Dear IMshooter:
They gotta eat sometime this winter! I've been given the idea that the steeper structures are to be tried in the colder season. For instance, the breast of a dam on a lake or pond. Don't have to travel so far to go shallow during daily movements. They'll hit up here in PA. and it's colder fer sure.
Got to go slower and absolutly control depth. Floats on a slip rig work well. I won't leave home without
them! Where it's at is far more important than what it is. I do depend on bait at this time of year, but will try jigs in moving water. I'll use what I can for bait, minnies, bugs, worms, whatever, but I'll try real hard to get things very near the bottom. If it's where it needs to be they'll hit it!
I don't use my boat in the winter, and wading ain't a good idea either, so I stick to areas that I can reach from shore, mostly medium streams and ponds. Smaller streams are too sensitive to weather. I'll try the breast of a dam on a large lake, or river, but not spend a lot of time there. The fish are there or they ain't.
It ain't crowded at this time of year! Woodbutcher
