by Bob King
Fisherman’s Almanac
The
Finding and attracting fish
in the cold winter months can be
difficult and even brutal, thanks to
the cold weather and the wind. So
it is more critical than ever to learn
everything you can about the fish
this time of year, and keeping in
mind, (as always), the moon phases.
After November 1, the fish will be
in the coves at night and early in the
morning (pre-dawn). In the daylight
hours they will generally be in the
warmer water, which is actually the
deeper water in the center of
the channel or center of the
lake. The original river beds
are where the water is deepest
and therefore the warmest.
(
A lake map is most helpful,
as is a good depthfinder).
The fish (stripers) will
most likely be found at
around 35-40 feet deep.
Jigging with a sassy shad jig,
buck-tail, spoon, fluke, or
other jig works well; working
the lure above the fish works
best. If the fish are moving
too much to stay over them,
move into a nearby cove. Use
your depth finder to look for
fish on an underwater hump
about 35 feet deep and jig
there.
I used to fish with a friend
from Harrisonburg, who would go
into the coves, following the moon
phases, and find most times just one
fish on his graph (he used a lowrance
paper graph). He would go after
that one fish, and after he caught it,
he would not move. He would fish
that same spot for a while, and he
would usually catch several, even
though he had only marked one on
his graph. He would use a buck-tail
or a hopkins spoon. The lesson here
is that you may catch more than one
fish in a given spot, even though you
may only see one.
The other thing to do in cold
weather is to troll, as slowly as
possible. I suggest pulling a double
rig off a three-way swivel with a jig
and a spoon. You may want to use
down-riggers and/or out riggers,
and/or lead-core line.My preference
is to troll with lead-core line. Lead-
core line makes it easier to pull your
bait at the desired depth by counting
the colors on the line(fishing just
above the fish). Each color gives you
about 10 feet of depth.
Trolling is very productive when
the fish are in the deep water and
moving a lot. You can also pull
20
lb. line, running the line long
behind the boat, and pull Magnum
Helibenders, Waterdogs, Big Macs,
Little Macs or other deep running
lures. Jointed Spoon-Bill Rebels
work well also. Running
long lines allows the lures
you are pulling to reach the
30’ -35’
depth. The weather
can be very cold and not
very friendly, so it’s wise to
invest in a good snow suit
or blizzard suit. There are
also several portable propane
heaters available that are
designed to be used on your
boat. These are especially
good for keeping your hands
warm.
Using a good depth
finder will help you avoid
the areas where the trees are.
It’s no fun catching a tree. I
strongly recommend Having
a “Plug-Knocker” on board;
it’s a sinker that slides down
your line and bumps your
plug. Working your rod tip up and
down uses the weight of the plug
knocker to “knock” the plug loose.
Remember to follow the moon
phases so that you will be most
productive! Moon Phases for these
Discover Smith Mountain Lake | Winter 2012
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