight to drag your bait down rather then kind of float down where we are fishing rather deep. My preferred bait is small minnows, say 1-1/4 inches to 1-1/2 inches or so.

Slip your bobber stop so you have six or eight feet of line out. I'd probably start with six and then slowly lower it if you don't catch a fish. When you do catch a fish, measure how deep your minnow is. Cast your bobber rig toward shore and let the bait settle down. Your bobber will stand up so you know your bait is hanging straight down. I like to fish close to where I caught fish last summer, only in deeper water. If you caught fish in 6 feet around a submerged tree and you were fishing 3 or 4 feet deep, simply try fishing in 8 or 10 feet of water and fishing 6 or 8 feet deep. One key on crappie is to fish over the crappie and not below them. They will come up to bite, but may not go down to bite.

Take your time. Fish slowly. In the summer they may bite when you first drop your bait in the water. When the water is cold, it may take a few minutes for them to bite. Slowly fish deeper and deeper till you locate the fish. A fish finder will be a real asset. But, oh, the joy of watching your bobber slowly just sink. A bass or bluegill will quickly drag your bobber down under the water. Normally a crappie will slowly drag it under.

I don't know about you, but depending on how cold it is today, I just might go fishing. Have a good one and happy fishing!